PREVENTION

  • HARDEN YOUR CABIN

Prepare for wildfire and harden your home now. There are three ways your home can be exposed to wildfire:

  • direct flames from a wildfire or burning neighboring home
  • radiant heat from nearby burning plants or structures
  • flying embers (embers from a wildfire can destroy homes up to a mile away and are responsible for the destruction of most homes during a wildfire)

Taking the necessary measures to harden (prepare) your property can help increase its likelihood of survival when wildfire strikes. Here are some straightforward tips you can use to harden your home and make it more fire resistant.

 

 

Roof

The roof is the most vulnerable part of your cabin. Structures with wood or shingle roofs are at high risk of being destroyed during a wildfire.

  • Build your roof or re-roof with materials such as composition, metal, clay or tile. Block any spaces between roof decking and covering to prevent embers from catching.
  • Remove accumulated vegetative debris from the roof.

Vents

Vents on cabins create openings for flying embers.

  • Cover all vent openings with 1/16-inch to 1/8-inch metal mesh. Do not use fiberglass or plastic mesh because they can melt and burn.
  • Use Ember and flame resistant vents (WUI vents).

 

Eaves and Soffits

Eaves should be boxed in (soffited-eave design) and protected with ignition-resistant* or noncombustible materials.

 

 

 

Windows

Heat from a wildfire can cause windows to break even before the structure is on fire. This allows burning embers to enter and start fires inside. Single-paned and large windows are particularly vulnerable.

  • Install dual-paned windows with one pane of tempered glass to reduce the chance of breakage in a fire.
  • Consider limiting the size and number of windows that face large areas of vegetation.
  • Install screens in all usable windows to increase ember resistance and decrease radiant heat exposure.

 

Walls

Wood products, such as boards, panels or shingles, are common siding materials. However, they are flammable and not good choices for fire-prone areas. 

  • Build or remodel your walls with ignition resistant* building materials, such as stucco, fiber cement wall siding, fire retardant, treated wood, or other approved materials. This is especially important when neighboring structures are within 30-feet of the cabin. 
  • Be sure to extend materials from the foundation to the roof. 
  • Smaller spaces, such as the roof-to-wall area, should have their siding replaced with a noncombustible material.

Decks

Surfaces within 10 feet of the building should be built with ignition-resistant*, noncombustible, or other approved materials.

  • Create an ember-resistant zone around and under all decks and make sure that all combustible items are removed from underneath your deck.
  • If a deck overhangs a slope, create and maintain defensible space downslope from the deck to reduce the chances of flames reaching the underside of the deck.

Rain Gutters

Keep rain gutters clear or enclose rain gutters to prevent accumulation of plant debris.

  • Install a corrosion-resistant and noncombustible metal drip edge for additional protection of the combustible components on your roof’s edge. 
  • Use a noncombustible gutter cover to prevent buildup of debris and vegetation in the gutter.

Patio Cover

Use the same ignition-resistant* materials for patio coverings as a roof.

 

Chimney

Cover your chimney and stovepipe outlets with a non-flammable screen. Use metal screen material with openings no smaller than 3/8-inch and no larger than 1/2-inch to prevent embers from escaping and igniting a fire.

Close the fireplace flue during fire season when the chimney is not being used.

 

Garage

Have a fire extinguisher and tools such as a shovel, rake, bucket, and hose readily available for fire emergencies.

    • Add a battery back-up or manual release to the garage door motor so that the garage can easily be operated if power is out.
    • Install weather stripping around and under the garage door to prevent embers from blowing in.
    • Store all combustible and flammable liquids away from ignition sources.
    • Treat windows and vents in the garage the same way as if it was a part of the house.

Fences

Best practice is to separate your fence from your cabin or upgrade the last 5-feet of the fence to a noncombustible material to reduce the chance of the fence from bringing fire to your cabin.

 

 

Driveways and Access Roads

Driveways should be built and maintained in accordance with state and local codes to allow fire and emergency vehicles to reach your cabin. Consider maintaining access roads with a minimum of 10 feet of clearance on either side, allowing for two-way traffic.

  • Ensure that all gates open inward and are wide enough to accommodate emergency equipment.
  • Trim trees and shrubs overhanging the road to allow emergency vehicles to pass.

Address

Make sure your address is clearly visible from the road.

 

 

Water Supply

Consider having multiple garden hoses that are long enough to reach all areas of your home and other structures on your property. If you have a pool or well, consider getting a pump.

 

 

*Ignition-resistant building materials are those that resist ignition or sustained burning when exposed to embers and small flames from wildfires. Examples of ignition-resistant materials include “noncombustible materials” that don’t burn, exterior grade fire-retardant-treated wood lumber, fire-retardant-treated wood shakes and shingles listed by the State Fire Marshal (SFM) and any material that has been tested in accordance with SFM Standard 12-7A-5.

 

FIRE SMART LANDSCAPING

A fire smart landscape isn’t necessarily the same thing as a well-maintained yard. This type of landscape uses fire-resistant plants that are strategically planted to resist the spread of fire to your home. Fire resistant plants are great in California because they are often drought tolerant, too.

 

 

The good news is you don’t need a lot of money to make your landscape fire smart. And you will find that a fire smart landscape can increase your property value and conserve water while beautifying your home.

 

Check your local nursery, landscape contractor or contact OFS for advice on fire-resistant plants that are suited for your area.

 

 

 

Are there firesafe plants?

While some plants are marketed and described as “firesafe” or “fire resistant”, all plants will burn under the right conditions, regardless of how they are classified. The environment plants grow in and how it’s maintained will generally have more influence on the flammability of the plant than how it is characterized. For example, a plant with a good water supply could have a greater growth form and hold leaves longer, whereas a plant in a stressed or droughty situation may have stunted growth and accumulated dead materials. This can create a situation where the same species may be fire resistant in one environment and flammable in another.

 

 

 

Some plants, such as a lavender, may initially have lush growth and then several years later the growth may be woody and choked with dead materials. Other plants may develop a dead thatch layer, under a green surface, that is highly combustible. Regardless of plant type, ensure you follow the minimum vertical clearance model depicted below.

 

 

 

 

Plant lists

Be cautious of the claims of plants with a “firesafe” label. Years of plant testing studies and determined that across the board there is “no consistent standardized plant flammability testing or criteria for rating.”

 

 

There are problems with definitions, types of testing, confusion between common and species names, consistency of plant care, and lack of testing across regions and climate areas. As a result, it is better to focus on characteristics of the desired plant and the location where the plant will be placed over a theoretical fire-resistant rating.

 

Characteristics and basic properties

 

Landscaping practices (or the pruning, maintenance, and cleanup) can have a greater impact on whether a plant ignites than does the type of plant it is. When bringing a fire-resistant framework to plant selection, consider whether the plant has a higher moisture content in the leaves (as these leaves will be less likely to ignite).

  • Does the plant contain a lot of waxes, oils, and resins?
  • Does the plant have an open-growth structure?
  • How fast does the plant grow?
  • How tall will the plant grow?
  • Does the plant shed bark?

Depending on where you want to locate the plant, a plant with more waxes, oils, and resins is likely to be more flammable and release more heat energy when it burns. A densely structured plant can capture embers and may be more likely to ignite.

A plant that sheds bark or branches is likely to need more regular maintenance-related cleanup to reduce fuel accumulations at its base. A plant that has a big leaf or needle drop will result in the need for more maintenance-related cleanup to manage in your Defensible Space and on your roof or in your gutters.

 

 

A plant that grows quickly may exceed your expectations and challenge Defensible Space goals. Native plants, pollinator friendly, or drought-tolerant plants can be good choices for those labelled qualities, but they may or may not be any more fire-resistant than any other plant.

 

Plant Placement

 

 

Placement is the most important criteria when it comes to fire-resistant plant selection. Keep in mind that vegetation that touches your home’s siding, is in front of windows, under eaves and vents, and/or under or near a deck will increase the likelihood that a home will be destroyed during a wildfire. Through the incorporation of best management practices within 0-5 feet of a structure, eliminating combustible vegetation and other combustible materials, reduces the potential that an ember can ignite a plant and reduces the potential for direct flame contact to your house to occur. By following the ideas in Zone One (0-30’ from the structure), where landscaping is separated into islands of vegetation and the continuity of plants is separated, the odds increase for home survival from direct flame exposure. 

 

Learn more about the different Defensible Space Zones.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

Vegetation maintenance

From a fire resilience perspective, vegetation management consists of good water management practices, appropriate fertilization, and a regular practice of plant pruning and cleanup. Regular watering, pruning, and cleanup increases plant health, making them more resistant to wildfire. Drip irrigation can be helpful as is mulch for water conservation. Unfortunately, combustible mulches near the home create an additional fire risk (Quarles and Smith, 2008). Eliminate combustible mulches within 0-5 feet from the structure and recognize that from 5-30 feet, combustible mulch can burn and emit embers. Rock mulch will have greater fire resistance. Compost that is mixed into the earth around plants, has a lower combustibility or low combustible rating and are a better alternative to combustible mulches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pruning at Planting

Tree Training Cue Card

 

 

Shade Trees

Trees have many great qualities including their ability to absorb solar radiation and provide shade. Unfortunately, a tree that is overhanging a home can cause physical damage to the house from branches rubbing on the roof or walls, or more importantly from a fire perspective, trees can drop leaves and needles on the roof, in gutters, or on decks and surrounding landscape. From a fire perspective, it is recommended to remove trees or branches that overhang any roof or deck. A healthy and lush green tree canopy itself is not necessary immediately flammable or receptive to embers. To maintain the benefits of the shade tree while simultaneously increasing fire safety, move trees 5 feet away, prune the lower limbs, and eliminate vegetation, vines, and other dead fuels that would allow for fire to move from the ground to the crown of the tree. If a tree is diseased or showing signs of decline, consider its removal or replacement. 

 

 

 

 

 

Bethke, J., Bell, C., Gonzales, J., Lima, L., Long, A., and MacDonald, C. 2016. UCCE San Diego. Research Literature Review of Plant Flammability Testing, Fire-Resistant Plant Lists and Relevance of a Plant Flammability Key for Ornamental Landscape Plants in the Western States. https://ucanr.edu/sites/SaratogaHort/files/235710.pdf

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