Fire Prevention During Fire Season * Do NOT mow your grass or use power tools of ANY kind outdoors when temperatures are above 80 degrees F and humidities are low during fire season. Especially when it is breezy! Even the smallest spark, e.g., your lawnmower blade hitting a rock, will cause a fire. * Always have a fire extinguisher close by when working outdoors. Indoors have several, and make sure everyone in the family knows where they are and how to use them. * Do NOT use firearms in hot weather! Bullets will ricochet from rocks, causing sparks that WILL cause a fire! * Avoid parking vehicles on grass. * Clear vegetation 100' away from your home (defensible space). * Remove non-native brush and dead vegetation from your entire property. * Thin native chaparral, but do not remove it unless it is within 100' of your home. Native chaparral burns slower and will provide a buffer zone along with irrigated vegetation. How can I help firefighters save my home? * Make it easy for firefighters to get to your home. Roads need to be wide enough to accommodate fire trucks, and there has to be a place for them to turn around. Driveways and bridges must be strong enough to carry heavy emergency vehicles. Identify at least two ways to and from your house and make sure they're well marked. All access routes to your home should be free of low hanging tree branches and cleared of flammable vegetation at least 10 feet from roads and five feet from driveways. * Maintain an emergency water supply that meets fire department standards, such as a community water hydrant system, a cooperative emergency storage tank with neighbors, or a minimum storage supply of 2,500 gallons on your property. If your water comes from a well, consider an emergency generator to operate the pump during a power failure. Clearly mark all water sources, and create easy access to your closest emergency water source. * Fire Resistant Roof: A fire resistant roof is one of the most important fire safe preventive measures to ensure home survival in a wildland fire. Eaves need to be closed and ventilation needs to be tightly screened so that hot embers cannot be pulled into attics and crawlspaces. You must allow ventilation to prevent structural wood from drying out and becoming vulnerable to fire, yet you need to be able to filter out ashes/sparks and embers that will ignite your home from the inside attic and crawlspace. Please have a representative from your local firestation inspect your home and show you proper roof and eave fire prevention methods. * Landscaping: The second most important fire safe preventive measure is landscaping. In addition, in San Diego County's varied topography, home location can drastically increase danger from wildfire. Locating a structure on a ridge at the top of a "fire chimney" can create fire drafts that will make some homes extremely difficult to protect. Often home location may have been decided years prior to your ownership. Only landscape maintenance can reduce fire danger to these homes. Of the various fire factors, landscaping is one of the most easily altered fire safe components. In more urban situations, choice of plant materials can greatly alter fire potential. In rural areas, management of existing native vegetation can greatly reduce fire danger. In either case, maintenance to remove dead branches, to mow dried grass, and to remove pine needles and leaves is crucial - MOW DRIED GRASS ONLY IN THE VERY EARLY HOURS WHEN HUMIDITY IS HIGH AND CARRY A SMALL FIRE EXTINGUISHER WITH YOU! Irrigation will generally reduce flammability, but may not be practical or economically feasible. Plants should be adapted to the elevation, soils, soil depth, soil moisture and shade found on your site. Thin, but don't remove native vegetation (plants that stay green long after the dry season starts). Remove all non-native plants (dried, brown weeds) as they will burn hot and fast in a fire. * And, you should know... Flame length (which determines danger to structures) is determined by both the mass of flammable vegetation and the continuity (both horizontal and vertical). The horizontal flame path can be broken by spacing the trees or shrubs 10-15' apart, separated by cleared areas, walkways, rock or other low fuel materials. Vertical fuels can carry ground flames up into tree crowns. Cutting lower branches and thinning or removing shrubs and small trees below the canopy of mature trees will protect them from the "fuel ladder" effect. Plant species with finely divided leaves and dry, oily characteristics can be the most dangerous. The thick bark of mature conifers will resist most fires if the canopy can be protected. When planning your fire safe activities, consider potential wildlife habitat. In low, damp drainages with little fire danger, consider maintaining continuous vegetation for wildlife corridors. Animals need to hide from predators while traveling for food, water and mating. A variety of native species allows diverse wildlife species to survive and thrive among habitations. Within the fire-safe zone around a home (minimum 100'+), clumps of vegetation should be separate (10' to 15' apart), and all mature trees thinned from below to eliminate ladder fuels. "Flashy" fuels (dried grass and leaves) on the ground, should be separated from lower limbs. Remember, during a wildfire, fire fighters will need room to work with crews and equipment. If you make their job easier, your home may survive. Talk to your fire department about fire safety. Check with UC Extension or your local ag department about invasive weed species. Consult the Sunset Western Garden book, Master Gardeners, and local nurseries about plant selection. In Valley Center, talk with the Dos Valles Garden Club about planting fire-resistant succulents as your landscaping design. Clear back roadside brush on access routes, and mark roads for firefighters. Rural living requires responsibility on your part. Look to a fire gel spray. Stucco and close your eaves (if your eaves are opened, pressure built up in a fire creates a suction and the attic or crawlspace will actually pull in flaming embers, igniting your home). Allow ventilation through screens with very small holes. Schedule a Fire Department inspection. Contact the Valley Center Fire Protection District for an appointment. Evacuation Tips * If you have time before you evacuate your family and pets (Your family has an evacuation plan in place, right?), back your car into the garage, leave the key in the ignition, and close the garage door. Close windows and doors to the house, and close all inside doors. * Take down drapes and curtains. * Place a ladder against the front of the house. * If you have a combustible roof, wet it down or turn on roof sprinklers. * Set landscaping sprinklers (3 zones maximum at a time) to run 5 minutes and continuously loop. * Turn off the gas at the meter and the propane tank. * Place fire fighting tools, such as 100 feet of pre-connected garden hose, a shovel, a rake, a bucket, and containers filled with water, in an accessible place. In case of possible evacuation - only if you have enough warning- consider packing the following items: * Social Security cards * Driver's licenses * Credit cards * House deed * Vehicle titles * Marriage license * Birth Certificates * Insurance policies * Home inventory list/photos * Health insurance cards * Prescription medications * Important personal computer information downloaded to disk * Valuable jewelry * Photographs * Home videos * Items with sentimental value, such as wedding dress or baby keepsakes * One week ' s worth of clothing * Pets with ID tags, carriers, and pet food What should you do after a wildfire? * Residents evacuated from their homes should contact their insurance agents or companies immediately and let them know where they can be reached. As adjusters are allowed into the burned-out areas they will want to go in with their policyholders to assess the damage. Many companies will set up 24-hour emergency hotlines. * Company claims adjusters, many equipped with laptop computers and portable phones, will start writing checks over the next few days to pay the cost of temporary living expenses for people left homeless by the fires and to begin the rebuilding of damaged homes. Some companies will be opening special claims centers to assist their policyholders. Contact your agent or company if you need additional living expenses while you are out of your home. * Keep receipts. Out of pocket expenses during a mandatory evacuation are reimbursable under most standard homeowner policies. * Be prepared to give your agent or insurance representative a description of your damage. Your agent will report the loss immediately to your insurance company or a qualified adjuster who will contact you as soon as possible to inspect the damage. Again, be sure to give your agent a number where you can be reached. * Take photos of the damaged areas. These will help with your claims process and will assist the adjuster in the investigation. * Prepare a detailed inventory of all damaged or destroyed personal property. Be sure to make two copies-one for yourself and one for the adjuster. Your list should be as complete as possible, including a description of the items, dates of purchase or approximate age, cost at time of purchase and estimated replacement cost. * Make whatever temporary repairs you can . Cover broken windows, damaged roofs and walls to prevent further destruction. Save receipts for supplies and materials you purchase. Your company will reimburse you for reasonable expenses in making temporary repairs. * Secure a detailed estimate for permanent repairs to your home from a reliable contractor and give it to the adjuster. The estimate should contain the proposed repairs, repair costs and replacement prices. * Serious losses will be given priority . If your home has been destroyed or seriously damaged, your agent will do everything possible to assure that you are given priority. Helpful Links: (click on each) Link to FEMA's Homeowner's Checklist *** please note that FEMA recommends 30' defensible space around your home, but California law mandates 100' of defensible space Link to CalFire's tips on 100' defensible space (videos, brochures) Link to CalFire's Defensible Space Photo Album Link to CalFire's "How to Make Your Home Fire Safe" A Homeowner's Checklist from CalFire Link to FEMA's Animal Disaster Preparedness - information for pet owners |
Fire Prevention Tips - Protect Your Home
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