Over the past year, devastating wildfires have ravaged the United States. The 2018 wildfires in California lead to the most destructive and deadly wildfire season on record in the state, as 8,527 fires burned 1,893,913 acres of land. And this land scorched by fire wasn’t just empty fields and forests: homes, businesses, and in some cases entire cities were erased by these massive fires, often with homeowners forced to evacuate in a moment’s notice.
Here at FireAvert, we’re doing all we can to help protect your homes and businesses through the prevention of kitchen fires. While our product has been successful in keeping these fires from occurring and damaging homes, the prevention of wildfires is a much more difficult, near-impossible task to accomplish. We hope that you and your families will never have to experience the destruction and terror of a wildfire, but like with any other natural disaster that could come your way, it is best to be prepared before an evacuation order is put into effect. Below are some tips you may want to consider as you plan for your response to the threat of a wildfire in your community:
The NFPA reports that “research around home destruction vs. home survival in wildfires point to embers and small flames as the main way that the majority of homes ignite in wildfires”. To decrease your home’s risk of catching fire, try to reduce and remove any potential fuels surrounding your home, including roof and gutter debris, piles of firewood, and dead trees and plants.
If you are planning to build a home, you may want to consider using noncombustible and fire/ember-ignition resistant building materials and installation design details in your plans.
An exterior sprinkler system can potentially protect your home and help it survive a wildfire by wetting the property surrounding it.
Put an evacuation plan in place for your household, including the options for evacuation routes depending on if roads become blocked or closed, how you’ll contact members of your household in case you get separated, and where you’ll go to reach safety. Every few months review your plans together so everyone knows what to do.
Put important documents and valuable items (including medications) in a place where they can be easily gathered in the event of an evacuation order.
Create emergency supply kits with enough items for every member of your household and store them in both your vehicles and homes.
For more information and tips about protecting your homes from wildfires and being prepared to respond to the threat of a wildfire in your community, check out the NFPA’s great resources on their website here.