IBHS News Releases

Englewood, CO – The dry, warm weather in March, what should have been Colorado’s wettest month, is giving homeowners an early wakeup call to the start of fire season.  But residents can help boost their homes’ fire defense with some simple changes in their yard. 

The Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) says the key is removing everything flames would view as a fuel source. This will help create survivable space: a zone around the home that will help slow a fire, should one start, and potentially direct it elsewhere.  

“You do not want to wait until you’re loading up the car on an evacuation order to think about whether your home stands a chance of surviving a wildfire,” says Carole Walker, Executive Director of the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association, an IBHS partner.

Fire will burn only if flammable things like dry landscaping, woodpiles and decks are present.  To create your survivable space, IBHS says you should take the following steps within at least 30 feet of your home, 50-100 feet if you live in a heavily wooded area:

• Prune trees and shrubs.
• Branches on taller trees should be a minimum of 6 feet from the ground.
• Remove dead leaves and branches, especially around the roof and chimney.
• Mow your lawn regularly and dispose promptly of cuttings and debris.
• Clear your roof, gutters and eaves of debris.
• Maintain your irrigation system.
• Move firewood and storage tanks 50 feet away from the home.
• Store flammable liquids properly.    

If you’re about to begin a landscaping project, you can increase your home and yard’s protection by introducing more native vegetation, and spacing trees at least 10 feet apart.

And if a facelift is being planned for your home’s exterior, use only non-combustible materials on the roof, walls, eaves, soffits and fascia.
 
Additional information can be found in the IBHS pamphlet Protect Your Home Against Wildfire Damage.   For free single copies, call toll free 1 (866) 657-IBHS (4247).   You can also log on to www.rmiia.org for insurance and safety information .