Fire Prevention
NO ONE CAN PREVENT ALL WILDFIRES
Almost 90% of all forest fires in the United States are human caused. They start when unattended campfires are left in the woods, when ATV’s are ridden through dry grass, or when your neighbor sets fire to weeds and brush and lets the flames spread to nearby timber. WE ALL HAVE RESPONSIBILITIES TO HELP PREVENT WILDFIRES.
LANDOWNER RESPONSIBILITIES
Prevention -activities directed at reducing unwanted human caused and catastrophic wildfire.
Education -continual learning by the public and fire management community.
Mitigation -identifying Wildland fire hazards and taking action to reduce risk.
COST, TIME & EFFORT
Landowners can reduce their fire risk without great cost if they are willing to do some of the work themselves. Routine landscaping chores that clear combustible materials from around the house, make a big impact without breaking the bank.
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Being ready for wildfire starts with maintaining an adequate defensible space and by hardening your home by using fire resistant building materials.
Defensible space is the buffer you create by removing dead plants, grass and weeds. This buffer helps to keep the fire away from your home.
Hardening your home means using construction materials that can help your home withstand flying embers finding weak spots in the construction, which can result in your house catching fire. It takes the combination of both defensible space and the hardening of your home to really give your house the best chance of surviving a wildfire.
A minimum defensible space of 100 feet is recommended for homes and outbuildings on flat ground—up to 200 feet or more on sloped sites. Defensible space is commonly divided into three zones.
The Immediate Zone includes both the home and the area 0 to 5 feet out from the furthest attached exterior point of the home.
In Zone 1, take steps to eliminate ignition potential. Use gravel mulch in this zone and use only the most fire-resistant plant material – e.g. short, high moisture content plants such as flowering annuals or perennial succulents hardy to your USDA zone. The home itself should be constructed using ignition resistant building materials. Screen any openings with 1/8″ metal mesh to block embers from collecting inside the home or under decks. Be aware of anything that could be flammable in this zone such as leaf litter, dead vegetation, pine needles, even items such as a possibly flammable doormat or hanging baskets made from fibrous material.
Zone 2 should consist of a well-maintained greenbelt. Surround islands of fire-resistant plant material with rock or brick retaining walls and/or well-watered turf. Keep lawns mowed to a height of four inches and clear vegetation regularly to keep the landscape ‘lean, clean, and green’. Water plants and lawns appropriately to keep them from becoming dry. Trees and shrubs in this zone should be limited to small clusters to break up the continuity of the vegetation across the landscape. Consider using hardscapes, dry riverbeds, or water features as a means of beautifying the landscape as well as making it more fire resistant. Tree placement should be planned to ensure the mature canopy is no closer than ten feet to the edge of the structure.
Keep in mind that your property line may end prior to 100 feet. In these instances working collaboratively with your neighbor is important in helping to protect multiple properties.
In Zone 3, remove highly flammable vegetation and replace it with fire resistant species. Maintain Zone 3 by thinning and pruning, removing dead and dying plants, and periodic fertilization and irrigation, as needed. Place firewood and propane tanks on gravel or concrete pads at least 30-feet away from structures and surround them with non-flammable fencing. Trees 30-60 feet from the home should have at least 12 feet between canopy tops. Trees 60 to 100 feet from the home should have at least 6 feet between canopy tops.
- Create a lean, green, and clean area 30 feet around your home.
- Create and maintain "defensible" space at least 100 feet from this lean, green, clean area.
- Keep the area free of dead vegetation (grass, leaf litter, limbs, etc.)
- Prune tree limbs up to 10 feet or 30-50 percent of tree height, whichever is less.
- Dispose of slash (materials smaller than 3 inches in diameter)
- Clean needles and leaves from gutters, roof, and inside corners of house
- Water and mow your lawn regularly.
- Store firewood away from structures.
- Screen chimneys and under porch or deck.
- Identify and control noxious weeds.
- Prune vegetation over driveway to a minimum height of 13.5 feet for clearance.
- Provide an escape route.
- Keep your address visible.
- Establish turnouts to allow passage of vehicles, including fire engines, at a minimum width of 50 feet.
- Avoid road grades over 10%.
- Choose "Fire-Resistive" plants and landscape materials.
- Do not plant flammable junipers next to your home.
- Maintain your defensible space each year.
Defensible space is divided into three zones. Thank you, Idaho Firewise, for this information.