Making Your Home Defensible From Fire
A few seconds is all Cal Fire or Sonoma County Fire have to determine if your home is defensible. If deemed unsafe, the fire crew will not try to save your house.
Things to Consider
- Can the fire fighters get heavy fire equipment or life saving equipment down your driveway?
- Is there enough space for them to turn around in or easily exit your your driveway?
- Are there any low limbs or high brush along the driveway?
Make Preparedness a Priority: Project Ideas for Wildfire Prep Day
Checklist to Make Your Property Defensible
On-line resource for more information: FireSafeSonoma.org
- Trim all tree limbs up 6-8 feet above the ground.
- Trim tree limbs 15’ high and 30’ width along driveways.
- Clear out gutters and keep roof clean of needles and leaves.
- Remove tree branches that overhang the roof to at least 15’ above the roof.
- Cut tall grass down to a few inches, 100’ around structures.
- If on steep hillside, take extra precautions to remove low limbs on trees and tall grass down-slope of house, this may exceed 100’.
- Remove flammable plants close to structures and along driveway; i.e. juniper bushes, Manzanita, chemise, Scotch Broom, Star Thistle, Pampas Grass, Acacia, Fir and Bay trees.
- Store firewood, construction materials and other flammable material a minimum of 30’ feet from structures.
- Remove any branches to within 10’ of chimney.
- Cover your chimney or stovepipe with a non-flammable screen of 1/2” mesh.
- Enclose the underside of decks.
- Replace flammable door mats with fire resistant door mat.
When fire is approaching and you are asked to evacuate, do it now!
If there is no time, shelter in your home. Park your car facing out. Go to the opposite side of the house from where the fire is approaching. Your home is the safest place to shelter. Your house will take longer to burn than the time it takes for a fire to move over it. Once the fire has gone through, leave the house immediately.