Protecting Your Home from Wildfire

Step 1: Choose a firewise location

First, before you buy land for a home, check with local officials to see what fire protection is available.

"A lot of people move into these areas," says Les Brooks, an Oregon firefighter, "and they assume that they have a fully paid fire department within three minutes' drive of their house, and the real estate agents don't tell them what the fire protection is. It's the last thing on their minds; the last consideration they give is what happens if I have a fire? What am I going to do?"

A fire chief had even stronger words: "In this particular part of the country many people have built in subdivisions that really don't have adequate planning from a fire safety point of view. And so we have areas where we are very concerned about putting firefighters in to save the houses. We really feel that if we do have a fire in some particular areas that we may just have to let the houses go because it would be a suicide mission to put our firemen in there to protect the houses. These are houses that don't have adequate water systems; they have long, narrow driveways, or less than 30 ft. of clearance exists around the structure; they have shake roofs and overhanging sides; they have big bay windows with nice trees growing up through the decks. And as far as we're concerned, these are areas that we are actually going to have to write off. We will not be able to save these houses."

2. Evaluate the site.

A level area is better than a sloped one. Ensure that emergency vehicles will have easy access.

A level site is safer than a sloped site. Keep in mind that some areas are less naturally fire safe than others. For instance, during a fire, narrow canyons become natural chimneys drawing in fire and accelerating its rate of spread.

Locate your home on the most level portion of your property. Fire spreads rapidly, even on minor slopes.

If you are building a home on top of a ridge, it's also very important to include an adequate setback---at least 30 feet for a single-story home, to prevent the house from being hit directly by flames and heat moving up the sides of the ridge.

Will emergency vehicles have easy access? Preconstruction planning shouldn't stop with your home itself. Consider that in the event of fire, firefighters need to be able to get to your site. You'll need two-way roads with parking lanes to allow fire trucks and emergency vehicles plenty of room to get in and out; and since these vehicles may have difficulty climbing steep roads, build your road with a slope of less than 12 feet per 100 feet.

Any bridges leading to your home should also be wide enough and strong enough to support firefighting vehicles. A 40,000-pound minimum is recommended, but check with fire officials about local requirements.

If your site has a cul-de-sac, make sure the radius is a minimum of 45 feet, wide enough for a fire truck to turn around without having to back up. Parking should not be allowed here. A loop or U-shaped driveway provides plenty of access for firefighting equipment and an alternate escape route for you.

If you have an entrance gate that is often kept locked, is it so strong that firefighters will not be able to break the lock and get to your home? If so, it would be a good idea to leave a key with the fire department for emergency use.

3. Don't forget to clearly mark your location so firefighters can find you.

Will firefighters be able to find you? Be sure to mark your location with a road name and house number clearly visible from the road so firefighters can find you.

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