Reduce
Your Risk of Wildfire
The threat of
wildfire is real. And although the land we call home is
beautiful, it can also be deadly when wildfire strikes. But
there are steps you can take to help reduce the risk of wildfire
damage to your home. Just follow these 10 simple steps and
you’ll create the most effective safeguard against wildfire for
your home.
Define
your defensible space.
Defensible space is
a buffer zone, a minimum 30-foot non-combustible area around
your house that reduces the intensity and risk of a wildfire
from starting or spreading to your home.
Reduce
flammable vegetation, trees and brush around your
home.
When needed, replace
flammable landscaping with their fire-resistive counterparts.
Choose plants with loose branching habits, non-resinous woody
material, high moisture content in leaves, and little seasonal
accumulation of dead vegetation.
Remove
or prune trees.
If you live in a
wooded area, reduce the density of surrounding forests by
removing or thinning overcrowded or weakened trees. Check with
local agencies for guidelines on tree removal before clearing or
thinning your property. Be sure to prune low-hanging branches to
keep a ground fire from climbing into upper
branches.
Cut
grass and weeds regularly.
Fire spreads rapidly
in dry grass and weeds. Mow grasses and other low vegetation and
keep them well-watered, especially during periods of high fire
danger.
Relocate
wood piles and leftover building
materials
Stack all wood,
building debris and other burnable materials at least 30 feet
away from your home and other buildings. Then clear away
flammable vegetation within 10 feet of wood/debris piles as an
additional safeguard against the spread of
wildfire.
Keep
your roof and yard clean.
Clear pine needles,
leaves and debris from your roof, gutters and yard to eliminate
an ignition source from tinder-dry vegetation. Remove dead limbs
and branches within 10 feet of your chimney and deck. Tidying up
is especially important during the hot, arid months of fire
season when a single spark can lead to an
inferno.
Signs,
addresses and access.
Easy-to-read road
signs and address numbers that are visible from the road allow
firefighters to find your home quickly in an emergency. Safe,
easy access to your property includes two-way roads that can
accommodate emergency vehicles and give them space to turn
around. Bridges should support the weight of emergency vehicles.
Driveways should also be trimmed of peripheral vegetation to
allow emergency equipment to reach your house. Contact your
local fire department for recommendations on access and
signage.
Rate
your roof.
Your roof is the
most vulnerable part of your house in a wildfire. If you have a
wood shake roof, consider treatment or replacement to make it
more fire-resistive. If you have a fireplace or woodstove,
install an approved spark arrestor on your chimney to prevent
sparks from reaching your roof or flammable
vegetation.
Recycle
yard debris and branches
Check into
alternative disposal methods like composting or recycling.
Burning may be restricted or not allowed in your community, and
should only be used as a last resort. Always contact your local
fire department for current burning regulations before striking
a match.
What to
do when fire strikes.
Monitor your local
media for fire reports and evacuation procedures and centers.
Keep an emergency checklist handy and prepare to evacuate if
your neighborhood is threatened. You should know at least two
exit routes from your neighborhood. Proper preparation includes
closing all windows and doors, arranging garden hoses so they
can reach any area of your house, and packing your car for quick
departure.
