Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, August 13, 2010. Some of our neighborhood streets, like Riverside Place, are so narrow, only the mini-fire trucks from Engine Company 56 can squeeze through. (Click on photo to enlarge.)
This weekend's hot, dry weather reminds us that Santa Ana wind conditions often trigger Red Flag Day No Parking Zones throughout the hills of Los Angeles. The City has not declared a Red Flag Day since January 12, 2009. Today is not a Red Flag Day in the City.
Many of our not-a-through-streets are subject to no-parking on Red Flag Days when winds are high and moisture content in plants is low.
In 1991, the Oakland Hills Fire destroyed 3,403 homes; 780 homes in the first hour. LAFD took notice of the similarities between Silver Lake and Oakland Hills. They added our neighborhood to the Very High Fire Hazard Safety Zone (VHFHSZ), raising brush clearance standards and, a few years ago, created Red Flag Day No Parking streets.
For more info and to sign up for Red Flag Day alerts from the LAFD: http://lafd.org/redflag/.
For more info on hillside brush clearance regulations: http://lafd.org/brush/.
