(A) The County Fire Chief shall prepare, maintain and update as necessary a fire policy which shall be the governing document, enforced by this subchapter, for approved construction or development in unincorporated areas of the county.
(B) Due to seasonal and yearly changes of fire risk in the county, discretion is granted to the County Fire Chief, consistent with the state’s Fire Code and rules promulgated under that code, to modify the fire policy to reflect current fire conditions in the county. Fire conditions necessitating modification may include, but are not limited to, drought, precipitation, unique or changed geologic conditions such as landslides or bum scars, wind patterns and intensity, policy changes on public lands, requirements of the State Fire Marshall, updates to the state’s Wildfire Risk Assessment, remoteness of certain areas, availability of volunteer fire firefighters and any other conditions that in the opinion of the Fire Chief requires a modification of the County Fire Policy.
(C) The title of the policy to be enforced by this subchapter is “San Juan County Fire Policy for Approved Development/Construction” and the most updated version of the policy will be maintained on the county website. The County Fire Chief will deposit a copy of the updated policy with the County Clerk/Auditor’s Office, and publish a notice that the County Fire Policy has been updated in a newspaper of general circulation in the county. Any modification to the County Fire Policy by the County Fire Chief becomes effective 15 days following publication.
(Ord. 2022-01, passed 2-1-2022)