Protect Your Home from Wildfire
by Tony Swallow

“Sometimes in our zeal to protect nature, we can, in fact, create a more hazardous situation for our own existence within it.”

	Tony Swallow has worked in forestry, fire prevention and fire fighting for over 20 years. In 1989 while working for the U.S. Forest Service in Montana, he took leadership in developing a program of public information and cooperation in what is known as the residential/wildland interface in the Bitterroot Valley. Recognized as one of the fastest growing counties in Montana, the Bitterroot Valley is experiencing an explosion of new development, much of it adjacent to vast public wildlands. Tony is now Project Manager for the Ravalli County Residential/Wildland Interface Fire Task Force, a group comprised of local, state, and federal agencies and private interests addressing concerns surrounding these issues.

Building in a fire-prone area is not much different than building in a flood-prone area or an earthquake, hurricane or tornado zone. The possibilities for a disaster have to be considered and recommendations by knowledgeable professionals need to be followed.

It is important to recognize that humans are a part of the landscape. We have the ability to change the landscape and profoundly alter it. This not only occurs with residential development, but also with our utilization of the natural resources. Sometimes in our zeal to protect nature, we can, in fact, create a more hazardous situation for our own existence within it.

Fire in the landscape is something we are beginning to come to terms with. We are starting to recognize its natural role and see that it can never, nor really should, be eliminated entirely. Years of conventional wisdom taught us that fire was always bad and must be suppressed vigorously. Now, in many places, near total fire suppression has resulted in a buildup of fuels that can result in uncontrolably large and devastatingly destructive wildfires. In most of the areas we are now developing, the historic role of fire was a cycle of low-intensity burns that cleansed and renewed the landscape every few years, but didn’t kill the majority of trees. Fire was one of several agents of change that worked to make the forest what it was when the European settlers first came here. We can not rely on our ability to forever suppress this natural force, but we can learn to possibly withstand it.

	In an emergency, police and fire vehicles would have no access to a house at the end of this driveway.

When choosing a site for your home, do not forget to consider that, in the event of a crisis, emergency vehicles need to be able to get to you. This requires wide, well-constructed roads with sufficient turnarounds to prevent getting stuck off the road, and to allow simultaneous access by emergency vehicles and escape by local residents. Turns must be designed and hill grades established with truck traffic in mind. Narrow, private roads, while picturesque and inexpensive to build, reduce access and limit the ability of emergency vehicles to respond quickly. All developments should have more than one access route and emergency vehicles must be able to drive close to residences. Lastly, be sure to mark all roads and property with clearly visible reflective signs and numbers.

Whether you’re building a new home or retrofitting an existing one, you can work with building contractors, your architect, and fire protection agencies to create a design that is both aesthetically pleasing and fire safe. Some things to keep in mind are:

• Undereave vents should be located near the roof line rather than near the wall to prevent wildfire heat or flames from becoming entrapped. For the same reason, the eaves themselves should be boxed or designed with minimal overhang.
• Attic openings, soffit vents, foundation louvers, or other direct openings in outside walls, overhangs, or roofs should be no greater than 144 sq. in.
• Where practical, build all roofs with the minimum of a 4 in 12 pitch and avoid horizontal roofs.
• Minimize the size and number of windows especially on the downhill facing side. Also, windows should not face trees or shrubs that are closer that 30 feet away.

Wind-blown sparks can be a serious fire hazard. Always use non-combustible materials on your roof.

• Protect all exposed underside of all eaves, balconies and unenclosed roofs, decks, and floors with one hour fire-resistant materials.
• Protect all supporting beams and posts with one hour fire-resistant materials
• Cover all openings in outside walls, overhangs, or roofs with a 1/4-inch noncombustible, corrosion resistant metal mesh
• Screen chimneys, stovepipe or vents of any heater, stove, or fireplace with noncombustible wire mesh, Sparks can melt through plastic or nylon screening.
• Build outside walls out of one hour fire-resistant materials. Thick tempered safety glass for windows is the safest choice and the possibility of protecting windows and sliding glass doors with nonflammable shutters, balconies, or decks should be considered. Fire resistant drapes add extra protection inside.

This house is a fire waiting to happen: The chimney has no spark arrester; Brush has not been cleared around the structure; Trees are too close to the house; No screens are around the porch; The porch is on the downhill side of the home; The roof is covered with debris.

In most areas, a safety zone should be cleared away from your home for a distance of at least 30 feet. As the slope of the lot increases, additional clearance as far out as 100 feet may be necessary. Clearance also depends on vegetative conditions that provide ladder fuels enabling fire to climb into trees. Trees and shrubs are fine, as long as dead or low-hanging branches are removed and the height of ground vegetation is controlled. Beyond 100 feet from the house, dead wood and older trees should be removed or thinned.

Be sure to remove all tree limbs around your chimney, as well as any dead branches that may hang over the roof. Accumulated leaves, needles, and other dead vegetation should also be removed. Keep an eye on any limbs that may come in contact with power lines. If you’re not equipped to trim them yourself, call the power company or a tree service company for assistance.

The reduction of flammable vegetation and other hazards around buildings provides a “defensible space” for firefighters and residents. Other defensive measures suggested are:

• Attempt to space buildings at least 60 feet apart and at least 30 feet from the property line.
• Never build structures in forest fuels where the slope is greater than 30%, at a canyon mouth, on a ridge saddle, or in other areas of extreme fire hazard.
• Remember to sweep your gutters, eaves, and roof on a regular basis, especially during the hot, dry weather of the fire season. Tinder, dry needles and leaves are a fire waiting to happen.
• Stack your fire wood well away from anything that’s combustible, including fences, outbuildings and your home.
• Install as many smoke detectors as local regulations require and ask your fire officials to help you plan and rehearse a home fire escape drill.
• Have at least two ground level doors as safety exits in case of fire, and each room should have least two means of escape, including a door and a window, leading to the outside. This is especially true in bedrooms.

	Open landscaping, cleared of debris, can reduce the fire load around the home.

If you do all these things, especially clearing the safety zone around your house and building a fire safe roof, you have an excellent chance of protecting your home and family against wild fire. This is a beautiful country. It’s a privilege and a pleasure to live here. And with that comes the responsibility not only to protect your own property and the safety of your neighbors, but to preserve the resources, wildlife, and natural beauty that belong to everyone. If you have any questions, contact your local fire department, wildland fire agency, or state forester.

If you live in an interface area, it’s not a question of IF, but WHEN a wildfire will threaten your home. The best defense is the work that has been done beforehand. Complacency is the biggest danger. It is much better to be prepared today, and enjoy your home in the future, than to ignore the possibility of wildfire and have to recover from a disaster later. Individuals and their neighbors have to make their own best decisions in weighing the tradeoffs between safety and other values. Your efforts DO make a difference.