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The Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) says simple changes can help boost a home’s defense against wildfire.
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.
Fire will burn only if flammable things like dry landscaping, woodpiles and decks are present. To create survivable space, take the following steps within at least 30 feet of your house, 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.
Click to view the pamphlet Protect Your Home Against Wildfire Damage. Obtain free single copies of any IBHS publication by calling toll free 1 (866) 657-IBHS (4247).
IBHS is a national nonprofit initiative of the insurance industry to reduce deaths, injuries, property damage, economic losses and human suffering caused by natural disasters.
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