Before Wildfire Threatens
More people are making their homes in woodland settings - in or near forests, rural areas or remote mountain sites. This also includes areas in Fire District 6 called urban-interface. These areas mix residential dwellings with more natural areas like the homes along Salmon Creek and the railroad tracks through Felida.
Design and landscape your home with wildfire safety in mind. Select materials and plants that can help contain fire rather than fuel it. Use fire resistant or non-combustible materials on the roof and exterior structure of the dwelling. Alternatively, treat wood or other combustible materials used on roofs, siding, decking or trim with UL-approved fire-retardant chemicals. Plant fire-resistant shrubs and trees. For example, hardwood trees are less flammable than pine, evergreen eucalyptus or fir trees.
Create a 30 to 50 foot safety zone around your home
Within this area, you can take the steps to reduce potential exposure to flames and radiant heat. Homes built in pine forests should have a minimum safety zone of 100 feet. If your home sits on a steep slope, standard protective measures may not suffice.
The following is a checklist for your family to protect itself from wildfire:
- Take away leaves, dead limbs and twigs. Clear all flammable vegetation.
- Remove leaves and rubbish from under structures.
- Thin a 15-foot space between tree crowns, and remove limbs within 15 feet of the ground.
- Remove dead branches that extend over the roof.
- Prune tree branches and shrubs within 15 feet of a stovepipe or chimney outlet.
- Ask the power company to clear branches from power lines.
- Remove vines from the walls of the home.
- Mow grass regularly.
- Clear a 10-foot area around propane tanks and the barbeque. Place a screen over the grill - use non-flammable material with mesh no coarser than one-quarter inch.
- Regularly dispose of newspapers and rubbish at an approved site. Follow local burning regulations. See www.swcleanair.org.
- Place stove, fireplace and grill ashes in a metal bucket, soak in water for two days, then bury the cold ashes in mineral soil.
- Store gasoline, oily rags and other flammable materials in approved safety cans. Place cans in a safe location away from the base of buildings.
- Stack firewood at least 30 feet from your home. Clear combustible material within 20 feet. Use only UL-approved wood burning devices.
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