ROAD TO REBUILDING

• Building & Grading/Drainage: Local LA County Public Works Building and Safety offices can be found at LA County Public Works Building and Safety office
• Septic Systems: Los Angeles County Environmental Health (626) 430-5380
• Fire Prevention: Los Angeles County Fire Headquarters (323) 890-4132. Local district office numbers may be found at https://fire.lacounty.gov
• Geology & Soils: Los Angeles County Public Works Geotechnical & Materials Engineering (626) 458-4925.
• Planning and Zoning: Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning: (213) 974-6411. Local office numbers may be found at: planning.lacounty.gov
• Fire Debris Removal: (888) CLEANLA / (888) 253-2652 https://www.lacounty.gov/recovery/

• Inspections began during the week of December 3rd and could take several weeks or months to complete depending on your location. Inspectors will be going door to door so you will not have to schedule an appointment.
• Property owners cannot opt out of household hazardous waste assessment and removal activities.

There is no cost to the residential property owner for this work and you do not need to file a request to participate.

No, this is a coordinated effort with federal, State & local agencies. These agencies started the assessment on December 3, 2018 on all affected areas using an orderly process (e.g. street by street).

• Name, address, email & phone number
• The access issue on your property (e.g. locked gate)

Yes, the Los Angeles County Fire Department still needs to assess your property to verify there is no household hazardous waste on the property.

DTSC is developing a real-time Wildfire Public Dashboard that displays the latest information regarding the assessment and cleanup process. The website will be located at: https://www.dtsc.ca.gov/SiteCleanup/ERP/wildfire-waste-removal.cfm#firemap.

If all the contents of hazardous materials were consumed in the fire and no longer pose a hazard, the empty tank or container will be marked with a white "X" and removed during the general debris removal operation of Phase II.

The fire debris and ash may contain hazardous substances like heavy metals and asbestos fibers.

• If only large, easily identifiable pieces of ACM are identified on your property, they will be removed by an asbestos removal contractor.
• If asbestos is identified throughout the debris pile, it will be addressed during general debris removal operations.

After the assessment, Phase II (debris removal and property clean-up) will commence.  For further information, please call (888) CLEANLA / (888) 253-2652, or visit LA County Woolsey Fire Recovery Website.

• In Phase I, local government, state and federal agencies have organized teams of experts from the California State Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) to inspect impacted properties and remove any household hazardous waste that may pose a threat to human health, animals, and the environment such as batteries, herbicide, pesticide, propane tanks, asbestos siding, and paints. Phase I is automatic and includes both residential and commercial properties that have been destroyed by the fires.
• In Phase II, CalOES, FEMA, and local officials will coordinate with the State’s Debris Task Force and its Debris Management Teams (DMT) to conduct fire-related debris removal from your property if you have elected to participate in the program by signing a Right of Entry Form.

For Phase I (household hazardous waste): You do not need to do anything to have household hazardous waste removed from your property. Operations are automatic and already underway.

For Phase II (remaining debris and ash): Contact your City officials or Los Angeles County Public Works at 626-979-5370 to get a Right-of- Entry (ROE) form or download the form at https://lacounty.gov/recovery. You will fill out the form to grant government contractors access to your property to conduct the debris removal.

First, your local government will review your ROE and ensure it has been filled out correctly. It will also cross-check property records to verify that you are the property owner. Afterwards, the ROE will be transferred to the DMT for processing and scheduling.

The DMT will mark the property indicating that household hazardous waste has been removed.

This debris removal program is for fire-damaged or destroyed houses, as directed by local government. If you are unsure if your house qualifies for the debris- removal program, submit a Right-of-Entry form to your local government for assessment or email woolseyfire@dpw.lacounty.gov. For more information, visit https://lacounty.gov/recovery.

Household hazardous waste is waste from houses that poses a threat to public health, animals, or the environment. Hazardous waste includes chemicals that are ignitable, toxic, corrosive, or reactive. Examples include pool chemicals, car batteries, antifreeze, used oil filters, solvents, fertilizers, pesticides, propane tanks, disinfectants, aerosols, paint, bleach, and ammunition.

Teams handling hazardous waste will not remove appliances or electronic wastes, such as TV and computer monitors, computers processing units, or cell phones. These materials will be removed as part of the overall debris removal process.

Household hazardous waste must be removed without delay to protect public health and safety. This is an emergency protective measure. Hazardous waste could have significant long-term environmental impacts and should not be combined with the waste from the general clean-up that is going to the landfill.

Removal of hazardous waste from the fire debris prevents these environmental contaminants from polluting the environment, and protects the workers and the public from exposure during debris removal efforts

Removal crews are specifically certified to handle household hazardous waste.

Crews have already begun removal of hazardous household waste. Removal of fire debris, other than hazardous household waste, is scheduled to begin in January of 2019.

There are a number of factors that determine when your lot will be scheduled for debris removal. Contractors are responsible for planning their work, based on priorities set by Cal OES and partners, with input from local government and city governments, to maximize efficiency.

Crews scrape 3 – 6” of soil from the ash footprint and samples are sent to a state-approved lab for analysis. The results are compared against background samples taken from areas in the vicinity that are not directly impacted by fire to ensure that all contaminated ash was removed. If necessary, more soil is removed and the site is retested until it comes back clear of contaminants. All soil testing results are returned to the DMT for final review and validation.

Once the DMT have ensured that contractors have removed all debris and soil testing meets California state standards, contractors will return to install erosion control methods. The DMT will then report to your local government that your lot is clear. Your local government will then notify you that your property is safe and ready for rebuilding.

Yes. If you decide to remove fire-related debris from your property, you must obtain all the necessary permits and environmental clearances from your local government before your contractors start any work.

The operational crews will attempt to contact you 24-48 hours prior to accessing your property. You are expected to ensure crews are able to access your property by unlocking gates and/or providing access codes.

• https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OPA/Pages/NR18-056.aspx
• https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OPA/Pages/NR18-056.aspx

The safety of the general public and workers is a priority during debris operations. To prevent safety hazards, the public is encouraged to stay away from areas where debris removal operations are underway. Exclusion zones will be established surrounding the current work area to ensure safety of the public.

The DMT will use erosion controls on the site as well as use silt collection devices around storm drains to minimize impacts to rivers, streams and the aquifers. They are also taking measures such as wrapping the debris in trucks to minimize particles traveling from the air to the water.

The State’s Debris Task Force’s safety professionals and contractor safety staff ensure work is complying with all OSHA, Cal/OSHA and state and federal EPA standards.

Contractors are required to comply with all local, state and federal laws and regulations regarding safety and the environment. Whenever there is a conflict between codes or regulations, the most stringent regulation is applied.

All initial costs will be paid by state and federal agencies. However, if property owners have homeowners’ insurance covering debris removal, owners must inform local officials by indicating that coverage on their ROE. Homeowners may be required to remit that portion of their insurance proceeds specifically reserved for debris.

Yes. However, to avoid a duplication of benefits provided by the state or federal government, your insurance company may be required to provide payment from your policy designated for debris removal to the government.

• Specified Amount Specified Amount: If your homeowner’s insurance policy contains a separate, debris-specific clause, the local government will only collect the specified amount designated in the debris removal clause. These clauses are typically capped at a percentage of the coverage amounts listed in the policy (for example, 5 percent of the value of a primary structure, other structure, and personal property). You will not owe the local government any additional money, even if the actual costs to remove the debris exceeded the amount designated in your insurance policy for debris removal.
• No Specified Amount: If your homeowner’s insurance policy does not have a separate, debris-specific clause and instead includes the costs of debris removal in the total coverage, the local government will only collect insurance proceeds for debris removal after you have rebuilt your home. The local government will only collect any available insurance proceeds, if any, after the rebuild. If there are no remaining funds, the homeowner will not owe the local government any additional money for debris removal.

No. The local government will only seek reimbursement from the insurance carrier as stated above. The local government will not attempt to collect any insurance proceeds designated for rebuilding.

Yes. If you have a specified amount for debris removal in your insurance policy, you may use your insurance proceeds to remove fire related debris that is ineligible for removal under the program (e.g., swimming pools, patios, trees, etc...). The local government will only collect remaining insurance proceeds, if any, after you have removed ineligible fire related debris.

If your homeowner’s insurance policy does not have a separate, debris-specific clause and instead includes the costs of debris removal in the total coverage, you may use these proceeds to pay for the removal of fire related debris that is ineligible for removal under the program. The local government will only collect remaining insurance proceeds, if any, after you have removed ineligible fire related debris

In either scenario, the property owner will be required to substantiate all expenditures.

The State’s Debris Task Force will choose a prime contractor who will hire subcontractors. The State’s Debris Task Force will make every effort to encourage the prime contractor to use local subcontractors.

Send any additional questions to debrisquestions@caloes.ca.gov or visit our website at: http://wildfirerecovery.org