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Emergency Wildfire Survival Checklist

Your house could be vulnerable to a wildfire because of its design, construction and location. If you are preparing to build, buy or remodel a house, you should know what to look for in a Firewise house. A few modifications to your construction plans can reduce the chance of your house catching on fire, or resist further damage if it does catch fire.

If you are building a new house, locate it at least 30 feet from the boundary of your lot. This will allow you to design your landscape with at least 30 feet of defensible space around the house. Avoid ridge tops, canyons and areas between high points on a ridge. These are extremely hazardous locations for houses and firefighters because they become natural chimneys, increasing the intensity of fire.

Build or reroof your home with noncombustible roofing materials. Roof eaves should be boxed or enclosed with fire resistant materials. Cover your chimeny outlet and stovepipe with a nonflammable screen that has a mesh no larger than 1/2-inch.

Building materials
Exterior construction materials such as brick and stucco resist fire much better than wood. If you have a wood exterior, it is especially important that you follow the Firewise practices outlined. Generally, thicker siding materials are more fire resistant.

Enclose the undersides of balconies and decks on slopes with fire resistive materials. If not enclosed, these areas can trap flames and burning embers that can ignite your home. Roof eaves extending beyond exterior walls are also susceptible to flame exposure, and should be limited in length, boxed or enclosed with fire resistant materials. Openings such as attic or ridge vents can allow easy entry of flaming embers and sparks. Cover all vents with a nonflammable 1/4-inch mesh screen.

Your roof is the most vulnerable part of your house, because it can easily catch fire from the windblown sparks of a wildfire. Therefore, the single most important step you can take to create a Firewise house is to build or reroof with fire resistive or noncombustible materials.

There are three classifications of fire resistive roofs: Class A offers the best protection; Class C is the minimum level required by law. Contact your local fire department for specific roofing guidelines in your area.

Limit the size and number of windows in your home that face large areas of vegetation. Even from a distance of 30 feet away, the heat from a wildfire may be enough to ignite the furnishings inside your house. Installing dual-paned windows and sliding glass doors can reduce the potential of breakage from windblown debris and reduce the amount of heat transmitted from the fire to the interior of your home.

Adapted from www.firesafecouncil.org