May 7th marked the beginning of fire season with our first Red Flag Warning for the East Bay area. That means it’s time again to pack go bags, make emergency plans, and get ready for all the impending power outages, but have you taken the steps to harden your home?

 

“Hardening your home” means improving the chance your home will withstand natural disasters. In this case - it’s a wildfire.

 

There are a number of ways that your home can be exposed to a wildfire, from direct flame, to radiant heat from nearby burning plants, to flying embers. Wildfire embers are the largest threat to your home since they can be blown up to a mile away and ignite a new area, spreading the blaze within the blink of an eye.

 

It’s nearly impossible to make your home entirely fireproof, but what can you do to make your home more resistant to fire?

 

• Replace your roof if it’s made from wood or shingle with Class A materials such as asphalt, clay, metal or slate (or consider a repair if replacement isn’t warranted)

• Ensure your rain gutters aren’t collecting flammable materials - consider screening or enclosing gutters and cleaning regularly, especially during fire season

• Apply ignition-resistant or non-combustible materials such as exterior-grade fire-retardant-treated wood lumber or fire-retardant-treated wood shakes and shingles, on the patio coverings, decks, fences, eaves, soffits and outer walls of your home

• Cover vents with 1/8" to 1/4” metal mesh to avoid embers entering your home

• Install 3/8" to 1/2” metal mesh over chimneys and stove pipe outlets

• Keep dog/cat doors closed during fire season and make sure they are properly sealed

• Use weather stripping to cover gaps around your garage doors

• Replace single pane windows with dual-pane windows to reduce the chance of your windows shattering from the heat of a wildfire

• Make sure items within 5’ of your home are fire-resistant

• Place flammable materials as far from the home as possible

• Replace flammable landscaping with non-flammable alternatives (organic mulch, succulents, stone walkways, etc.); adding a stone walkway from your home to 30 ft can be a fire break should a fire come close

• Leave hoses around your property that can reach every possible area of your home

• Trim trees or shrubs that are over your driveway so emergency vehicles can get to your home

This phrase has been somewhat exhausted over the past year, but it’s true that “we are all in this together.” If a neighbor’s home goes up in flames due to the lack of fire-resistant efforts, it could put the whole neighborhood at risk. Encourage neighbors to harden their homes, and stock up on fire extinguishers, shovels, rakes or buckets to help combat any small fires before they grow and spread.

 

We can’t control when or where wildfires begin, but you can take the steps to increase the likelihood of your home being fire-resistant. Reach out to us if you need any recommendations to make this possible. Let’s all stay safe this season!