This list is all about Best Tips For Homeowners Living In Wildfire-Prone Areas. Homeowners may not realize that they might be in a high-risk area and are therefore unaware of the precautions to take or how to prepare for a potential insurance claim after a fire.
Every homeowner wants to protect their family and home from the devastating effects of home fires. Unfortunately, there are on average nearly 350,000 home fires each year. Of these, forest fires are particularly destructive. Over the past five years, nearly 300,000 wildfires have burned more than 400 million acres of land. Over 21,000 wildfires have already been recorded in the first four months of 2022.
However, the need to practice fire prevention is at an all-time high. In 2017, the province’s worst season on record, more than 65,000 people were forced from their homes and 1.2 million hectares of land were burned. If you live in an area prone to wildfires, here are some tips to reduce your risk as a homeowner.
Here is the list of Best Tips For Homeowners Living In Wildfire-Prone Areas
Assess Your Roofing
The relationship between fire prevention and roofing can be summed up in two words: materials and maintenance. Living in British Columbia, your roof is likely Class A, B, or C, indicating how fireproof or fire resistant it is. If you plan to replace your roof or build a new home, avoid combustible materials like shakes and wood shingles.
Safer roofing options include metal, recycled rubber, clay, slate, and asphalt. Try to learn all you can from your roof manufacturer’s guidelines on caring for your roof. Trying to to have your roof professionally cleaned at least once a year to ensure potential embers aren’t fueled by collected leaves and debris.
Plan for Emergency Responder Access
To ensure firefighters are able to find your home, make sure street names and numbers are clearly marked and legible. Aisles should be wide enough and have sufficient vertical clearance to allow fire engines and other first responder vehicles to access your home. Creating a defensible space around your home increases the ability of firefighters to defend your home against wildfires.
Keep in mind that they are only trained to protect structures when it is safe to do so. If firefighters are unable to protect your home during a wildfire, having a defensible space increases your home’s chances of survival. As with all things in life, there are no guarantees, but it always pays to be proactive and strive for the best possible outcome.
Create defensible space on your property
Use gravel and concrete to build a 5 foot area around your house. This area is designed to prevent fire and embers from spreading through your home. Make sure yard debris and dead plants are removed from this area.
Avoid parking boats, RVs, cars and other vehicles in this area. You’ll also want to keep your defensible space free of firewood, outdoor furniture, garbage cans, and children’s playsets.
Secure the Perimeter
Many people pile items near their homes that could potentially start a fire. Good examples are firewood and propane tanks. Move flammable objects away from your home. This may take some time as some items may be difficult to move. Keep your wooden shed away from your house and if you have a wooden shed near your home, move it or replace it. Wooden fences should not be attached to your home. You can have the wooden fence around the perimeter of your property, but install a wall against your house to act as a buffer.
The wall must be made of a non-flammable material such as masonry or metal. Attach the fence to your pad. Securing the perimeter doesn’t have to be done just once; it must be done regularly. Over time, many homeowners will place things around the house without thinking about the fire risk.
Work together
Even the best-prepared house is at serious risk if neighboring houses catch fire. If you live in a densely populated area, your home is ultimately as fire resistant as the weakest links in your neighborhood. “Some people are within 100 feet of the next neighbor, and you don’t necessarily have control over that.” “In this case, the yard or in my house is going to affect whether or not your house catches fire.
So community-organized fire preparation can be as important as what you do on your own property. The U.S. Forest Service has a program that helps build “fire-friendly communities,” and more than 1,400 sites nationwide have implemented community-level wildfire action plans as part of of the NFPA Fire wise Recognition Program. Check out these resources to learn how you can get involved in making your community Garden a safer place.
Landscape for Fire-Resistance
Being strategic in how you furnish your property is a major part of reducing risk to your home and maintaining your personal safety. Leave at least 10 meters of clearance around your home from tree branches, mulch and grasses. Things like gravel beds and crushed stone can provide an attractive, fire-resistant landscaping solution in this area. It is important to note that some plants are much more flammable than others. Do not landscape with cedars, junipers, pines or spruces.
Likewise, avoid bark mulch or pine mulch within 10 yards of your home, as they catch fire easily. Other plants that may not be suitable near your home include any species that are resinous or oily, have aromatic needles/leaves, or have loose bark. Finally, a fire resistant lawn is one that is mowed frequently – grasses 10 centimeters or less tend to burn slower.
Remove debris and other combustible items on, under and near your deck
To prevent your deck from catching fire and spreading that fire to your home, avoid using the area under the deck as a storage area. Instead, store these items indoors or at least 30 feet from your home.
On days when there are wildfire warnings, remove outdoor furniture from your patio and place it in your house, in your garage, or within 30 feet of your house.
Create an emergency escape plan
Talk to city officials to find out what the evacuation route is for your area. Discuss this escape route with all your family members and employees. Make sure family members who live nearby know the route and have transportation.
Plus, stay informed by signing up for emergency text messages or alert messages in your city. Finally, don’t forget to create an emergency kit.
Don’t overlook your neighbors’ homes or common areas
One of the greatest dangers of a wildfire is how quickly it spreads from house to house. That’s why, no matter how careful you are with your garden, it’s essential that your neighbors make fire-safe choices too. If you notice anything on your neighbor’s property that concerns you, such as a pile of leaves or dry, dead grass, be sure to mention it to your homeowners association (HOA) if you don’t feel up to it.
comfortable talking to them yourself. You can also request that common areas, such as green belts, be thinned out and pruned to keep them healthy, taking up the task with neighbors if necessary.
Retrofit your home
Many homes are not built to withstand fire. They are often made of flammable materials that can easily ignite in the event of a forest fire. Fortunately, most homes can be retrofitted with noncombustible materials that can keep the structure from burning down.
One of the most helpful things a homeowner can do to protect their home is to replace their old roof with a noncombustible roofing material, such as metal or clay. The coating can be replaced with a non-flammable material such as stucco, brick or stone.
Final words
We hope you understand this article, Best Tips For Homeowners Living In Wildfire-Prone Areas. If you want to learn more about reducing the potential impact of wildfires on your home, we recommend reading the latest information from the provincial government’s Fire Smart Handbook. We hope you will share this article with your friends and family to show your support.
I hope you understand this article, Best Tips For Homeowners Living In Wildfire-Prone Areas.
