Yes, the City welcomes any opportunity to work with neighboring jurisdictions. Please refer to page 56 of the June 15th Staff Report on the City’s Fiscal Year 2020-21 Budget for a full list of San Rafael’s shared services and partnerships with other government agencies.
A communication plan is an important part of the emergency plan. You should include the following in your communication plan: Be in the know Now that you’ve decided how you’ll stay informed, make sure everyone in your emergency plan knows about these sources and how to use them. How you will stay in touch with loved ones Designate … Continued
Choose two meeting spots: If you have to get out of your home in the event of a house fire – the corner of the block or a neighbor’s porch all make good meeting spots. In this location you can gather and take a head count to make sure everyone got out safely. Make sure … Continued
Sheltering-in-place means staying where you are because it’s safer than going outside. When we go to the basement because of a storm warning or stay home because of a blizzard, we are sheltering-in-place. This is not a common safety action in San Rafael, but was more recently practiced during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
All short-term rental units are required to post emergency procedures, information on signing up for emergency alerts, and fire safety information. Why? Short-term rentals represent a unique fire risk for a variety of reasons. Those using short-term rentals may be from out of the area and unfamiliar with wildfire risk and safety procedures. The information will … Continued
All new construction, home improvements impacting more than 25% of the structure, replacing roofing or windows, all community owned space (i.e. HOA shared land), etc. Vegetation management plan approval will be part of residential building resale (RBR) inspections or if the property is transferred to a new owner (inheritance, donated, etc.) or the zoning or … Continued
Designated parcels will be required to have more than one means and direction of egress in the event of a wildfire or other emergency. Fences over two (2) feet tall will be required to have two gates, accessing different cardinal directions installed. This will include new fences, replaced fences, and at property resale. Why? To … Continued
The city will develop a program to encourage the implementation of garage door battery backup systems. Why? Power failures, impacting the functionality of automatic garage doors, can make evacuation by car impossible during an emergency. Effective, July 1, 2019, Senate Bill 969 requires all new and replacement automatic garage doors to have a backup battery or … Continued
Following City Council action in May 2022, all shake and wooden roofs would be required to be replaced by May 31, 2027. Financial assistance may be available to assistant residents with this change. Please reach out to Wildfire Prevention in the Fire Department to learn more. Why? Wooden roofs are much more susceptible to ignition … Continued
Parking will only be permitted in designated “boxed” areas which will be designed to assure emergency vehicles can access all streets in San Rafael. Why? Our Municipal Code currently prohibits parking on narrow street unless six feet (6’) from center is maintained unobstructed. This standard is confusing, hard to enforce, and does not guarantee fire … Continued
