Wildfires		Page Contents Tips for Minimizing Risk Wildfire Warning: Things to do IF You Have Time After a Wildfire Wildfire Resources Also see: Fire Safety for the Studio

We tend to think of wildfires as something that affects the Western States, wildfires can, and do, strike in any part of the country.  Many artists live in idylic rural settings that, when conditions are dry, present a danger from wildfires.  And even if you live in an area that is not particularly prone to wildfires, and in a more urban setting, a fire in an adjacent building can present many of the same risks.

Here are some tips on minimizing your risks from wildfires: 

• Determine Your Risk

  • Find out about history of wildfires in your area

  • A drought or long period without rain increases risk of wildfire

  • Is your property clearly marked and accessible to firefighting equipment?

• Practice Fire Safety

  • Do not build fires near buildings or combustible structures

  • Do not build fires during dry periods

  • Do not leave a fire, even a lit cigarette, unattended

  • Always have a means to extinguish a fire quickly and completely

  • Store combustible liquids in approved safety containers away from building

  • Grill carefully and avoid using grill at high-risk times. Keep gas grill and propane bottles at least 15 feet from building

• Create fire defense zones to keep a fire from spreading to your business or home.

  • Remove combustible objects and materials within 30 feet from the structure

    • Use noncombustible materials such as rock mulch, brick, concrete in this area - avoid combustible mulches like wood chips in this area

    • Select and maintain plantings in this area carefully so you do not create a path for fire

  • Create a buffer zone within 100 feet (or greater-especially if on a slope) of structure

    • Remove dead branches and vegetationThin trees and plantings to keep fire from spreading from tree to tree

    • Keep combustible structures such as fences and trellises away from building  

• Roofs

  • Look for areas that can accumulate vegetative debris that could ignite. Especially vulnerable are areas where there is an adjacent combustible surface such as where wooden siding intersects a roofline, or debris in gutters that could ignite fascia. Keep roofs and gutters clear of debris, and look into ways to protect vulnerable areas

  • Roof vents or other openings where embers could lodge are also a place where fire can enter the structure

  • Determine your roof risk. Roofing systems are rated A, B, C or unrated, with A being the most fire resistant. Your local fire department can help you determine the rating of your current roof. If you are replacing a roof soon, investigate options to upgrade to Class A

• Windows and Doors

  • Keep windows and doors closed if you are near a wildfire

  • Dual pane windows of tempered glass provide greater resistance to shattering from heat than single-pane windows

  • Metal mesh window screens provide some degree of protection to glass and can prevent embers, but not flames, from entering

• Vents

  • Foundation, gable, soffit, and gable vents provide a point of entry for fire and embers, especially if vegetative debris can collect at these points. Combustible materials inside the structure can ignite and burn the building from the inside out

  • Install 1/8' metal mesh screens over vents and keep free of debris

  • Make vent covers in advance from 1/2" plywood or thin metal plate, so they can be installed quickly if a wildfire threatens

  • If replacing vents, consider vents that meet new California fire codes

• Decks, Patios and Porches

  • Are these constructed of wood or other combustible materials? If building consider materials that have been treated for fire resistance

  • Avoid storing combustible materials on or under deck

  • Consider enclosing the structure with fire resistant siding

  • Manage vegetation at perimeter of deck to minimize the risk of combustion

• Chimneys

  • Install spark-arresting caps on fireplace and woodstove chimneys