The unfortunate truth is that there is no one season that you could call wildfire season in California anymore. With increased wildfires in Southern California later and later in the year throughout the last decade, preventing wildfires is something that we all need to be hyper vigilant about throughout the entire year. Here are five wildfire safety tips for California and beyond, helping you practice wildfire safety wherever you go.
Remove combustibles from your property
Keeping combustible materials around your property can help spark a wildfire in the wrong situation. Remove things like old containers of propane, firewood, and anything that could catch fire or spark a flame from the outdoor section of your property. Clear any leaves from your gutter or below your deck to prevent dried out materials from piling up, which can only make a wildfire worse if one were to spark on your property.
Remove dead vegetation from around your property
If a tree on your property dies or a bush goes too long without being watered, it can pose a major risk to your property causing a wildfire. Maintain good landscaping maintenance by removing any dead vegetation from around your property, especially if it’s within 15 feet of your house. This will also make your yard look better, so there’s more than one benefit.
Maintain your lawn
The benefit of keeping your lawn lush and green is far greater than just having a nice lawn—though that is a plus. When your lawn becomes brown and dry it becomes a high risk area for a fire to break out, especially if the grass gets too long. If you don’t feel that you want to use the water to keep your lawn green, we recommend replacing dead grass with rock work or some other landscaping design to eliminate your need for consuming water while removing the risk of a wildfire.
Cover openings into your home’s ventilation or attic
The vents in your home can pose a risk to your home’s safety in the event of a wildfire if an ember were to fly into the vent and spark in your home. Protect your home from wildfire damage by covering vents and large openings with mesh, screens or wire to prevent this from happening.
Have a plan
You don’t want to be caught without a plan if you have to evacuate your home in a matter of hours. Having a plan set up in advance can save your life, and the lives of your loved ones when a wildfire or fire emergency happens. We recommend reading up on resources that help you prepare for a wildfire, and having a bag of emergency tools and necessities packed just in case you have to evacuate quickly.
