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Wildfire Emergency Preparedness
In California, it’s not a matter of if a wildfire will occur, but when. We encourage you to take proactive steps – many that are simple and free of cost – to protect yourself, your family and your home from wildfires. Here’s what you can do.
Wildfire Safety begins at home
When we take the necessary precautions, our homes have a better chance of withstanding a wildfire. This starts by maintaining a home with wildfire safety in mind, especially if you live in a high-risk wildfire zone.
Increase your home's defenses
Flying embers from a wildfire can threaten homes up to a mile away. Taking the necessary measures to increase your home's defenses can help improve its chances of it withstanding a wildfire.
Six ways you can help make your home more fire-resistant:
- Consider building your roof or re-roof with stone, slate, metal, clay tiles or asphalt shingles, which offer the highest resistance to fire.
- Cover all vent openings with 1/16-inch to 1/8-inch metal screening, as flying embers can enter your house through vents.
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If possible, windows should be double-paneled with one pane of tempered glass to reduce the chance of breakage in a fire, especially if they face large areas of vegetation.
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Keep rain gutters clear or enclose rain gutters to prevent the accumulation of plant debris.
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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.
Create a defensible space
A defensible space is the area around your home where vegetation is maintained and cleared to reduce the spread of wildfire to and from your property.
Additional things you can do:
- Have a fire extinguisher and tools such as a shovel, rake, bucket, and hose available for fire emergencies.
- Store all combustible and flammable liquids away from ignition sources.
- Make sure your address is clearly visible from the road.
- Consider having multiple garden hoses that are long enough to reach all areas of your home and other structures on your property.
- Consider maintaining access roads to your home 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 fire and emergency vehicles.
