A mild and precipitous winter season has provided us with early blooms and a longer time- frame for foliage growth which means more potential fuel for wildfires. Because wildfires are unpredictable, being as well prepared as possible is your best defense against them. Defensive strategies do not guarantee you or your home will be safe; however, implementing these strategies certainly can increase your odds of a favorable outcome should your home be threatened by a wildfire.
photo from NBC News 2018
YOU MAY BE THINKING...
My home is fine, I live in a city, I have a pool, there's a fire hydrant in front of my house, the fire department is down the street, I water my yard, plants, trees or other seemingly reasonable thoughts. These components alone are likely not enough to stop a wildfire from impacting your life or home negatively. Pre-planning could save lives and property. Let's look at some of the science behind wildfires and mitigation.
Items in proximity to structures that have the ability to burn are considered combustibles. Direct flame, high radiant heat, and embers are all catalysts to combustible materials. Did you know, embers can fly up to a mile ahead of a fire? Debris that has been ignited can be carried by the wind and when accumulated on combustible materials can ignite structures and or items around them. This is called indirect ignition. It has been determined that 90% of building ignitions occur in the absence of direct flame during a wildfire event - indirect ignition. Flames and embers combine to create disastrous potential for lives and structures in a wildfire. Below is a link to a video by the Insurance Institute of Business & Home Safety (IBHS) showing ember ignition in a controlled environment.
IGNITION ZONES AROUND YOUR HOME
Ignition zones are areas identified in the late 1990s by Jack Cohen, a retired USDA Forest Service fire scientist, that are directly associated with fires and or embers impacting a structure during a wildfire event. Basically, two components are primary in determining a structure's ability to withstand a wildfire, 1) ignitability of the structure(s) and 2) appropriate defensible space nearest the structure(s). These are often referred to as the Home Ignition Zone (HIZ). These zones are further divided into 3 distinct areas that include the following:
ZONE 1 ~ 0-5 feet
The structure and areas within 5 feet, including 5 feet from decks, must be absent of combustible and flammable items
ZONE 2 ~ 5-30 feet
Minimum of 18 feet between tree tops, any structures in this area must meet the same standards as the main structure
ZONE 3 ~ 30-100 feet
Minimum of 12 feet between tree tops
Below is a link to the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) site for Preparing Homes For Wildfire - Here, ignition zones are identified along with additional valuable information including a short checklist of immediate items that can be addressed to begin mitigating fire dangers around your home or structure.
WHERE DO I BEGIN?
There is no shortage of information when talking about wildfire preparedness and the importance of mitigation around your home. This blog could quite literally go on for thousands of pages to provide you with up to date information on this topic; however, to make the information more digestible and get folks to the mitigation stage I've included only a few items here. Below I have added additional links from highly reputable sources that can provide a vast amount of information for those willing to put in some research time. Again, these are a handful of the many links to information available to you.
WHAT NEXT?
Who Can Inspect My Home's Current Zones and Provide Me With Information About My Home's Wildfire Ready Status & Next Steps?
We can! At Burke Home Inspections we have worked directly with IBHS, as well as retired CAL FIRE members highly involved in wildfire research, and are currently working with other leaders in the field of wildfire preparedness. We are trained in determining your home's current status as it relates to wildfire preparedness, we are knowledgeable about mitigation efforts that may need to be made to improve your home's defenses against wildfire threat, and are prepared to inspect these areas, provide you with a report, and remain available for a follow-up inspection should it be determined that further mitigation is required.
MITIGATION MATTERS
Let's do what we can to harden our homes and in turn protect ourselves, our neighbors and those who risk their lives to fight these fires.
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