Access to water . Make sure that you have connections to water at several points around your property and keep enough hose on hand to reach all areas of your home, including detached outbuildings. If you have a pool or well, having a pump on hand can give you access to an emergency reservoir of water if needed. Smoke and fire alarms . Inspecting and installing smoke detectors and alarms is an essential part of being a homeowner. It is recommended that you test your smoke alarms once a month and replace the batteries once or twice a year. Driveways and roads . In the event your home is threatened by a wildfire, it is essential emergency vehicles have access to your driveway to get to your house, or any place on your property affected by a wildfire. Make sure that your driveway isn’t obstructed by any major obstacles. Address . It’s critical for your address to be easily visible if and when emergency services and firefighters need to get to you. Make sure to keep your address clear of vegetation and repaint numbers as often as needed. Although you may not be ready to go through the process of completely retrofitting your home to harden it against wildfires, every little bit helps. Take care of the items you are able to reasonably implement in the short term and keep the others in mind for future home improvement projects. Creating a defensible space A defensible space is essentially a buffer zone you create between your home and things like trees and shrubs in your yard. When creating a defensible space, you can generally divide the tasks into two categories depending on how close that space is to your home. Next to, on, and under the house . The spaces next to, beneath, above, and immediately next to your house are important to keep tidy and free of combustible materials. • Keep it clear of dead vegetation, like weeds, shrubs, leaves and branches near your house and from under your deck. • Keep limbs and branches at least 10 feet away from the roof and walls. Not only does this prevent fires from spreading, but it can prevent limbs from damaging your roof and property in the event of a windstorm. • Avoid keeping garbage and recycling bins within 5 feet of your home. • Avoid keeping wood piles within 5 feet of your home. • Limit the amount of combustible outdoor furniture near your house. • Avoid using dry wood mulch, and instead use gravel and pavers if possible.
be referred to as “noncombustible” materials, like metal and clay, or fire-retardant-treated lumber and wood. Of course, fire-resistant does not mean fire-proof, so the ratings assigned to building materials usually refer to how long a given material can withstand a certain amount of heat. When looking at materials to harden your home, it is important to make sure that you speak with a professional to understand what level of protection or fire resistance a given material will provide. Roof . Out of all the vulnerable portions of your house, your roof usually covers the greatest area, and is therefore more vulnerable to wayward embers. A standard roof might be made from all sorts of different materials, many of which offer little to no protection from embers or fire in general. In order to give your roof the best defense against wildfires, consider replacing your shingles with nonflammable or flame-resistant materials, such as metal sheeting or clay tiles. Vents and chimney . To prevent said embers from finding their way inside, place metal corrosion resistant grates over all of your vents and your chimney. Decks . If you have a deck, there are a number of stains and sealants that have some measure of fire resistance that you can apply. If you’re building a deck, consider using wood that has been treated with fire resistant chemicals, or possibly even constructing the deck from a wood-PVC composite material. Gutters . Cleaning these out frequently is helpful, but you can make it a lot easier on yourself by installing flame- resistant covers. These covers prevent most of this material from gathering, which is great for those of us who may not always remember to clean our gutters regularly. Windows . Double-pane windows with tempered glass make breakage less likely and can reduce the amount of radiant heat that transfers through them, which can easily cause things like drapes and window shades to catch fire. Proper screens can also help prevent radiant heat transfer and can stop embers if the glass does break. Walls and siding . Not only can walls be constructed of flame-resistant materials, but the exterior siding can also be made to protect your home. Materials like bricks, stucco, and stone are much more resistant to flames than wood or vinyl panels. Garage . If you have a garage door made of something combustible, like wood, consider treating it with a heat- resistant stain if replacing it is out of the question. If possible, try to store combustible liquids, like gasoline and engine oil, in a building that isn’t attached to your home. If you don’t have an alternative place to store such liquids, do your best to keep flammable liquids stored apart from other combustible materials in your garage, like paper recycling.
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