17 Staff Report - SCCFD Emergency Route Recommendation
PREPARED BY: Arn Andrews
Assistant Town manager
Reviewed by: Town Manager, Town Attorney, and Director of Parks and Public Works
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● (408) 354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
MEETING DATE: 08/04/2020
ITEM NO: 17
DATE: July 20, 2020
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: Laurel Prevetti, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Approve the Santa Clara County Fire District Emergency Route
Recommendation for Alpine Avenue and Remove Parking on One Side of the
Street
RECOMMENDATION:
Approve the Santa Clara County Fire District (SCCFD) emergency route recommendation for
Alpine Avenue and remove parking on one side of the street.
BACKGROUND:
At the June 2, 2020, Town Council meeting, two residents inquired about the safety associated
with the ingress/egress of Alpine Avenue in the event of emergencies and/or evacuations. One
of the residents provided a photo (Attachment 1) illustrating the varying widths of Alpine
Avenue.
The Town Council referred the item back to staff for research and any further action.
DISCUSSION:
As noted in the Town’s October 2019 Wildland Urban Interface Evacuation Assessment, “Many
of the hillside collector and local roadways are one-way in and one-way out designs potentially
complicating any evacuation. During wildfire events, the routes emergency responders take to
the fire are often the same routes being used by residents who may be attempting to flee from
the fire. Due to the critical importance of roads for providing ingress for firefighting
apparatuses while simultaneously evacuating the public, certain factors such as width, grade,
and turning radius need to be considered in an evacuation”.
PAGE 2 OF 2
SUBJECT: Santa Clara County Fire District emergency route recommendation for Alpine Avenue
DATE: July 20, 2020
DISCUSSION (Continued):
In addition, the assessment identified “Special Concerns” regarding characteristics of the Civic
Center Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) zone: “The existing roadway network
throughout the zone is entirely comprised of one-way in and one-way out ingress/egress
options. Some of the same routes that allow access to the area for responders are the same
routes that could be needed for evacuation.”
Based on the Council direction, Town staff reached out to the Santa Clara County Fire District
Fire Chief to assess the resident concerns and provide any recommendations. On June 22,
2020, SCCFD and Town staff toured Alpine Avenue. Based on the site tour and other factors,
Fire Chief Bowden provided the Town with a memorandum recommending that Alpine Avenue
be converted to allow parking on only one side of the street (downhill or northeasterly side) at
all times (see Attachment 2).
Staff conducted Alpine Avenue resident outreach regarding the emergency route
recommendation through email and doorhanger distribution. The email list was generated
through resident contact informnation from 2016 outreach and current Alpine Avenue parking
permit emails. Doorhangers were distributed to each residence located on Alpine Avenue.
CONCLUSION:
Based on the recommendation of the Fire Chief, and the Town’s own recognition of the
ingress/egress complexities of the Civic Center CERT zone, staff concurs with removing parking
on the southwesterly side of Alpine Avenue at all times.
COORDINATION:
This staff report was coordinated with the Town Manager, Town Attorney, Director of Parks
and Public Works, and Santa Clara County Fire District.
FISCAL IMPACT:
If approved by the Town Council, the implementation of no parking on one side of the street
can be absorbed in the Parks and Public Works budget.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT:
This is not a project defined under CEQA, and no further action is required.
Attachments:
1. June 2, 2020 Council Meeting Verbal Communication
2. June 25, 2020 Memorandum and Recommendation from Fire Chief Bowden