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Practice
Wildfire Safety
-People start most wildfires . . . find out how you can promote
and practice wildfire safety.
-Contact your local fire department, health department, or forestry
office for information on fire laws. Make sure that fire vehicles
can get to your home. Clearly mark all driveway entrances and display
your name and address.
-Report hazardous conditions that could cause a wildfire.
-Teach children about fire safety. Keep matches out of their reach.
-Post fire emergency telephone numbers.
-Plan several escape routes away from your home by car and by foot.
-Talk to your neighbors about wildfire safety. Plan how the neighborhood
could work together after a wildfire.
-Make a list of your neighbors' skills, such as medical or technical.
Consider how you could help neighbors who have special needs,
such as elderly or disabled persons. Make plans to take care
of children who may be on their own if parents can't get home.
Protect Your Home
-Regularly clean roof and gutters.
-Inspect chimneys at least twice a year. Clean them at least once
a year. Keep the dampers in good working order. Equip chimneys and
stovepipes with a spark arrester that meets the requirements
of National Fire-Protection Association Code 211. (Contact your local
fire department for exact specifications.)
-Use 1/2-inch mesh screen beneath porches, decks, floor areas, and
the home itself. Also, screen openings to floors, roof,
and attic.
-Install a smoke detector on each level of your home, especially near
bedrooms; test monthly and change the batteries at least once
each year.
-Teach each family member how to use the fire extinguisher (ABC type)
and show them where it's kept.
-Keep a ladder that will reach the roof.
-Consider installing protective shutters or heavy fire-resistant drapes.
-Keep handy household items that can be used as fire tools:
a rake, axe, handsaw or chainsaw, bucket, and shovel.
Before Wildfire Threatens
-Design and landscape your home with wildfire safety in mind.
-Select materials and plants that can help contain fire rather than
fuel it.
-Use fire resistant or non-combustible materials on the roof and exterior
structure of the dwelling. Or treat wood or combustible material used
in roofs, siding, decking, or trim with UL-approved fire-retardant chemicals.
-Plant fire-resistant shrubs and trees. For example, hardwood trees
are less flammable than pine, evergreen, eucalyptus or fir trees.
-Create a 30- to 1OO-Foot Safety Zone Around Your Home.
-Within this area, you can take steps to reduce potential exposure
to flames and radiant heat. Homes built in pine forests should
have a minimum safety zone of 100 feet. If your home sits on
a steep slope, standard protective measures may not suffice.
Contact your local fire department or forestry of fice for additional information.
-Rake leaves, dead limbs, and twigs. Clear all flammable vegetation.
-Remove leaves and rubbish from under structures and dispose of them
properly.
-Thin a 15-foot space between tree crowns, and remove limbs within
15 feet of the ground.
-Remove dead branches that extend over the roof.
-Prune tree branches and shrubs within 15 feet of a stovepipe or chimney
outlet.
-Ask the power company to clear branches from powerlines.
-Remove vines from the walls of the home.
-Mow grass regularly.
-Clear a 10-foot area around propane tanks and the barbecue. Place
a screen over the grill-use non-flammable material with mesh no coarser
than one-quarter inch.
-Regularly dispose of newspapers and rubbish at an approved site.
Follow local burning regulations.
-Place stove, fireplace, and grill ashes in a metal bucket, soak in
water for two days, then bury the cold ashes in mineral
soil.
-Store gasoline, oily rags, and other flammable materials in approved
safety cans. Place cans in a safe location away from the
base of buildings.
-Stack firewood at least 100 feet away and uphill from your home.
Clear combustible material within 20 feet.
-Use only UL-approved woodburning devices.
Plan Your Water Needs
-Identify and maintain an adequate outside water source such as
a small pond, cistern, well, swimming pool, or hydrant.
-Have a garden hose that is long enough to reach any area of the home
and other structures on the property.
-Install freeze-proof exterior water outlets on at least two sides
of the home and near other structures on the property. Install
additional outlets at least 50 feet from the home.
-Consider obtaining a portable gasoline-powered pump in case electrical
power is cut off.
When Wildfire Threatens
-If you are warned that a wildfire is threatening your area, listen
to your battery-operated radio for reports and evacuation information.
Follow the instructions of local officials.
-Back your car into the garage or park it in an open space facing
the direction of escape. Shut doors and roll up windows. Leave
the key in the ignition. Close garage windows and doors, but
leave them unlocked.
-Disconnect automatic garage door openers.
-Confine pets to one room. Make plans to care for your pets in case
you must evacuate.
-Arrange temporary housing at a friend or relative's home outside
the threatened area.
If Advised to Evacuate, Do So Immediately
-Wear protective clothing--sturdy shoes, cotton or woolen clothing,
long pants, a
long-sleeved shirt, gloves, and a handkerchief
to protect your face.
-Take your Disaster Supplies Kit.
-Lock your home.
-Tell someone when you left and where you are going.
-Choose a route away from fire hazards. Watch for changes in the speed
and direction of fire and smoke.
Next
Page
All
information obtained from the American
Red Cross |
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