HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES NO 019-16RESOLUTION NO. O 1 9 — 1. 6
RESOLUTION OF THE BAKERSFIELD CITY COUNCIL APPROVING AN
AMENDMENT TO THE SAFETY ELEMENT TEXT OF THE METROPOLITAN
BAKERSFIELD GENERAL PLAN. (CITY WIDE).
WHEREAS, the City of Bakersfield is requesting a text amendment to the safety element
of the Metropolitan Bakersfield General Plan (the "Project "); and
WHEREAS, the purpose of the Project is to comply with SB 1241; and
WHEREAS, SB 1241 requires an update of the Safety Element with the update of the
Housing Element on or after January 1, 2014 to address the risk of fire for land classified as
"State Responsibility Areas" (SRA), as defined in Section 4102 of the Public Resources Code.
SRAS are land classified as "very high fire hazard severity zones," as defined in Section 51177;
and
WHEREAS, the City of Bakersfield Fire Department has determined that there are no
known lands classified as "very high fire hazard severity zones" within the Metropolitan
Bakersfield General Plan area; and
WHEREAS, the Project is exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental
Quality Act; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission held a public hearing on December 3, 2015, and
approved Resolution No. 62 -15, which recommended that the City Council adopt the Project;
and
WHEREAS, the Clerk of the City Council set Wednesday, December 9, 2015 at 5:15 p.m.
in the Council Chambers of City Hall, 1501 Truxtun Avenue, Bakersfield, California, as the time
and place for a public hearing before the City Council to consider the approval of the
amendment as required by Government Code Section 65355, and notice of the public
hearing was given in the manner provided in Title 17 of the Bakersfield Municipal Code; and
WHEREAS, the City Council continued the item to it's regular meeting of January 6, 2016
and then to January 20, 2016; and
WHEREAS, during the hearing, the City Council considered all facts, testimony, and
evidence concerning the staff report, Notice of Exemption for the project and the Planning
Commission's deliberation, and action.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Bakersfield City Council as follows:
1. The recitals above are incorporated herein by this reference.
2. The Project is exempt for CEQA, the State CEQA Guidelines, and the City of
Bakersfield CEQA Implementation Procedures have been followed. Staff
determined that the proposal is exempt under CEQA Section 15306 of the CEQA
Guidelines.
3. The Project is hereby approved as shown on the attachment.
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4. The Project approved herein is hereby made part of the 1 st amendment to the
Safety Element of the Metropolitan Bakersfield General Plan for calendar year
2015 in accordance with Government Code Section 65358 (b).
I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing Resolution was passed and adopted by the
Council of the City of Bakersfield at a regular meeting held on IAN 7 0 2016 , by
the following vote:
✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
AYES' COUNCILMEMBER: RIVERA, MAXWELL, WEIR, SMRH, HANSON, SULLIVAN, PARLIER
S: COUNCILMEMBER: t4 0N21
ABSTAIN: COUNCILMEMBER:
ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBER: N
ROBERTA GAFFORD, C
CITY CLERK and Ex Officio Clerk of the
Council of the City of Bakersfield
APPROVED JAN 2 0 2016
HARVEY L. HALL
MAYOR of the City of Bakersfield
APPROVED as to form:
VIRGINIA GENNARO
City Attor
By:
ANDREW HEGLUND
Deputy City Attorney
Exhibit A: Text Amendment
S: \Metro Geneml Plan \Metropolitan Gen Plan -2015 update \Res CC_GPA APPROVE_ Safety Elem Text Amend.docx
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CHAPTER VIII - SAFETY I PUBLIC SAFETY
CHAPTER VIII - SAFETY ELEMENT
STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS
Government Code Section 65302(g) requires preparation of a Safety Element in city and county
general plans as follows:
A safety element is necessary for the protection of the community from any
unreasonable risks associated with the effects of seismically induced surface rupture,
ground shaking, ground failure, tsunami, seiche, and dam failure; slope instability
leading to mudslides and landslides; subsidence liquefaction and other geologic hazards
known to the legislative body; flooding; and wildland and urban fires. The safety element
shall include mapping of known seismic and other geologic hazards. It shall also address
evacuation routes, peakload water supply requirements, and minimum road widths and
clearances around structures, as those items relate to identified fire and geologic
hazards.
The Safety Element has been divided into three sections which address seismic safety, flooding
and public safety, as well as general provisions.
GENERAL PROVISIONS
GOALS
1.
POLICIES
To develop sustainable communities to preserve life, protect property, the
environment, and the economy from natural hazards.
The adopted Kern County, California Multi- Hazard Mitigation Plan is incorporated
by reference. This mufti- jurisdictional plan, approved in compliance with the
Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, provides long -term planning to reduce the
impacts of future disasters.
IMPLEMENTATION
The adopted mufti - jurisdictional Kern County, California Multi -Hazard Mitigation
Plan, as approved by FEMA, shall be used as a source document for preparation
of environmental documents pursuant to CEQA, evaluation of project proposals,
formulation of potential mitigation and identification of specific actions that could,
if implemented, mitigate impacts from future disasters and other threats to public
safety.
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CHAPTER VIII - SAFETY / PUBLIC SAFETY
A. SEISMIC SAFETY
Bakersfield is located near the eastern edge of the broad San Joaquin Valley, at the base of the
Sierra Nevada. The valley is a large, northwest- trending trough (geosyncline) between the
Sierra Nevada on the east and the Coast Range mountains on the west. The valley is filled with
thick sediments eroded from the mountains on both sides.
The Kern River is the major hydrologic feature of the area, bringing water from Lake Isabella
reservoir through the Kern River Canyon. In the Bakersfield area, the river has created the
large Kern River fan, covering approximately 300 square miles of the valley. The Kern River
good plain is incised into the upper part of the fan, north of downtown Bakersfield, but spreads
out across the broad, flat lower fan.
There are numerous geologic fractures in the earth's crust within the San Joaquin Valley. The
most prominent is the San Andreas Fault.
Other types of fault systems occur in the Bakersfield region, as in most of California, due to the
continual and historical convergence of the continental plates.
Potential seismic hazards existing in the planning area include strong ground shaking, fault
rupture, liquefaction, earthquake induced landslides and potential inundation from the failure of
Lake Isabella dam. Other geologic hazards in the planning area include flooding, landslides, and
subsidence.
In addressing the potential geologic and seismic hazards of the plan area, the siting and design
of certain essential and critical facilities must be properly planned for if public health and safety
are to be maintained following a disaster. Most critical and essential facilities in, or influencing,
the Bakersfield metropolitan area (e.g. hospitals, schools, dams, etc.) are under state or federal
regulation and control, and may be beyond the control of local jurisdictions. Other projects,
including many critical facilities, are under local discretionary jurisdiction, and are therefore
affected by the policies established in this plan.
San Andreas - The San Andreas fault is approximately 650 miles long reaching from a
submarine intersection with the Mendocino escarpment at the north to the Imperial Valley at the
south. Along this extent, the San Andreas fault is considered to be the boundary between the
North American Plate and the Pack Plate. These plates have relative motion such that the
Pack Plate has been moving to the northwest at rates estimated from 1 -112 to 2 -1/2 inches per
year (Anderson, 1971) for the past 30 million years. Not all of the movement has been
accommodated on the San Andreas fault, but it has slipped the most and is the most
conspicuous feature of the plate boundary.
The geologic history of displacements along the San Andreas fault is a difficult problem that has
only recently begun to yield to investigations. No clear and consistent picture has yet emerged
from these investigations. The difficulty of the problem arises in attempting correlations of
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CHAPTER VIII - SAFETY / PUBLIC SAFETY
geologic markers across the large offsets present in the fault, complicated by non - uniform offset
along the fault (i.e., accommodations of slip by other structures) and by many episodes of
movement.
In general, the maximum Quaternary offset due to a single earthquake cannot be determined
due to the superposition of the effects of movements. However, a study by Wallace (1968)
does relate to the problem. By noting the frequency of occurrence of stream offset distances
across a portion of the San Andreas Fault, he attempted to reconstruct the history of the
movement.
The lack of means for dating particular offsets precluded the desired time history and only one
peak was evident in the distribution of offset distances. This peak was 30 feet and was
attributed to the 1857 earthquake. Wallace concluded that 30 feet may well represent the
maximum possible displacement along this portion of the San Andreas fault. Such a value
compares reasonably well with values for the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, 15-1/2 feet
average maximum with 21 feet at one locality.
In the 1857 Fort Tejon earthquake, the San Andreas fault was ruptured for a distance of 200
miles or more. This earthquake is known only by a few historical accounts but it is certainly
ranked as one of California's greatest earthquakes and its magnitude has been estimated as
8.0t 0.5 (California Division of Mines, 1972). Taking the upper limit, an earthquake of Magnitude
8.5 will be considered as the maximum earthquake on this portion of the San Andreas fault.
The segment of the San Andreas through Kern County is relatively short compared to its 650
mile length. It is important, however, because the system breaks from its predominant northerly
trending direction between the San Luis Obispo and Los Angeles County lines. Perhaps a
significant reason for the break is the existence of the Big Pine Fault, trending SW into
Lockwood Valley and the Garlock Fault, trending NE near Lebec.
Significant land features created by the San Andreas in Kern County include the cut through Mil
Potrero (Pine Mountain Club) and Cuddy Valley, where a series of bogs, marshes and sag
ponds exist; Cuddy Creek between Lake of the Woods and Frazier Park (the creek diverts at the
junction of the San Andreas and Garlock systems and Flows into the Castaic Lake Playa); the
division between the Coast Ranges and Transverse Range in the County.
White Wolf Fault - The White Wolf fault is a southeast dipping left lateral oblique reverse fault 45
miles long (Warne, 1965). This fault was recognized on the basis of its topographic expression
by A. C. Lawson in 1906. On July 21, 1952, the White Wolf fault ruptured, producing an
earthquake of magnitude 7.5 and subsequently an extensive sequence of aftershocks. Data on
this fault has been summarized from Jenkins and Oakeshott (1955).
At its northeast end, the fault is first evident in lower Tehachapi Canyon. It trends south 50
degrees west along steep, northwest facing slopes of Bear Mountain to Comanche Point. From
there it extends across the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley to Wheeler Ridge. Indirect
evidence suggests that the fault may possibly extend further towards the San Andreas fault. On
the basis of aftershock hypocenter (epicenter) locations, the dip of the fault has been
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CHAPTER VIII - SAFETY / PUBLIC SAFETY
determined as 60 to 70 degrees to the southeast. Surface exposures of the fault show highly
variable dips.
The White Wolf fault is thought to have initiated in Miocene time; it has been active for most if
not all of the Pliocene, Pleistocene and Holocene epochs. Total uplift of the southeastern block
is of the order of 10,000 feet; left lateral offset is no more than 2,000 feet. The detailed
displacement history of the fault is unknown except for its 1952 movement.
Maximum reliably observed displacements in 1952 were 3 to 4 feet vertically and about 2 feet
horizontally (left - lateral). In 1952 the main shock hypocenter (epicenter) was close to Wheeler
Ridge.
Surface rupture occurred along the northern and southern portions of the fault. Presumably,
displacements were absorbed in sediments along the central portion of the fault where it
crosses the San Joaquin Valley.
The earthquake was impressive, claiming 12 lives, causing at least $50 million in property
damage, caused the closure of railways, and interrupted power in Los Angeles. Slumping and
surface ruptures caused irrigation breaks and subsurface movement disturbed well output. It
was felt as far away as Reno, Nevada, San Francisco, and damaged one building in San Diego.
One of the larger aftershocks of the sequence was the Bakersfield earthquake of August 22,
1952, having a magnitude of 5.8. There were at least 20 aftershocks with a magnitude of 5.0 or
greater.
The magnitude 7.5 earthquake of 1952 on the White Wolf fault has been the largest event, in
fad the only large event, on the fault in historic time. Although surface rupture formed along
only 17 miles of the surface trace of the fault, rupture probably occurred along most of its 45
mile length. A magnitude of 7.5 must be quite close to the earthquake of greatest magnitude for
the White Wolf fault.
Significant features caused by the fault are the valley at the junction of Highways 58 and 223
(sometimes called 'White Wolf Valley "), and the Arvin cutoff along State Route 223.
SEISMIC HAZARDS
The south end of the San Joaquin Valley is bordered by major, active fault systems, making
Bakersfield a historically active seismic area of California. These fault systems are the San
Andreas, Breckenridge, Kern Canyon, Garlock, and White Wolf faults (Figure VIII -1).
On July 21, 1952, the well -known Kern County Earthquakes began as a result of movement
along the White Wolf Fault. The initial shock was a 7.5 magnitude shake with the epicenter
near Wheeler Ridge. Extensive damage occurred to older buildings in Bakersfield, as well as
utility outages and ground rupture due to liquefaction south of the city. Severe damage also
occurred in the cities of Tehachapi and Arvin to the southeast of the study area.
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CHAPTER VIII - SAFETY / PUBLIC SAFETY
STRONG GROUND SHAKING
The principal seismic hazard affecting the planning area is the potential for strong ground
shaking from any of the four major faults in the region.
The most vulnerable structures in an earthquake are the unreinfomed masonry buildings in
Bakersfield, which were built before seismic codes were first instituted in the city and county.
Other building types that may pose substantial hazards in an earthquake include precast
concrete tilt -up buildings, and predominantly multi -story buildings of non - ductile concrete frame
and composite precast concrete construction of types.
TABLE VIII -11
ACTIVE FAULTS CAPABLE OF CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE BAKERSFIELD AREA
Distance From
Maximum Credible
Maximum Credible Causative
Downtown Bakersfield
Earthquake
Bedrock Acceleration
Fault (miles)
(Richter Magnitude)
(a)
San Andreas 38
8.0 -8.3
0.2.0.25
Sierra Nevada 39
6.5 -8.25
0.07.0.12
Garlock 35
7.5 -8.0
0.17 -0.18
Breckenridge -
Kern Canyon 25
6.0 -8.0
0.09 -0.47
White Wolf 19
7.5 -8.0
0.28 -0.45
Pond Poso 8
7.0
0.31 -0.48
Sources: DER, Rio Bravo Annexation, July 1976 DEIR, 2800 Acre Groundwater Recharge Facility
Along the Kern River for the City of Bakersfield, February, 1983 DER, State College
Area General Plan Amendment, March, 1980 DER, Gannon- Wattenbarger General Plan
Amendment, February, 1981.
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CHAPTER VIII • SAFETY / PUBLIC SAFETY
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The Uniform Building Code was revised in 1998 to:
• Upgrade the level of ground motion used in the seismic design of buildings;
• Add site amplification factors based on local soils conditions; and
• Improve the way ground motion is applied in detailed design.
For example, SB 547, enacted in 1986, required local jurisdictions to inventory existing
unreinforced masonry buildings and develop structural hazards reduction programs for such
buildings by January 1, 1990.
The City program for unreinforced masonry buildings has been very successful. A complete
inventory of unreinforced masonry buildings was completed and the City conducted a very
aggressive seismic retrofit construction program after 1990. Of those buildings identified as
"unreinforced masonry structures", 85% are now up to 1993 seismic construction standards.
The County has performed a similar inventory and notified owners of the status of their
buildings.
FAULT RUPTURE
A fault is defined as a fracture in the earth's crust forming a boundary between rock masses that
have shifted. Fault rupture is a break in the ground's surface and associated deformation
resulting from the movement of a fault. Surface rupture is a potential problem should strong
earthquakes occur along the several faults in the project area.
The Alquist - Priolo Earthquake Fault Zones shown in detail on the Alquist - Priolo Earthquake
Fault Zone Maps on file with the City of Bakersfield and Kern County have been designated by
the State as areas where planning should consider the possibility of fault rupture along specific
active or potentially active faults. These zones mark the areas where faults are considered to
have been active during the last 10,000 years and to have a relatively high potential for surface
rupture. Special studies are required prior to building structures for human occupancy within
Earthquake Fault Zones.
Although these Earthquake Fault Zones have been designated for portions in the north and east
of the project area, active faults may potentially exist outside these zones. For critical and
important developments proposed outside of these zones, additional fault investigation may be
necessary.
LIQUEFACTION
Liquefaction is a transformation of a granular material from a solid state into a liquified state as a
consequence of increased pore -water pressures.
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CHAPTER VIII - SAFETY I PUBLIC SAFETY
Areas of high groundwater are at a greater risk for liquefaction of soils during a major
earthquake due to the settling of the foundations of homes, buildings, irrigation equipment,
roads, and freeways.
High groundwater is known to exist at depths of 5 to 15 feet below the ground surface on
portions of the Lamont quadrangle at R 28 E, T 30 S. This area, in south Bakersfield between
about Brundage Lane and DiGiorgio Road (Figure VIII -2), could experience local areas of
liquefaction during a strong earthquake, with attendant ground rupture and potential sinking or
tilting of large buildings. Areas of high groundwater are rare elsewhere in the project area
because the water table has been in a condition of subsidence due to the extraction of water for
irrigation since the late 1880's.
DAM FAILURE INUNDATION
Isabella Dam, which is located about forty (40) miles northeast of Bakersfield, has a capacity to
hold 570,000 acre feet of water. This dam, which is earth filled, is about 185 feet high and
1,725 feet long, and is built near a major earthquake fault.
If an earthquake were to occur in the vicinity, it could result in a break in the dam. This could,
under certain conditions, cause the entire lake storage to be released, which would result in
flooding 60 square miles of the Metropolitan Bakersfield and the surrounding areas of Oildale
and Greenacres. The chances of the dam failing entirely, with the lake at capacity was judged
as 1 day in 10,000 years (Heart Hospital FEIR).
The objective of the existing Flood Evacuation Plan for the Metropolitan Area is to provide for
the protection of life and property through evacuation of areas that would be inundated.
The major evacuation routes identified within the 2048 General Plan area run in a southerly and
easterly direction, except the areas north of 24th Street which will be in a northerly direction to
Oildale.
EARTHQUAKE4NDUCED LANDSLIDES
A strong earthquake could trigger landslides or slope failures on steeper slopes in the foothills
and along the Kern River Canyon and floodplain. The common types of landslides induced by
earthquakes are bluff and stream bank failures, rock falls and soil slips on steep slopes. Deep -
seated landslides are not necessarily reactivated in an earthquake.
aS0I0771Zx
Non- seismio-related flood hazards to the general plan area relate primarily to the Kern River
floodplain. For a complete discussion of the magnitude of this flood hazard, consult the Flood
Management Section (Chapter VIII B.) of the plan. Areas of potential flooding in the region have
been delineated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) National Flood
Insurance Program.
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LANDSLIDES
Slopes subject to failure within the Bakersfield area are predominantly found along the river
terraces, bluffs and foothills to the northeast and east of the city. Investigations to date have
documented two landslides in the foothills northeast of the city. Only limited exposure to
landslides is predicted for the urban areas of Bakersfield, due to constraints on slope -side
development. Some construction, however, on sloping terrain could inadvertently trigger
landslides unless appropriate precautions are utilized in a site - speck basis.
LAND SUBSIDENCE
Land subsidence is the gradual, local settling or sinking of the earth's surface with little or no
horizontal motion. Subsidence is normally the result of gas, oil or water extraction,
hydrocompaction, or peat oxidation, and not the result of landslide or ground failure. The
southern part of the planning area has been undergoing gradual land subsidence, with up to
four feet of subsidence over a 40 -year period. Although subsidence is not a significant hazard,
damage to wells, foundations and underground utilities may occur.
The following issues have been identified regarding geologic and seismic hazards:
• The planning area is susceptible to moderate to extreme ground shaking from a number
of seismic sources in the region.
• The eastern part of the planning area contains an active fault, the White Woff fault, which
has been designated by the state as an Alquist- Priolo Earthquake Fault Zone.
• An area of high ground water in the southern part of the planning area may be subject to
liquefaction in an earthquake.
• More information is needed on the geographic extent of high groundwater.
• In the event of an earthquake, unacceptable risks to public health and safety can occur
where sufficient standards are not incorporated into the design of critical facilities.
• Many buildings in the planning area, especially those constructed prior to the city's first
seismic codes, could suffer severe damage or collapse in the event of any earthquake
that produces moderate to strong ground motion in the planning area.
• Damage to Isabella Dam could require the evacuation of a substantial portion of the
planning area. If communications are intact, the city may have from two to six hours to
complete the evacuation.
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CHAPTER VIII
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• Effective response to a disaster or a warning of disaster is essential to life- saving and
the reduction of subsequent property damage.
• In a major earthquake, mutual aid sources in adjacent jurisdictions may be fully
committed to their own needs, and there may be substantial delays in the transport of
assistance from more distant locations.
• Effective disaster preparedness will require the concerted efforts of city agencies,
residents and the business community.
• Effective implementation of seismic policies will reduce the magnitude of damage in an
earthquake, but a variety of damage should still be expected.
• Ultimate post- earthquake survival will depend not only on the effectiveness of hazard
mitigation and disaster response programs, but also on how quickly and how well the
community is re -built after an earthquake.
• A damaging earthquake presents both problems and opportunities in urban land use
management. For example, if there are larger areas of substantial damage, there may
be a need for short term redevelopment. This would also provide opportunities for up-
grading through such measures as revised street and traffic patterns, parking,
architectural and landscape design, and general land use compatibility. It would also
provide an opportunity to mitigate specific earthquake hazards discovered in the
earthquake.
GOALS AND POLICIES
The following presents the goals and policies for seismic safety in the planning area.
Implementing programs are contained in the following sub - section. At the end of each policy is
listed in parenthesis a code beginning with the letter T' followed by a number. This code refers
to the pertinent implementing program.
GOALS
1. Substantially reduce the level of death, injury, property damage, economic and
social dislocation and disruption of vital services that would result from
earthquake damage.
2. Ensure the availability and effective response of emergency services following an
earthquake.
3. Prepare the planning area for effective response to, and rapid, beneficial
recovery from, an earthquake.
4. Prevent loss of life from the failure of critical facilities in an earthquake and
ensure the continued functioning of essential facilities following a disaster.
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CHAPTER VIII - SAFETY I PUBLIC SAFETY
Protect essential lifelines and prevent casualties and major social and economic
disruption due to liquefaction in an earthquake.
Provide a continuously improving data base and reference source for evaluation
of seismic and geologic hazards.
Protect land uses from the risk of dam failure inundation including the
assurances that: the functional capabilities of essential facilities are available in
the event of a flood; hazardous materials' are not released; effective measures
for mitigation of dam failure inundation are incorporated into the design of critical
facilities; and the rapid and orderly evacuation of populations in the inundation
area will occur.
Hazardous materials are defined as injurious substances, including pesticides,
herbicides, toxic metals and chemicals, liquified natural gas, explosives, volatile
chemicals, and nuclearfuels.
POLICIES
Goals will be achieved through the following policies which set more specific directions and
guide actions. For ease of implementation, policies have been arranged with respect to seismic
topics they influence.
CRITICAL FACILITIES
1. Ensure that earthquake survival and efficient post- disaster functions are a
primary objective in the siting, design and construction standards for
discretionary essential facilities or for expansion of such existing facilities
(1 -1 through 1 -11).
2. Require that the siting and development of critical facilities under discretionary
approval by the City Council and Board of Supervisors be supported by
documentation of thorough hazard investigations relating to site selection, pre -
construction site investigations and application of the most current professional
standards for seismic design (1 -1, 1-2,1-10. 1 -13, 1-26,1-29).
3. Encourage existing critical facilities with significant seismic vulnerabilities to be
upgraded or relocated as appropriate (14).
4. Encourage critical facilities in dam inundation areas to develop and maintain
plans for safe shut -down and efficient evacuation from their facilities, as
appropriate to the degree of flood hazard for each facility (1 -26, 1 -31).
5. Incorporate planning for incidents affecting critical facilities into contingency plans
for disaster response and recovery (1 -31).
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CHAPTER VIII - SAFETY / PUBLIC SAFETY
HAZARDOUS BUILDINGS
6. Inventory all unreinforced masonry buildings in the planning area for
conformance with state legislation and guidelines (i.e. SB 547, enacted in 1966
(1 -5)).
7. Continue to address seismically hazardous buildings pursuant to Chapter 12.2
( §8875 at seq.), Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code (1 -5 through 1 -8).
8. Require seismic review of other potentially hazardous buildings upon any change
in their use or occupancy status (1 -9).
9. Adopt and maintain high standards for seismic performance of buildings, through
prompt adoption and careful enforcement of the most current seismic standards
of the Uniform Building Code (1 -1, 1 -2, 1 -3, 1 -5, 1 -7, 1 -10 through 1 -12).
FAULT RUPTURE
10. Prohibit development designed for human occupancy within 50 feet of a known
active fault and prohibit any building from being placed astride an active fault
(1-14,1-15).
11. Require site - speck studies to locate and characterize specific fault traces within
an Alquist - Priolo Earthquake Fault Zone for all construction designed for human
occupancy (1 -13).
12. Design significant lifeline installations such as highways, utilities and
petrochemical pipelines which cross an active fault, to accommodate potential
fault movement without prolonged disruption of an essential service or creating
threat to health and safety (1 -16).
LIQUEFACTION
13. Determine the liquefaction potential at sites in areas of high groundwater prior to
development and determine speck mitigation to be incorporated into the
foundation design, as necessary to prevent or reduce damage from liquefaction
in an earthquake (1 -17 through 1 -19).
14. Route major lifeline installations around potential liquefaction areas or otherwise
protect them against significant damage from liquefaction in an earthquake (1 -20).
INFORMATION
15. Compile information on areas of potential hazards and field information
developed as part of CEQA investigations and geo -logic reports and keep
geologic reviews and policy development current and accessible for use in report
preparation (1 -21, 1 -22, 1 -23, 1 -25).
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CHAPTER VIII - SAFETY / PUBLIC SAFETY
16. Encourage and support local, state and federal research program for delineation
of geologic and seismic hazards so that acceptable risk may be continually
reevaluated and kept current with state -of- the-art information and contemporary
values (1 -24).
17. Require known geologic and seismic hazards within the area of a proposed
subdivision to be referenced on the final subdivision map (1 -25).
DAM FAILURE INUNDATION RISK
18. Design discretionary critical facilities located within the potential inundation area
for dam failure in order to: mitigate the effects of inundation on the facility;
promote orderly shut -down and evacuation (as appropriate); and, prevent on -site
hazards from affecting building occupants and the surrounding communities in
the event of dam failure (1 -26).
19. Design discretionary facilities in the potential dam inundation area used for the
manufacture, storage or use of hazardous materials to prevent on -site hazards
from affecting surrounding communities in the event of inundation (1 -27).
20. Require emergency response plans for the planning area to include specific
procedures for the sequential and orderly evacuation of the potential dam
inundation area (1 -28).
21. Encourage critical and high - occupancy facilities as well as facilities for elderly,
handicapped and other special care occupants located in the potential inundation
area below the dam to develop and maintain plans for the orderly evacuation of
their occupants (1 -35).
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
22. Require local agencies to coordinate with the business community to reduce
seismic hazards (1 -29 through 1 -36).
23. Increase the public awareness of seismic hazards in residents of the city and
county (1 -35)
24. Require the citys and county's emergency preparedness programs to have a
three -fold emphasis: hazard mitigation, disaster response and self- sufficiency of
residents, business and industry (1 -1 through 1 -36).
25. Require the emergency management program to include effective plans for
disaster /earthquake response, training of responsible personnel, mutual aid
agreements for all appropriate functions, and exercises conducted at least
annually to test and evaluate plan capabilities (1 -29 through 1 -33).
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CHAPTER VIII - SAFETY I PUBLIC SAFETY
The following are programs to be carried out by the City of Bakersfield and County of Kern to
implement the goals and policies of the Safety Element affecting seismic safety. This listing is
not to limit the scope of implementation of this plan. State law requires that planning agencies
recommend various methods of implementation of the general plan as part of their on -going
duties.
1. Amend city and county building and zoning ordinances to incorporate specific
standards for siting and seismic design of critical facilities.
2. Require detailed site studies for ground shaking characteristics, liquefaction
potential, dam failure inundation and flooding potential, and fault rupture
potential, as background to the design process for critical facilities under city and
county discretionary approval.
3. Require structures that are within the plan area and are subject to Building
Department review to adhere to the most current seismic standards adopted as
part of the Uniform Building Code.
4. Review existing critical facilities for any significant siting, design or construction
problems that would make them vulnerable in an earthquake. The findings shall
be incorporated into emergency operations plans as well as addressed in longer -
term programs of facilities upgrading or relocation.
5. Conduct (Department of Building Inspection) an inventory of all un- reinforced
masonry buildings in the planning area, including all information required by
applicable state legislation and guidelines.
6. Require notification to owners of potentially hazardous buildings, pursuant to
state legislation, and publication or availability of the list of such buildings for
public information.
7. Continue the existing program for seismic upgrading of un- reinforced masonry
buildings.
6. Consider a special recognition program for buildings that have been reinforced
under the hazardous buildings ordinance, such as a plaque or certificate that can
be displayed on the building.
9. Maintain cognizance of other types of potentially hazardous buildings and
programs developed for the reduction of seismic hazards. For example, concrete
tiff up and concrete frame buildings built before enactment of the current seismic
codes should be required to meet basic seismic standards before a change in
use or occupancy level is approved, or when significant alteration or repair is
proposed.
VIII -16
CHAPTER VIII - SAFETY / PUBLIC SAFETY
10. Develop appropriate criteria and procedures for third -party review of the seismic
design of critical facilities.
11. Review the current code enforcement procedures for concrete tiff -up and
composite pre - stressed concrete construction for consistency with effective
principles of seismic design, and revised as appropriate to maintain seismic
integrity of new construction.
12. Require seismic review prior to major addition, renovation or increase in
occupancy of buildings.
13. Detailed geologic investigations shall be conducted, in conformance with
guidelines of the California Division of Mines and Geology, for all construction
designed for human occupancy in an Alquist - Priolo Earthquake Fault Study
Zone.
14. Revise city and county zoning and building codes to prohibit construction of
buildings for human occupancy within 50 feet of the trace of an active fault. For
Critical Facilities the set -back shall be at least 300 feet.
15. Reflect the location of active faults in zoning and subdivision approvals, through
low- density zoning designations and through locations of lot lines and public
ways to allow adequate flexibility in placement of buildings such that active fault
traces can be avoided.
16. Require plans and permits for installation of major lifeline components such as
for highways, utilities and petroleum or chemical pipelines to incorporate design
features to accommodate potential fault movement in areas of active faults
without prolonged disruption of an essential service or threat to health and safety.
17. Require liquefaction investigations in all areas of high groundwater potential and
appropriate foundation designs to mitigate potential damage to buildings on sites
with liquefaction potential.
18. Develop specific guidelines for the collection of data for determination of
liquefaction potential at a site.
19. Require the proper sealing of any abandoned wells and the removal of
abandoned underground irrigation and drainage systems to be accomplished
prior to subdivision approval in areas of high groundwater, to prevent the
uncontrolled flow of water from adversely affecting long -term efforts for
liquefaction and groundwater mitigation.
20. Route major lifeline components such as for highways, utilities and petroleum or
chemical pipelines around areas of high groundwater wherever possible. Where
they must cross an area of high groundwater, plans and permits shall require
VIII.16
CHAPTER VIII - SAFETY / PUBLIC SAFETY
design features to accommodate extensive ground rupture without prolonged
disruption of an essential service or threat to health and safety.
21. Compile maps showing the location of all geologic hazards, including: active
faults, Alquist - Priolo Earthquake Fault Zones, 100 -year flood hazard, extent of
projected dam failure inundation and time arcs, depth of inundation, land
subsidence, slope failure and earthquake - induced landslides, high groundwater
and liquefaction potential.
22. Compile information on areas of potential hazard. Field information developed
as part of CEQA investigations and geologic reports by the city/county geologists
should be kept current and accessible for use in report preparation, geologic
reviews and policy development.
23. Update the County's Seismic Hazards Atlas as necessary.
24. Encourage and support local, state and federal research programs for delineation
of geologic and seismic hazards so that acceptable risks may be continually
reevaluated and kept current with state -of- the-art information and contemporary
values.
25. Require known geologic and seismic hazards within the area of a proposed
subdivision to be referenced on the final subdivision map.
26. Develop procedures for the discretionary review of critical facilities proposed in
an area of potential dam inundation. Approvals shall include requirements that
emergency shut -down and facility evacuation plans be developed, maintained
and exercised for each facility, and the potential effects of inundation on essential
facility functions and the safety of occupants and the community in general are
addressed.
27. Facilities used for the manufacture, storage or use of hazardous materials shall
comply with the uniform fire code, with requirements for siting or design to
prevent on -site hazards from affecting surrounding communities in the event of
inundation.
28. Incorporate specific plans for the sequential and orderly evacuation of the
potential dam inundation area into emergency response plans.
29. Maintain effective disaster response and earthquake response plans and update
on a regular basis.
30. Require the city and county to maintain effective mutual aid agreements for fire,
police, medical response, emergency morgue, mass care, heavy rescue, and
other functions as appropriate.
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CHAPTER VIII - SAFETY / PUBLIC SAFETY
31. Require emergency response plans and disaster exercise scenarios to include
contingencies for the problems listed below; earth -quake response exercises
shall be conducted at least once a year.
• Rupture of any active fault within 40 miles of Bakersfield.
• Collapse of 50 buildings or more, including some mid -rise structures,
some essential facilities and numerous un- reinforced masonry buildings.
• Ground rupture and attendant property damage due to pockets of
liquefaction in areas of high groundwater.
• Complete evacuation of the potential inundation area.
• Many aftershocks, continuing for many weeks or months.
32. Require disaster response plans to include adequate capabilities for search and
rescue, medical responses, interim morgue, emergency shelter, traffic and utility
impacts, debris removal and disposal, as well as hazardous materials response.
33. Require disaster response plans to include procedures for traffic control and
security of damaged areas.
34. Seek public participation in the development of hazard mitigation and disaster
recovery programs.
35. Require public education and preparedness to be a major, continuing component
of the emergency preparedness program. It should include, at a minimum:
• The existence and approximate locations of local faults, liquefaction susceptibility
areas, and the dam evacuation area, and the procedures that have been
developed to deal with them.
• The potential for strong ground shaking in the area, and means of strengthening
buildings and protecting furnishings, equipment and other building contents from
damage.
• The need for business and residents to be self - sufficient for several days
following an earthquake, including food, water, sanitation, medical assistance,
and limited ire fighting.
• The provision for the orderly evacuation of elderly, handi - capped and other
special -care persons.
• What people and businesses should do to help themselves before, during and
after earthquakes.
36. Enlist the cooperation of the business community for public education,
preparedness of business and industry, and mutual assistance.
VIII -18
CHAPTER VIII - SAFETY I PUBLIC SAFETY
B. FLOODING
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Flooding within the planning area originates from the Kern River watershed which lies in Kern
and Tulare Counties at the southern end of the Sierras, and from the Caliente Creek stream
group which drains the west slopes of the Tehachapi Mountains. Some smaller areas are
subject to flooding from localized watersheds.
The most severe flooding problems on the Kern River near Bakersfield have resulted from high -
intensity winter rainstorms over a large portion of the basin, which generally occur from
November through April. Snow melt floods, which usually occur in the late spring and early
summer, generally have a longer period of runoff and also a lower peak than rain floods, as a
result, these spring storms have rarely caused significant damage.
The most severe rainstorm on record in the southern San Joaquin Valley occurred December 2
- 7, 1966. The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACOE) estimated that if Isabella
Reservoir had not been built, flow on the Kern River six miles upstream of Bakersfield would
have been approximately 80,000 cubic feet per second (cfs). Actual flow was only 9,300 ofs at
Bakersfield and consisted primarily of inflow from tributary streams entering the river between
Lake Isabella Dam and the City of Bakersfield.
In the past 40 years, seven major floods along Caliente Creek have occurred. Floods in
September 1932; April 1943; March 1944; October 1945; December 1966; February 1969;
March 1983 and during the "El Nino" of 1998, have been investigated by the Kern County Water
Agency and the USACOE. The frequency and the magnitude of these floods, coupled with the
existing development in the floodplain have caused extensive flood damage to the LamontlArvin
area. A series of localized flood control projects are under consideration by the County.
PLANNING TOOLS FOR FLOOD HAZARD MITIGATION
The City of Bakersfield entered the Regular Phase of the National Flood Insurance Program
(NFIP) as administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on May 1,
1985. The County of Kern followed on September 29, 1986. The City received recertification
[deral the U.S. Department of Homeland Security FEMA on September 3 2015 b adoption of a
tenance and operation Ian for the Kern River levee district. This process involved the Kern
is Levee District merging with the City and establishment of a subsidiary district. The City
cil adopted Resolution No. 29-15 on March 25 2015 that includes the Operation and
tenance Manual and other documentation in order to meet the criteria of the code of
Re ulations includin levee certification re orts and other su ortin data. This Ian
s accredit of the system on the next Flood Insurance Rate Ma FIRM update as providing
protection from the 1- percent- annual- chance (base) flood. By adopting flood damage prevention
ordinances known as Floodplain Primary and Floodolain Secondary zones under Title 17 of the
Bakersfield Municipal Code, to regulate development in special flood hazard areas, private
property owners in participating communities are allowed to purchase affordable flood insurance
through the NFIP, while the community retains its eligibility to receive certain federally backed
monies, and disaster relief funds.
VIII.19
CHAPTER Vlll - SAFETY / PUBLIC SAFETY
Both the City of Bakersfield and the County of Kern participate in the state - mandated Kern River
Designated Floodway program, which is administered by the California Department of Water
Resources Reclamation Board.
The Kern River Designated Floodway Program provides development criteria and issues
permits for development within the limits of the Kern River Designated Floodway.
Floodplain mapping has been performed under the NFIP to delineate the special flood hazard
areas. The City of Bakersfield Public Works Department and the Kern County Department of
Engineering and Survey Services have the official Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMS) and
Flood Boundary Floodway Maps (FBFM) which show the extent of the floodplains. In addition,
the communities are empowered to develop and use improved floodplain information. FEMA
has accepted the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) Reclamation Board Kern
River designated floodway from Interstate 5 to the mouth of the Kern River canyon, because the
DWR study is based upon the 100 year peak discharge of 15,000 cfs, which exceeds the Kern
River Flood Insurance Study flow of 10,200 cfs.
FEMA identifies areas of floodway, floodway fringe, and non - regulatory floodplain
Floodway —The channel of a river and adjacent land areas required to pass the 100 -year
discharge without cumulatively increasing the water surface elevation at any point more
than one -foot above the prefloodway condition.
Floodway Fringe —The area of the 100 year floodplain outside of the Floodway.
Non - regulatory floodplain —All other areas outside of the 100 -year floodplain. Protection
provisions of the NFIP do not apply.
Both the city and county have adopted general plan designations which identify allowable uses
in the floodplain. Local zoning ordinances more closely define known areas to have potential for
flooding.
In July 1985, both the city and county adopted the Kern River Plan Element (KRPE) as a part of
their general plans. The KRPE establishes provisions for development along the Kern River,
and specific policies for floodplain management. Today, the KRPE is one of the Elements of the
The Floodplain Primary and Floodplain Secondary zones
provides criteria for development within all floodplains, including prohibiting encroachments into
a floodway, and requiring protection and/or elevation of construction within a floodway fringe.
With the construction of Isabella Dam, hazards from a 100 -year flood have been substantially
reduced for the Oildale /Bakersfield metropolitan area. New development within the 100 year
floodplain will be required to be flood protected.
VIII -20
CHAPTER VIII - SAFETY / PUBLIC SAFETY
The Caliente Creek floodplain will continue to experience flooding until the localized programs
and facilities can be implemented.
The City of Bakersfield has merged the Kern River Levee into its Water Resources Department
operation. The established levee system will be maintained to USACOE standards. The
USACOE provides an annual inspection and maintenance report in the evaluation of the Kern
River Levee. The City received recertification from the U.S nenartment of I- Inmewnd ceniaric,
FLOODING ISSUES
• Protection of the planning area from flooding.
• Minimizing loss due to flooding.
GOALS AND POLICIES
The following presents the goals and policies for floodplain management in the planning area.
Implementing programs are contained in the following subsection. At the end of each policy is
listed in parenthesis a code beginning with the letter "I" followed by a number. This code refers
to the pertinent implementing program.
GOALS
1. Minimize hazards to planning area residents resulting from flooding.
2. Reduce the risk of flooding to land uses.
3. Maintain adequate flood flow capacity in the Kern River channel to prevent
flooding from anticipated 100 year design flood flows.
4. Regulate flood flow on Caliente Creek to mitigate flood hazard in the Lamont
area.
POLICIES
Goals will be achieved through the following policies which set more specific directions and
guide actions.
1. Develop specific standards which apply to development located in flood hazard
areas, as defined by Federal Flood Insurance maps and most recent information
as adopted by the responsible agency (1 -1, 1 -2).
[L I I6i
CHAPTER VIII - SAFETY / PUBLIC SAFETY
2. Maintain adequate levees along the Kern River channel throughout the planning
area (1-4).
3. Prevent urban development encroachment which would impede flood flows in the
Kern River designated floodway (1 -3, 1 -5).
4. Remove sand and excessive plant growth from the Kern River channel as
required to maintain channel capacity through the planning area (1 -6).
5. Develop a program or series of programs to control and reduce flooding in the
Lamont area resulting from Caliente Creek (1 -7).
IMPLEMENTATION
The following are programs to be carried out by the City of Bakersfield and County of Kern to
implement the goals and policies of the Safety Element affecting flooding. This listing is not to
limit the scope of implementation of this plan. State law requires that planning agencies recom-
mend various methods of implementation of the general plan as part of their on -going duties.
1. Develop appropriate procedures for discretionary approval of all critical facilities
in an area of identified flood hazard, with requirements for mitigation of the
potential effects of flooding on essential facility functions and the safety of
occupants and the community in general.
2. Develop procedures for the review of proposed facilities which use, manufacture
or store hazardous materials proposed in areas of identified flood hazard.
3. Review current zoning designations, street width and traffic flow patterns in and
adjacent to areas of identified flood hazard for compatibility with orderly
evacuation, and identify and implement appropriate change in immediate and
long -term policies and programs.
4. Consolidate and continue the activities of the Kern River Levee District in
maintaining the Kern River levees.
5. Comply with the regulations and guidelines contained in the City /County adopted
Kern River Plan Element of the City and County adopted Metropolitan
Bakersfield General Plane, and the zoning and floodplain management
regulations which implement the Plan.
6. Implement the Kern River Channel Maintenance Program.
7. Develop a series of intercept and retention facilities to control floodwaters within
the Caliente Creek drainage.
C. PUBLIC SAFETY
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CHAPTER VIII - SAFETY / PUBLIC SAFETY
OVERVIEW OF EXISTING CONDITIONS AND ISSUES
Public safety services for the metropolitan area are provided by the Bakersfield Police
Department, the Kern County Sheriffs Department, the California Highway Patrol (CHP). the
Bakersfield Fire Department and Kern County Fire Services. A brief description of each follows.
CITY OF BAKERSFIELD POLICE DEPARTMENT
Seventeen patrol districts operate from the Truxtun Avenue headquarters and cover a 150 444
square mile area with a January, 2M 2999 estimated population of 369.500 239,008. Police
services are not divided into precincts or sub - stations; however office space is available to the
department.
The Chief of Police oversees the entire department. The police department is organized into
three divisions under the Assistant Chief of Police, each managed by a captain. The Support
Services Division includes training, records, the communications center, crime prevention and
reserves. The Investigations Division handles follow -up investigation of crimes, the come lab,
warrants and property. The Operations Division encompasses patrol and traffic. Headquarters
incorporates internal affairs, the business manager and news media relations.
The police department provides law enforcement service to all areas within the city limits.
Primary response to calls for service and preventative patrol are provided by uniformed offers
and police service technicians in marked police vehicles. The department is currently phasing
in a department -wide community oriented policy philosophy, which was previously limited to a
specialized unit.
In 1996, a new 13,000 square foot wing was added to the police building to accommodate
overcrowding of personnel and offices. Staff will continue to investigate building needs and off-
site locations to compensate for future growth. New satellite offices have been established t0
The seventeen patrol districts are manned on a 24 -hour basis with a year 2000 average
response time of 8.45 minutes for emergency priority one calls. Follow -up investigation is
pursued on crimes having a solvability factor, (evidence or witness that might lead to a
conclusion), resulting in an annual clearance rate of 29.7% for priority one crimes. Traffic and
parking control functions are provided, with minimal investigation on property damage traffic
accidents, and complete investigations on all injury, fatal, intoxication and hit and run accidents.
As the population and geographic area of the city increases, the demand for police service will
similarly increase. At present, the only staffing standard applied to the police department is a
ratio of officers per thousand population in cities of comparable size. For many years the City of
Bakersfield utilized a ratio of 1.65 officers per thousand residents, but later reduced this ratio to
1.5 in the 1980's because other cities of comparable size average this ratio. Current staffing
levels are at about 1.3 officers per thousand residents.
VIII -23
CHAPTER VIII - SAFETY / PUBLIC SAFETY
Within the city, the police handle both crimes and traffic accidents; in the county, the California
Highway Patrol is responsible for traffic accidents and violations, while the Kern County Sheriffs
Office is responsible for criminal matters.
Problems exist with regard to police services to residents in the unincorporated portions of
Bakersfield. Confusion is sometimes evident when calls for police services are delayed while
establishing jurisdictional responsibilities and residents are understandably annoyed when
transferred to another agency. However, city police patrol units encountering a public safety
problem within an unincorporated area will take the necessary action to stabilize the situation
prior to the arrival of sheriff or highway patrol officers.
KERN COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT
The Kern County Sheriffs Department is located at 1350 Norris Road and is the headquarter
facility for law enforcement services in unincorporated Kern County. Metropolitan patrol
services for unincorporated Bakersfield operates from the headquarter facility and includes
community policing offices in East Bakersfield and Rosedale. Service to unincorporated areas
of Kern County outside of the metropolitan patrol are provided through 17 substation locations,
including Lamont.
Dispatch and 911 services are handled from the Communications Center located at 2601
Panorama Drive. Detention facilities include the Central Receiving facility at 1415 Truxtun
Avenue in the County Justice Building and the Lando facility on Lerdo Highway, approximately
12 miles north of downtown Bakersfield.
The Sheriffs Department serves a population base of 266,907 scattered throughout 8,000
square miles of metropolitan and rural areas. Primary response to calls for service and
preventive patrol is provided by uniformed officers using marked sheriff vehicles.
The combined population served by the Sheriffs Department to unincorporated Bakersfield and
the Lamont substation response area is 173,442 (Metropolitan Patrol = 153,509 and Lamont =
19,933). The Sheriffs Department uses a target staffing standard of one officer per 1,000
population (excluding officers assigned to the Civil Division, Detentions Division and
administrative staff). The staffing ratio for metropolitan Bakersfield is 0.68 per 1,000 population,
while the staffing ratio for the Lamont substation response area is 0.65 per 1,000 population
(2000 figures).
Although the Sheriffs Department cooperates with the Bakersfield Police Department in
patrolling the Bakersfield urban area, the staffing levels are tied to the population within each
jurisdiction. Sheriffs patrol units traveling through the city will respond to observed public safety
problems and call the city police for follow up.
ANALYSIS OF POLICE AND SHERIFF SERVICES
To the extent that implementation of the general plan may effect a reduction in the complexity of
jurisdictional boundaries, the provision of police/sheriff services would be simplified. General
VIII -24
CHAPTER VIII - SAFETY I PUBLIC SAFETY
plan policy implementation which reduces sprawl or leapfrog development would be helpful in
effecting more efficient public safety services.
Although both agencies have the capacity to meet public safety needs, there is some difficulty at
times as to jurisdictional responsibilities due to the irregular municipal boundaries. Emergency
calls are dispatched in accord with jurisdictional boundaries which determine which agency will
respond.
Mutual assistance is available and a mutual aid agreement has been approved by the City of
Bakersfield and the County of Kern. Other formal agreements for speck services include joint
participation in the Kern County Criminal Justice Information System and the Kern County
Emergency Incident Coordination and Interagency Agreement. Both the Sheriff and Police
computer aided dispatch systems identify calls for service by city or county jurisdiction.
CITY OF BAKERSFIELD FIRE DEPARTMENT
Within the City of Bakersfield there are twelve (14 43) fire stations at the following locations:
Station Location
#1
2101 H Street
#2
716 E. 21* Street
#3
3400 Palm Street
#4
130 Bernard Street
#5
106 E. White Lane 790 -Plana -Road
#6
127 Brundage Lane
#7
4030 Soranno Drive
#8
2213 University Avenue
#9
7912 Westwold Drive
#10
12100 Alfred Harrell Hwy.
#11
7000 Stockdale Hwy.
#13
4900 Poppyseed Street
®
5815 Mountain Vista Road
#15
1315 Buena Vista Road
Figure VIII -3 shows both City and County fire stations in the planning area.
The Fire Department provides structural protection, fire prevention service, emergency medical
service (designated first responders), rescue service, hazardous materials response, arson
investigation, environmental services (a unified permit/enforcement division) and safety
education to the citizenry.
Fire suppression personnel are provided at a ratio of 0.79 per 1,000 population. This figure
does not include the 36 volunteers used to assist in fire fighting and various operations.
Furthermore, this figure does not include areas of the City protected by the County.
VIII.26
CHAPTER VIII - SAFETY / PUBLIC SAFETY
Fire stations within the city have been positioned to meet an emergency response time of 6
minutes or less 90% of the time for the first arriving unit.
Major concerns to the department are: (a) the conflagration potential within residential areas
constructed with wood shingle roofs and exterior combustible siding; (b) multiple story
commercial structures without sprinkler systems; (c) high -rise building fire protection; (d) various
developed areas (older developments in the County) lacking fire hydrants; and (e) hazardous
material risks within the City; (f) pre - hospital emergency medical care and (g) disaster
preparedness.
As new growth and development occur, increased personnel and /or facilities will be required to
meet new demands for service.
VIII -26
CHAPTER VIII - SAFETY / PUBLIC SAFETY
VIII -27
CHAPTER VIII - SAFETY I PUBLIC SAFETY
Oil production is increasing within the southwest portion of the city, requiring coordination with
the planning and building personnel to ensure adequate protection considerations for adjacent
urban developments.
Agreements have been adopted between the Kern County Fire Department and the City of
Bakersfield Fire Department. They generally facilitate the following:
1) Closest station response concept
2) Dual agency training facility
3) Emergency radio communication and dispatching for both agencies from one center
The two agencies have also adopted non - overlapping and contiguous station response
boundaries within the Bakersfield metropolitan area. With the automatic aid agreement, each
fire station has the primary responsibility for its individual area and emergency services are
provided without regard to City or County limits.
The Insurance Service Office (ISO) Grading Schedule is a means of classifying cities with
reference to their fire defenses and physical conditions. The insurance classification developed
under this schedule is one of several elements used in development of fire insurance rates. The
ISO rating for Bakersfield area is a 3 (Kern County has a rating of 4 through 9). In most
instances the fire insurance costs are the same for residences in the 2 through 4 rating.
However, commercial insurance costs are affected by each rating change.
KERN COUNTY FIRE SERVICES
In Kern County, the County Fire Department operates a total of 48 fire stations. Within
metropolitan Bakersfield, 13 stations have been established at the following locations:
Station
Location
North of River
#61 Norris
Norris & Fruitvale
#62 Meadows Field
Meadows Field Airport
#63 Highland
Chester & Universe
#64 Riverview
Chester & Roberts
#65 Green Acres
Rosedale & Calloway
#66 Landco
Rosedale & Landco
#67 Rosedale
Brimhall & Renfro
East Bakersfield
#41 Virginia Colony
Mt. Vernon & Virginia
#42 Niles
Niles & Fairfax
#45 Edison
Edison Hwy & Pepper
South of Bakersfield
#51 Lamont McKee & Lily
#52 Greenfield Panama Rd & Union Ave
#53 Old River Taft - Bakersfield Hwy & Par St.
VIII -28
CHAPTER VIII -SAFETY / PUBLIC SAFETY
Staffing of Fire Departments can be addressed by the number of fire suppression personnel per
1,000 population. Kern County has a total of 471 paid fire suppression personnel which results
in a 1.05 per 1,000 people ratio. The county uses 180 part-time and/or volunteer, persons who
are not counted in this total.
Fire stations within the Bakersfield metropolitan area have been situated to meet an emergency
response time of 7 minutes or less. This is a goal and does not reflect actual experience in all
incidents.
All of the 9 petroleum refineries in the Bakersfield metropolitan area are located within Battalion
6 and within the response area of the 4 stations north of the Kern River. These refineries
contain specific hazardous materials and conduct hazardous operations. Setbacks or buffer
zones must be maintained around these facilities. The specific setback for each facility is
dependent on type and quantity of material used.
The Kern County Fire Department does not consider the oil and gas fields in and around
Bakersfield as hazardous areas. A fire hazard area has been established for the mountainous
region beginning along the eastern edge of the San Joaquin Valley. Just over six square miles
of the study area is located within this fire hazard area.
In general, the Kern County Fire Department has the capacity to protect life and property within
the unincorporated portions of the study area. As new growth and development occurs,
increased personnel and/or facilities will be required to meet new demands for service.
The Fire Department provides fire prevention service, general watershed and structural
protection, rescue and resuscitation, and arson investigation for the entire county excepting the
cities of Bakersfield, California City, Delano, Shaffer, and Taft. The fire department operates 47
year -round and 1 seasonal stations. Approximately 20 percent of the cost of operating the fire
services is attributable to watershed protection, and 80 percent to structural fire protection.
ANALYSIS OF FIRE SERVICES
The Bakersfield Fire Department has not identified a specific fire hazard area, but has indicated
a major concern with the conflagration potential within residential areas constructed with wood
shingle roofs, fire control procedures in multiple -story residential and commercial structures, fire
control of wild land interface areas, major transportation of hazardous materials via freeways
and railroads and adequately protecting various developed areas lacking fire hydrants. These
issues make fire protection more difficult and costly.
The Kern County Fire Department has designated a Hazardous Fire Area within the eastern
portion of the planning area. Although the Kern County Fire Department can respond to a
grassland fire within this area, the California Division of Forestry must provide the needed back-
up to adequately control these potential range fires. Currently, this portion of the metropolitan
area is sparsely developed, which limits the hazard to life and property.
VIII.29
CHAPTER VIII - SAFETY I PUBLIC SAFETY
With currently adopted procedures and policies, there are no conflicts between City and County
fire service responsibilities within the planning area.
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS /USES
The City of Bakersfield's Office of Environmental Services, in its capacity as state and federal
environmental program regulator, is primarily responsible for the prevention of soil and water
contamination, as well as releases of dangerous chemicals that may impact the City's
population. This role also extends to the protection of groundwater from contamination due to
chemical releases.
In the unincorporated portion of Kern County, these environmental programs are administered
by the Kern County Environmental Health Department. Both the City of Bakersfield and Kern
County have completed and maintain a Hazardous Materials Response Plan (area plan) in
compliance with the California Health and Safety Code.
The Office of Environmental Services also functions as an environmental "Permit Consolidation
Zone," with the City of Bakersfield. As the Zone Administrator, the fire department facilitates all
state, county and city environmental permits for those businesses that choose to use this
process, enabling them to substitute one "Facility Compliance Plan" for all environmental permit
requirements.
Currently, there are no active hazardous waste disposal facilities or hazardous waste
underground injection disposal facilities within the planning area.
Commercial hazardous material shipping routes must be state and federally maintained roads.
During facility siting, a route would be designated and only those state or federal roads serving
the facility would be designated as hazardous material shipping routes.
Currently, federal regulations allow transportation of hazardous radioactive materials on all
interstate highways. Trucks traveling from the highway to sites that use such materials, such as
hospitals or nuclear power plants, are allowed to use the most direct route. (The California
Highway Patrol has adopted 1 -5 as a truck route for transporting hazardous radioactive
materials.)
PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUES
• Growth projections for the metropolitan area indicate a need to expand police and fire
facilities and services.
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• As a result of declining revenues, the burden of financing police and fire facilities and
services has fallen increasingly upon local governments, requiring new and more cost
effective methods of financing police and fire services.
• Although several agreements already exist between City and County police and fire
protection agencies for coordination of services, this coordination could be further
expanded in police services in order to improve efficiency.
• As the metropolitan area grows, the existing adopted Disaster Plan, emergency
preparedness exercises and evacuation plans will become more complex, requiring
more training and oversight. This will require a full time position in the near future.
• The control of the production, usage, transport and disposal of hazardous substances is
a matter of both state -wide and local concern.
GOALS AND POLICIES
The following presents the goals and policies for public safety in the planning area.
Implementing programs are contained in the following sub - section. At the end of each policy is
listed in parenthesis a code beginning with the letter "I" followed by a number. This code refers
to the pertinent implementing program.
GOALS
1. Ensure that the Bakersfield metropolitan area maintains a high level of public
safety for its citizenry.
2. Ensure that adequate police and fire services and facilities are available to meet
the needs of current and future metropolitan residents through the coordination of
planning and development of metropolitan police and fire facilities and services.
3. Provide for the coordinated planning and development of service areas for police
and fire protection to ensure an equitable burden of responsibility between
County and City in Metropolitan Bakersfield.
4. Assure that fire, hazardous substance regulation and emergency medical service
problems are continuously identified and addressed in a proactive way, in order
to optimize safety and efficiency.
POLICIES
Goals will be achieved through the following policies which set more specific directions and
guide actions.
1. Identify future site locations, projected facility expansions, projected site
acquisition costs, construction costs and operational costs in a manner that
would maximize the efficiency of new public safety services (1 -1, 1 -2, 1 -3).
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CHAPTER VIII - SAFETY / PUBLIC SAFETY
2. Require discretionary projects to assess impacts on police and fire services and
facilities (1 -3).
3. Adopt uniform metropolitan area standards for fire and police services, and
undertake continuing metropolitan area -wide planning programs for public safety
facilities (1 -3).
4. Monitor, enforce and update as appropriate all emergency plans as needs and
conditions in the planning area change, including the California Earthquake
Response Plan, the Kern County Evacuation Plan, and the City of Bakersfield
Disaster Plan (1 -3).
5. Promote public education about fire safety at home and in the work place (1-4).
6. Promote fire prevention methods to reduce service protection costs and costs to
the taxpayer (1 -4).
7. Enforce ordinances regulating the use / manufacture /salettransportdisposal of
hazardous substances, and require compliance with state and federal laws
regulating such substances (I -4).
8. The Kern County and Incorporated Cities Hazardous Waste Management Plan
and Final Environmental Impact Report serves as the policy document guiding all
facets of hazardous waste (1 -7,).
9. Restrict, after appropriate public hearings, the use of fire -prone building materials
in areas defined by the fire services as presenting high - conflagration risk (1 -5).
10. Promote crime prevention through public education (I -6).
11. Expand emergency medical services by the City and County Fire Departments,
and encourage the integration of ground and air, public and private resources to
achieve efficiency and effectiveness of emergency medical services (1 -3).
1. City funding of Police and Fire operations and maintenance costs will be
provided through City General Fund Tax Revenues.
2. Funding for Police and Fire equipment and facilities will be facilitated through
bond issues and /or development fees andlor land dedications and /or assessment
districts.
3. Recommend improvements to emergency medical services. Develop standards
for orderly transfer of responsibility between City and County to ensure equitable
funding of services.
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CHAPTER VIII - SAFETY I PUBLIC SAFETY
4. Provide adequate fire services budget resources, and continuing administrative
emphasis, to effect Policies 7, 6 and 9.
5. Direct the fire service agencies serving the metropolitan area to mutually prepare
and recommend area - speck ordinances to effect Policy 11 for City and County
legislative body consideration.
6. Provide adequate law enforcement services budget resources, and continue
administrative emphasis to effect Policy 12, including periodic review and update
of information systems technology to increase effectiveness, the Neighborhood
Watch programs, and similar crime prevention activities and programs.
7. Coordinate City and County efforts during review of proposed hazardous waste
facilities, transportation rates, household and small business collection programs
and public education programs.
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