Five Things You Can Do Around Your House to
Reduce the Chance of Ignition.
Increasing the chances of your home surviving a wildfire doesn’t have to be hard or expensive. Here are some things you can do around your house:
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| 1. Sweep your walkways, patios and decks regularly to remove leaves, needles and other combustible materials that may gather against your house. Remove vegetative debris (leaves, pine needles, twigs) from your gutters and roof. |
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2. Remove combustible materials from under your deck. If you have no other storage option, install non-combustible siding around deck perimeter. Be sure to adequately ventilate the area to minimize chance of rot from water. See Protecting Decks, Patios and Porches at disastersafety.org.
When it is time to replace deck boards or rebuild your porch choose a product that meets the California Building Code as recommended in the State Fire Marshall’s listing of Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Products. |
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| 3. Caulk any openings along the top or bottom of wall siding or around windows where gaps could allow embers to enter your home. |
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| 4. Store your deck furniture, children’s toys and other combustible items inside if a wildfire threatens. Embers coming in contact with flammable materials is the major reason why homes are destroyed during wildfires. For an ember aware checklist see Be Ember Aware! |
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5. Screen your vents under eves and at the foundation. Cover them with 1/8 mesh metal screens. Finer mesh will require more maintenance to keep free of debris. Remember to keep air flowing freely to manage moisture in attic or under your house. Vents are vulnerable entry points for embers and flames. For more information on covering your vents visit disastersafety.org/vents
For more tips on how to protect your home, download the Insurance Institute for Building & Home Safety Wildfire Home Assessment & Checklist and Firewise. |
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