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4 Environmental Analysis 4.18 Wildfire ember production and movement within the area of question. Where SRAs contain built environment or development, the local government agency assumes responsibility for fire protection. The California PRC includes fire safety provisions that apply to SRAs during the time of year designated as having hazardous fire conditions. During the fire hazard season, these regulations restrict the use of equipment that may produce a spark, flame, or fire; require the use of spark arrestors on equipment that has an internal combustion engine; specify requirements for the safe use of gasoline-powered tools in fire hazard areas; and specify fire-suppression equipment that must be provided on-site for various types of work in fire-prone areas. Additional codes require that any person who owns, controls, operates, or maintains any electrical transmission or distribution line must maintain a firebreak clearing around and adjacent to any pole, tower, or conductors that carry electric current as specified in PRC Sections 4292 and 4293. Section 4292 also requires that a 10-foot area around the base of poles be cleared of all flammable vegetation. LRAs include lands that do not meet criteria for SRAs or federal responsibility areas, or are lands in cities, cultivated agricultural lands, and nonflammable areas in the unincorporated parts of a county. LIRAS can include flammable vegetation and wildland-urban interface areas. LRA fire protection is provided by the local fire departments, fire protection districts, county fire departments, or by contract with CAL FIRE. California Fire Code The California Fire Code (CFC) is contained within Title 24, Chapter 9, of the California Code of Regulations. Based on the International Fire Code (IFC), the CFC is created by the California Buildings Standards Commission and regulates the use, handling, and storage requirements for hazardous materials, including ignitable ones, at fixed facilities. Similar to the IFC, the CFC and the California Building Code (CBC) use a hazards classification system to determine the appropriate measures to incorporate to protect life and property. The CFC includes provisions and standards for emergency planning and preparedness, fire service features, fire protection systems, hazardous materials, fire flow requirements, fire hydrant locations and distribution, and the clearance of debris and vegetation within a prescribed distance from occupied structures in wildfire hazard areas. Chapter 49 of the CFC also includes requirements for Wildland-urban Interface Fire Areas, which prescribes construction materials and methods in FHSZs; requirements generally parallel CBC Chapter 7A. Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones Government Code 51177 Very High FHSZs are defined by Government Code Section 51177 as areas designated by the Director of CAL FIRE as having the highest possibility of having wildfires. These zones are based on consistent, statewide criteria and the severity of fire hazard that is expected to prevail in those areas. The zones are also based on fuel loading, slope, fire weather, and other factors, such as wind, which have been identified by CAL FIRE as a major cause of the spreading of wildfires. FHSZ maps are produced and maintained for each county. 2018 Strategic Fire Plan for California Developed by the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Strategic Fire Plan outlines goals and objectives to implement CAL FIRE's overall policy direction and vision. The 2018 Strategic Griffith Energy Storage Project 4.18-6 Tetra Tech/SCH 2022120675 Draft Environmental Impact Report August 2023