Defensible Space

Fire Safe Landscaping

Building Materials

Street Signs and Addresses

Access to Your House

Emergency Water Supply

Smoke Detectors

Portable Fire Extinguishers

Home Sprinkler Systems

Plan Your Escape

Emergency Wildfire Survival Checklist

The first few minutes of a fire are the most critical for saving your home when threatened by wildfire. Firefighting personnel must be able to immediately locate and safely travel to your home to have a chance to protect it.

Street signs and house addresses must be clearly posted, and roads must be able to accomodate busy traffic. At the same time fire engines and other emergency equipment are trying to drive into your area, you must be able to escape in your car with your family and valuable possessions. Make sure your address is clearly posted on your house and at the entrance of your driveway. Remove pine needles, leaves or other debris from the roof of any structure on your property.

Access to Your House
Even if your street and house are clearly identified for firefighters, precious time can be lost if firefighters have difficulty getting to your house. Narrow roads, dead end streets, steep driveways and weak bridges can delay firefighters, or prevent them from arriving at all. Remember, firefighting equipment is much larger and heavier than your family car or truck.

Single lane roads of driveways should have turnarounds with enough space to allow a fire engine and car to pass. Every dead end street or long driveway should have a turnaround area designed as either a "T" or a circle large enough to allow fire equipment to turn around. Single-lane one way roads and driveways should have turnarounds constructed within sight of each other or at regular distances apart.

Road and street systems must be planned and designed to provide safe emergency evacuation and fire department access. A minimum of two primary access roads should be designed into every subdivision and development.

All private and public streets should be designed and constructed to provide two traffic lanes, each a minimum of nine feet in width, which is just enough space for a fire engine and car to pass each other. Curves and intersections should also be wide enough to allow large fire equipment easy passage and ability to turn.

You can also improve your chances for safety by clearing away flammable vegetation at least 10 feet from all roads and at least five feet from driveways. If possible, cut back and prune vegetation even more than these distances, and make sure that trees and shrubs are widely spaced. Also, cut back any overhanging tree branches above the road. This will provide yourself, evacuating neighbors and arriving firefighters with even greater protection.

Adapted from www.firesafecouncil.org