The Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) will introduce proposed updates to the Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps for state responsibility area lands. California law requires CAL FIRE to produce maps identifying areas that face moderate, high or very high fire hazard within property for which the state has financial responsibility for wildland fire protection.

The maps are used to determine legal requirements affecting property owners including  building construction standards. The maps were last updated in the mid-1980s.

A Kern County Public Hearing will be held Wednesday, July 18 at 1:00 p.m. at the Board of Supervisors, 1115 Truxtun Ave. in Bakersfield.  For more information call June Iljana at (916) 657-4407 or David Goodell at (661) 330-0151. Comprehensive information on the map update process is available at www.fire.ca.gov/wildland.php.

This is part of the July 13, 2007 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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