- Author: Melissa Womack
California has experienced record dry conditions with an explosive wildfire season approaching. The state even declared May 4 to 10, 2014 "Wildfire Awareness Week," urging residents to prepare homes for potential wildfires.
"Creating and maintaining a defensible space is critical for the protection of homes," said Chief Ken Pimlott, director of CAL FIRE. "It has never been more critical to strengthen our fire prevention efforts, in light of the elevated fire conditions we have been experiencing in California. We have increased our inspection staffing and now we need the public to make sure they, too, are prepared for the increased fire risk due to drought."
Homeowners can easily create a defensible space to help protect their homes and improve their chances of surviving a wildfire through easy maintenance practices. A minimum defensible space of 100 feet around your home is required by California law (Public Resources Code 4291). Check with your local fire department for specific defensible space requirements in your area.
Creating a 100-foot space around the home is oftentimes the easiest and most effective first line of defense against wildfires. According to "Landscaping Tips to Help Defence your Home from Wildfire," the goal of the law is to protect the home while providing a safe area for firefighters.
A buffer between structures and trees, grass and shrubs help slow or stop the spread of wildfire. Break your property surrounding the home down into two zones.
Zone 1:
-Remove all dead plants, grass and weeds (vegetation).
-Remove dead or dry leaves and pine needles from your yard, roof and rain gutters.
-Trim trees regularly to keep branches a minimum of 10 feet from other trees.
-Remove branches that hang over your roof and keep dead branches 10 feet away from your chimney.
-Relocate wood piles into Zone 2 (see below)
-Remove or prune flammable plants and shrubs near windows.
-Remove vegetation and items that could catch fire from around and under decks.
-Create a separation between trees, shrubs and items that could catch fire, such as patio furniture, wood piles, swing sets, etc.
Zone 2:
-Cut or mow annual grass down to a minimum height of 4 inches.
-Create horizontal spacing between shrubs and trees (see diagram).
-Create vertical spacing between grass, shrubs and trees (see diagram).
-Remove fallen leaves, needles, twigs, bark, cones and small branches. However, they may be permitted to a depth of 3 inches.
Again, prepared homeowners are not only protecting their homes, but also providing a safe environment for firefighters responding to the call of duty. Visit The California Garden Web or ReadyforWildfire.org for more information about preparing your home for wildfire season and for information about fire-resistant landscaping. You can also visit UC Cooperative Extension's Fire program.
Photo Credit of Image 2: CAL FIRE, www.fire.ca.gov
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