Prepare for a Wildfire

Create Safety Zones Around Your Home

To protect your home and reduce your risk, you should create safety zones from 30-100 feet around your home. Within this area, you can take steps to reduce potential exposure to flames and radiant heat. Homes built in pine forests should have a minimum safety zone of 100 feet. Fire Protect your property from wildfires by designing and landscaping your home with wildfire safety in mind. All vegetation and landscape is fuel for a wildfire but some trees and shrubs are more flammable than others. Select materials and plants that can help contain fire rather than fuel it. Learn which shrubs and trees are less flammable to plant around or near your home. For example, hardwood trees are less flammable than pine, evergreen, eucalyptus or fir trees. To reduce the risk, clear brush, trees and other vegetation near your home. The greater the distance between your home and vegetation, the greater your protection.

30-foot Safety Zone

Create a 30-foot safety zone around your home by keeping the volume of vegetation in this zone to a minimum. If your home sits on a steep slope, standard protective measures may not suffice as fire spreads rapidly uphill. If you live on a hill, the zone should extend on the downhill side. The steeper the slope, the more open space you need to protect your home. Swimming pools and patios act as safety zones. Stone walls will also act as a heat shield to deflect the flames. In the 30-foot safety zone, you should do the following:

Remove vines from the walls of the house.
Move shrubs and other landscaping away from the sides of the house.
Prune branches and shrubs within 15 feet of chimneys and stove pipes.
Remove tree limbs within 15 feet of the ground.
Thin a 15-foot space between tree crowns
Replace highly flammable vegetation such as pine, eucalyptus, junipers and fir trees with lower growing, less flammable species. Check with your local fire department or garden store for suggestions.
Replace vegetation that has living or dead branches from the ground-level up (these act as ladder fuels for the approaching fire).
Cut the lawn often keeping the grass at a maximum of 2 inches. Watch grass and other vegetation near the driveway as this could be a source of ignition from automobile exhaust systems.
Clear the area of leaves, brush, evergreen cones, dead limbs and fallen trees.

100-foot Safety Zone

A second zone should be created at least 100 feet around the house. This zone will begin at the outer limit of the 30-foot zone and extend to at least 100 feet away. In this zone, you should reduce or replace as much of the flammable vegetation as possible. Again, if you live on a hill, you need to extend the zone for several hundred feet.

Clear all combustibles within 30 feet of any structure.

Install electrical lines underground, if possible
Ask the power company to clear branches from power lines.
Avoid using bark and wood chip mulch
Stack firewood 100 feet away and uphill from any structure.
Store combustible or flammable materials in approved safety containers and keep them away from the house.
Keep the gas grill and propane tank at least 15 feet from any structure. Clear an area 15 feet around the grill. Place a 1/4 inch mesh screen over the grill. Always use the grill cautiously but refrain from using it all during high risk times.
lace stove, fireplace and grill ashes in a metal bucket, soak in water for two days, then bury the cold ashes in mineral soil.
Regularly dispose of newspapers and rubbish at an approved site.
Follow local burning regulations.

Protect Your Home

Remove debris from under sun decks and porches
any porch, balcony or overhang with exposed space beneath it is fuel for an approaching fire. Overhangs can ignite easily by flying embers. Any vegetation allowed to grow underneath or if the space is used for storage, the hazard increases significantly. Keep sun decks and porches clear of leaves, trash and other combustible materials. All patio furniture and covers should be non-combustible. If you are planning to build a porch or sun-deck, have your builder use non-combustible or fire-resistant materials and, if possible, build the structure to the ground so that there is no space underneath.

Enclose eaves and overhangs
Like porches, eaves can trap the heat rising along the exterior siding. To reduce the hazard, have all eaves enclosed.

Cover house vents with wire mesh.
Attic vents, louver and other openings call allow embers and flaming debris to enter the home. Cover the openings with a 1/4 inch or smaller corrosion-resistant wire mesh.

Install spark arrestors in chimneys and stovepipes.
Chimneys create a fire hazard when embers escape through the top. To prevent this, install spark arrestors on all chimneys, stovepipes and vents for fuel-burning heaters. The spark arrestors should be made of 12-gauge welded or woven wire mesh screen with openings 1/2 inch across. The chimney should be cleaned at least twice a year and safety checked once a year. Contact your fire department for exact specs on the spark arrestors.

Fire Resistant Siding If you are building your home, use fire materials in the siding of your home, such as stucco, metal, brick, cement shingles, concrete or rock. You can treat wood siding with a UL-approved fire retardant chemical but it isn't permanent.

Safety Glass

Windows allow radiated heat to pass through and can ignite combustible materials inside the home. The larger the pane of the window the more vulnerable it is to fire. Dual or triple pane thermal glass along with fire resistant shutters or drapes should be used to help reduce the wildfire risk. Non-combustible awnings can be installed to shield windows and a use shatter resistant glazing like tempered or wire glass to further reduce the risk.

Water Storage and needs
Plan your water needs by developing an external water supply like a small pond, well or swimming pool. Keep a garden hose that is long enough to reach any area of the home along with other structures on the property. Install water outlets at least 50 feet from the home along with outlets on at least two sides of your home.

Pre-Disaster Preparation - Prepare Your Home

Make sure you set a timeline to complete this task! By giving yourself a deadline, you will be able to complete it in a timely manner.

Conduct a ONE HOUR INVENTORY

Inside your house:

Go through your house/office and video tape/take pictures of your valuables
Remember to include pictures of smaller valuables like jewelry, china, silver, etc.
Also take pictures that include these items in the background for further proof of ownership
Valuations
Document serial numbers, model numbers on big ticket items for insurance purposes
Make note of "risk reduction - elimination" (things you don't replace)
Photograph any important paperwork - car titles - house deeds - passports - birth certificates
Review your insurance policies to ensure that you have the proper coverage - NOTE: most homeowner's policies do not include coverage for flood damage.
- Copy of social security card, drivers license, passport
- Copies of the last 3 years of your tax returns
- SAVE the photos and list on your computer
- SAVE the photos & lists on a flash drive and keep in a safe deposit box
Keep all of your important papers in one location so you can grab and go.

Outside:

Take pictures of the outside of your home / other existing structures
Take pictures of your cars and any outdoor equipment (lawn mowers, patio furniture, gas grill, bicycles, etc.)

Log In
E-mail:
Password:

Get a Kit

Get an Emergency Supply Kit, which includes items like non-perishable food, water, a battery-powered or hand-crank radio, extra flashlights and batteries.
Store it in your shelter location

Tips to Protect your home

Use fire resistant or non-combustible materials on the roof and exterior structure of the dwelling. Treat wood or combustible material used in roofs, siding, decking or trim with UL-approved fire-retardant chemicals.
Regularly clean roof and gutters.
Inspect chimneys at least twice a year. Clean them at least once a year. Keep the dampers in good working order. Equip chimneys and stovepipes with a spark arrester that meets the requirements of National Fire Protection Association Code 211. (Contact your local fire department for exact specifications.)
Install a smoke detector on each level of your home, especially near bedrooms; test monthly and change the batteries at least once each year.
Own a ladder that will reach the roof.
Keep handy household items that can be used as fire tools: a rake, axe, handsaw or chain saw, bucket and shovel.
Have a garden hose that is long enough to reach any area of the home and other structures on the property.
Install freeze-proof exterior water outlets on at least two sides of the home and near other structures on the property. Install additional outlets at least 50 feet from the home.
Consider obtaining a portable gasoline-powered pump in case electrical power is cut off.
Teach each family member how to use a fire extinguisher (ABC type) and show them where it's kept.
Review your homeowner's insurance policy and also prepare/update a list of your home's contents.

Are you building or remodeling?

Other safety measures to consider at the time of construction or remodeling.

Choose your locations wisely - canyon and slope locations increase the risk of exposure to wildland fires.
Use fire-resistant materials when building, renovating, or retrofitting structures.
Avoid designs that include wooden decks and patios.
Use non-combustible materials for the roof - Roofs are especially vulnerable in a wildfire. In the event of a wildfire, embers and flaming debris can travel great distances. If they land on your roof they could start a new fire. Avoid flammable roofing materials such as wood, shake and shingle. Materials that are more fire resistant include single ply membranes, fiberglass shingles, slate, metal, clay and concrete tile.
Clear gutters of leaves and debris.