Wildfire Safety

From FEMA and Red Cross

Design and landscape your home with wildfire safety in mind.  Select materials and plants that can help contain fire rather than fuel it.  Use fire resistant or non-combustible materials on the roof and exterior structure of the dwelling or treat wood or combustible material used in roofs, siding, decking or trim with UL-approved fire-retardant chemicals.  Plant fire-resistant shrubs and trees.  For example, hardwood trees are less flammable than pine, evergreen, eucalyptus or fir trees.

Create a 30 to 50 foot safety zone around your home.  Within this area, you can take steps to reduce potential exposure to flames and radiant heat.  Homes built in pine forests should have a minimum safety zone of 100 feet.  If your home sits on a steep slope, standard protective measures may not suffice.  Contact your local fire department tor forestry office for additional information.

Also:

*  Rake leaves, dead limbs and twigs.  Clear all flammable vegetation.
*  Remove leaves and rubbish from under structures.
*  Thin a 15-foot space between tree crowns, and remove limbs within 15 feet of the ground.
*  Remove dead branches that extend over the roof.
*  Ask the power company to clear branches from powerlines.
*  Prune tree branches and shrubs within 15 feet of a stovepipe or chimney outlet.
*  Remove vines from the walls of the home.
*  Mow grass regularly.
*  Clear a 10-foot area around propane tanks and the barbeque.  Place a screen over the grill, use non-flammable material with mesh no coarser than one-quarter inch.
*  Regularly dispose of newspapers and rubbish at an approved site.  Follow local burning regulations.
*  Place stove, fireplace and grill ashes in a metal bucket, soak it in water for two days, then bury the cold ashes in soil.
*  Store gasoline, oily rags and other flammable materials in approved safety cans.  Place cans in a safe location away from the base of buildings.
*  Stack firewood at least 100 feet away and uphill from your home.  Clear combustible material within 20 feet.  Use only UL-approved woodburning devices.