Are you ready for a wildfire? Smart ways to protect your home

The news brings us new wildfire reports every week. Across North America, millions of acres are decimated by fire every year. The National Interagency Fire Center keeps the current statistics, which are not pretty. As of August 9th, nine wildfires are burning in Arizona alone.

Over the years in Arizona, we have seen devastating fires. We need to take a moment here and remember the 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots who lost their lives fighting to protect the town of Yarnell from being overrun in 2021. The event was a monumental tragedy in Arizona history, one we should never forget.

Let’s look at the steps each of us can take to minimize damage from wildfires in our own space. We asked Bill Cary, a Property Risk Control Engineer, to help us spread this information.

The susceptibility of our homes to wildfire depends on where we live. Most urban areas are less prone to wildfire than suburban and rural households. Nevertheless, every home in Arizona can benefit from Bill’s recommendations. Several communities across Arizona have become fire wise as designated by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

Prepare your home for wildfires

First, create defensible space. The recommendations for defensible spaces are broken down into zones. The idea is to create areas that do not fuel a fire.

Zone 0. 0 to 5-ft.

• Hardscape: The Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) strongly recommends that the ground in this zone be hardscaped. Hardscaping includes features like patios, walkways, retaining walls, decks, driveways, etc.
• No combustibles: Any gate or fence attached to your house should be made of metal for the first 5 feet. Cut back tree branches so they do not touch your home or overhang on your roof. Other things that should not be in this zone are sheds, trash cans, parked cars, or anything that can burn.
• Maintain great housekeeping: Do not let leaves, pine needles, trash, dead limbs, debris, or anything that will burn within 5 feet of the foundation, under decks, in gutters, roof valleys, etc.

Zone 1. 5-ft to 30-ft.

• Trees should be trimmed to maintain a separation of 10′ between them, and the lowest branches should be 6′ from the ground. Shrubs can be in clusters of three, and those clusters should be 10′ apart as well. Don’t keep piles of wood in this zone.

Zone 2. 30-ft to 100-ft.

• Keep grasses trimmed to 4″ or less. If you have a propane tank or shed, keep the area around them clear for at least 10′. If you extend this Zone out to 300′ from your home, you may qualify for a discount from your insurance company.
• Protect roof and wall vents: Retrofit roof and crawl space vents with 1/8″ wire fabric to prevent flying embers from entering. Caution: The dryer vent and chimney must not be covered.
• Protect your deck: Construct first-floor and at-grade decks or porches using a non- or low-combustible composite or aluminum walking surface. Support the deck with a galvanized metal/steel frame and steel/concrete support posts with stone beneath. There are also recommendations for large timber construction. Skirting around the deck structure should be noncombustible.
• Roofing Material: Install Class A Roofing materials like shingles, tile, and slate as these materials are not likely to ignite from embers landing on them. Also, using metal gutters and downspouts and enclosed undersides of soffits with a noncombustible material reduces the availability of fuel for the fire.

More ways to prepare your home for wildfires

If you are building a new home or planning to buy an existing home, here are a few things to consider.

• Exterior siding should be fireproof, such as stucco or a cementitious plank that resembles wood siding.
• Windows should be double-paned to help stop heat transfer, and the frame should be made of high-melting-point fiberglass or aluminum. Many instances have occurred where the frame melts, the glass falls out, and fire enters the home.

Wildfires are devastating events. Preparing your home as best you might mean the difference between losing your property or not.