It is “wildfire awareness week” May 4 through May 10 and, according to a release from the Bureau of Land Management, Californians are reminded to “take responsibility” for creating and maintaining 100 feet of clean, open space around their homes to reduce fire danger and the risk of spreading fires.
The Bureau of Land Management and the California Fire Alliance recently launched the “Take Responsibility” campaign in order to raise awareness among homeowners who live in the wildland urban interface about the importance of creating and maintaining defensible space around their homes, according to the statement.
Nearly 41 percent of homes in California are situated in wildland urban interface zones putting 3.2 million homes at potential risk from wildfires, according to a Government Accountability Office report. This is due to an increase in housing development across the state.
To be prepared for a fire season like 2007 – a season that saw 1.6 million acres burned, more than 8,000 individual fires and 3,830 structures burned – the Bureau of Land Management has put together five tips on how to prepare your house for the fire season.
Five ways to create an effective defensible space around your house:
– Clean dead brush out of a 100 foot area surrounding your house. Dead shrubs, dried grass, fallen branches and dried leaves are all included.
– Maintain shrubs and plants by trimming and separating them to stop fires from spreading.
– Take out plants that could act as a ladder for fires. Plants would include plants, shrubs and low branches that could allow fire to spread onto trees.
– At the base of the house, create a five foot area by using fire resistant plants or materials like rock or gravel.
– Maintain the open space around your home regularly.
For more information on defensible space, go to the California Fire Alliance’s Web site at www.CAFireAlliance.com.
