<p>The threat of wildland fires is real.
Dry conditions at various times of the year and in various parts of the
United States greatly increase the potential for wildland fires.</p><p>Advance planning and knowing how to protect
buildings in these areas can lessen the devastation of a wildland fire.
There are several safety precautions that you can take to reduce the
risk of fire losses. Protecting your home from wildfire is your responsibility.
To reduce the risk, you'll need to consider the fire resistance of your
home, the topography of your property and the nature of the vegetation
close by.</p><h1><strong>Prepare for a Wildfire</strong></h1><p>Listed here are several suggestions that
you can implement immediately. Others need to be considered at the time
of construction or remodeling. You should also contact your local fire
department, forestry office, or building department for information
about local fire laws, building codes and protection measures. Obtain
local building codes and weed abatement ordinances for structures built
near wooded areas.</p><h2><a name="0.10_01000001"></a><strong><em>Find Out What Your
Fire Risk Is</em></strong></h2><p>Learn about the history of wildfire in
your area. Be aware of recent weather. A long period without rain increases
the risk of wildfire. Consider having a professional inspect your property
and offer recommendations for reducing the wildfire risk. Determine
your community's ability to respond to wildfire. Are roads leading to
your property clearly marked? Are the roads wide enough to allow firefighting
equipment to get through? Is your house number visible from the roadside?</p><p><strong><em>Learn and teach safe fire practices</em></strong></p><ul><li>Build fires away from nearby
trees or bushes. </li><li>Always have a way to extinguish
the fire quickly and completely. </li><li>Install smoke detectors on
every level of your home and near sleeping areas. </li><li>Never leave a fire--even a
cigarette--burning unattended. </li><li>Avoid open burning completely,
and especially during dry season. </li></ul><p><strong><em>Always be ready for an emergency
evacuation</em></strong></p><p>Evacuation may be the only way to protect
your family in a wildfire. Know where to go and what to bring with you.
You should plan several escape routes in case roads are blocked by a
wildfire.</p><h2><a name="0.10_01000002"></a><strong><em>Create Safety Zones
Around Your Home</em></strong></h2><p>All vegetation is fuel for a wildfire,
though some trees and shrubs are more flammable than others. To reduce
the risk, you will need to modify or eliminate brush, trees and other
vegetation near your home. The greater the distance is between your
home and the vegetation, the greater the protection.</p><p><strong>Create a 30-foot safety zone around
the house. </strong>Keep the volume of vegetation in this zone to a minimum. If you
live on a hill, extend the zone on the downhill side. Fire spreads rapidly
uphill. The steeper the slope, the more open space you will need to
protect your home. Swimming pools and patios can be a safety zone and
stone walls can act as heat shields and deflect flames. In this zone,
you should also do the following:</p><ul><li>Remove vines from the walls
of the house. </li><li>Move shrubs and other landscaping
away from the sides of the house. </li><li>Prune branches and shrubs
within 15 feet of chimneys and stove pipes. </li><li>Remove tree limbs within 15
feet of the ground. </li><li>Thin a 15-foot space between
tree crowns. </li><li>Replace highly flammable vegetation
such as pine, eucalyptus, junipers and fir trees with lower growing,
less flammable species. Check with your local fire department or garden
store for suggestions. </li><li>Replace vegetation that has
living or dead branches from the ground-level up (these act as ladder
fuels for the approaching fire). </li><li>Cut the lawn often keeping
the grass at a maximum of 2 inches. Watch grass and other vegetation
near the driveway, a source of ignition from automobile exhaust systems. </li><li>Clear the area of leaves,
brush, evergreen cones, dead limbs and fallen trees. </li></ul><p><strong>Create a second zone at least 100
feet around the house. </strong>This zone should begin about 30 feet from the house and extend to
at least 100 feet. In this zone, reduce or replace as much of the most
flammable vegetation as possible. If you live on a hill, you may need
to extend the zone for several hundred feet to provide the desired level
of safety.</p><p><strong>Clear all combustibles within 30 feet
of any structure.</strong></p><ul><li>Install electrical lines underground,
if possible </li><li>Ask the power company to clear
branches from power lines. </li><li>Avoid using bark and wood
chip mulch </li><li>Stack firewood 100 feet away
and uphill from any structure. </li><li>Store combustible or flammable
materials in approved safety containers and keep them away from the
house. </li><li>Keep the gas grill and propane
tank at least 15 feet from any structure. Clear an area 15 feet around
the grill. Place a 1/4 inch mesh screen over the grill. Always use the
grill cautiously but refrain from using it all during high risk times. </li></ul><h2><a name="0.10_01000003"></a><strong><em>Protect Your Home</em></strong></h2><p><strong>Remove debris from under sun decks
and porches. </strong>Any porch, balcony or overhang with exposed space underneath is
fuel for an approaching fire. Overhangs ignite easily by flying embers
and by the heat and fire that get trapped underneath. If vegetation
is allowed to grow underneath or if the space is used for storage, the
hazard is increased significantly. Clear leaves, trash and other combustible
materials away from underneath sun decks and porches. Extend 1/2-inch
mesh screen from all overhangs down to the ground. Enclose wooden stilts
with non-combustible material such as concrete, brick, rock, stucco
or metal. Use non-combustible patio furniture and covers. If you're
planning a porch or sun deck, use non-combustible or fire-resistant
materials. If possible, build the structure to the ground so that there
is no space underneath.</p><p><strong>Enclose eaves and overhangs. </strong>Like porches and balconies, eaves trap the heat rising along the
exterior siding. Enclose all eaves to reduce the hazard.</p><p><strong>Cover house vents with wire mesh. </strong>Any attic vent, soffit vent, louver or other opening can allow embers
and flaming debris to enter a home and ignite it. Cover all openings
with 1/4 inch or smaller corrosion-resistant wire mesh. If you're designing
louvers, place them in the vertical wall rather than the soffit of the
overhang.</p><p><strong>Install spark arrestors in chimneys
and stovepipes. </strong>Chimneys create a hazard when embers escape through the top. To
prevent this, install spark arrestors on all chimneys, stovepipes and
vents for fuel-burning heaters. Use spark arrestors made of 12-gauge
welded or woven wire mesh screen with openings 1/2 inch across. Ask
your fire department for exact specifications. If you're building a
chimney, use non-combustible materials and make sure the top of the
chimney is at least two feet higher than any obstruction within 10 feet
of the chimney. Keep the chimney clean.</p><p><strong>Use fire resistant siding. </strong>Use fire resistant materials in the siding of your home, such as
stucco, metal, brick, cement shingles, concrete and rock. You can treat
wood siding with UL-approved fire retardant chemicals, but the treatment
and protection are not permanent.</p><p><strong>Choose safety glass for windows and
sliding glass doors. </strong>Windows allow radiated heat to pass through and ignite combustible
materials inside. The larger the pane of glass, the more vulnerable
it is to fire. Dual- or triple-pane thermal glass, and fire resistant
shutters or drapes, help reduce the wildfire risk. You can also install
non-combustible awnings to shield windows and use shatter-resistant
glazing such as tempered or wireglass.</p><p><strong>Prepare for water storage; develop
an external water supply such as a small pond, well
or pool.</strong> </p><p><strong>Other safety measures to consider
at the time of construction or remodeling.</strong> </p><ul><li>Choose locations wisely; canyon
and slope locations increase the risk of exposure to wildland fires. </li><li>Use fire-resistant materials
when building, renovating, or retrofitting structures. </li><li>Avoid designs that include
wooden decks and patios. </li><li>Use non-combustible materials
for the roof. </li><li>The roof is especially vulnerable
in a wildfire. Embers and flaming debris can travel great distances,
land on your roof and start a new fire. Avoid flammable roofing materials
such as wood, shake and shingle. Materials that are more fire resistant
include single ply membranes, fiberglass shingles, slate, metal, clay
and concrete tile. Clear gutters of leaves and debris. </li></ul><p><strong>What to do Before a
Wildfire</strong></p><p>If you see a wildfire, call 9-1-1. Don't
assume that someone else has already called. Describe the location of
the fire, speak slowly and clearly, and answer any questions asked by
the dispatcher.</p><p><strong><em>Before the Fire Approaches Your
House</em></strong></p><ul><li>Evacuate. Evacuate your pets
and all family members who are not essential to preparing the home.
Anyone with medical or physical limitations and the young and the elderly
should be evacuated immediately.</li><li>Wear Protective Clothing.</li><li>Remove Combustibles. Clear
items that will burn from around the house, including wood piles, lawn
furniture, barbecue grills, tarp coverings, etc. Move them outside of
your defensible space.</li><li>Close/Protect Openings. Close
outside attic, eaves and basement vents, windows, doors, pet doors,
etc. Remove flammable drapes and curtains. Close all shutters, blinds
or heavy non-combustible window coverings to reduce radiant heat.</li><li>Close Inside Doors/Open Damper.
Close alt doors inside the house to prevent draft. Open the damper on
your fireplace, but close the fireplace screen.</li><li>Shut Off Gas. Shut off any
natural gas, propane or fuel oil supplies at the source.</li><li>Water. Connect garden hoses.
Fill any pools, hot tubs, garbage cans, tubs or other large containers
with water.</li><li>Pumps. If you have gas-powered
pumps for water, make sure they are fueled and ready.</li><li>Ladder. Place a ladder against
the house in clear view.</li><li>Car. Back your car into the
driveway and roll up the windows.</li><li>Garage Doors. Disconnect any
automatic garage door openers so that doors can still be opened by hand
if the power goes out. Close all garage doors.</li><li>Valuables. Place valuable
papers, mementos and anything "you can't live without" inside
the car in the garage, ready for quick departure. Any pets still with
you should also be put in the car. </li></ul><p><strong><em>Preparing to Leave</em></strong></p><ul><li>Lights. Turn on outside lights
and leave a light on in every room to make the house more visible in
heavy smoke.</li><li>Don't Lock Up. Leave doors
and windows closed but unlocked. It may be necessary for firefighters
to gain quick entry into your home to fight fire. The entire area will
be isolated and patrolled by sheriff's deputies or police. </li></ul><p><strong>What to do During a Wildfire</strong></p><p><strong><em>Survival in a Vehicle</em></strong></p><ul><li>This is dangerous and should
only be done in an emergency, but you can survive the firestorm if you
stay in your car. It is much less dangerous than trying to run from
a fire on foot.</li><li>Roll up windows and close
air vents. Drive slowly with headlights on. Watch for other vehicles
and pedestrians. Do not drive through heavy smoke.</li><li>If you have to stop, park
away from the heaviest trees and brush. Turn headlights on and ignition
off. Roll up windows and close air vents.</li><li>Get on the floor and cover
up with a blanket or coat.</li><li>Stay in the vehicle until
the main fire passes.</li><li>Stay in the car. Do not run!
Engine may stall and not restart. Air currents may rock the car. Some
smoke and sparks may enter the vehicle. Temperature inside will increase.
Metal gas tanks and containers rarely explode. </li></ul><p><strong><em>If You Are Trapped at Home</em></strong></p><ul><li>Stay calm. As the fire front
approaches, go inside the house. You can survive inside. The fire will
pass before your house burns down. </li></ul>
<br /> <br /> <br /><p><strong><em>If Caught in the Open</em></strong></p><ul><li>The best temporary shelter
is in a sparse fuel area. On a steep mountainside, the back side is
safer. Avoid canyons, natural "chimneys" and saddles.</li><li>If a road is nearby, lie face
down along the road cut or in the ditch on the uphill side. Cover yourself
with anything that will shield you from the fire's heat.</li><li>If hiking in the back country,
seek a depression with sparse fuel. Clear fuel away from the area while
the fire is approaching and then lie face down in the depression and
cover yourself. Stay down until after the fire passes! </li></ul><p><strong>What to do After a Wildfire</strong></p><ul><li>Check the roof immediately.
Put out any roof fires, sparks or embers. Check the attic for hidden
burning sparks.</li><li>If you have a fire, get your
neighbors to help fight it.</li><li>The water you put into your
pool or hot tub and other containers wilt come in handy now. If the
power is out, try connecting a hose to the outlet on your water heater.</li><li>For several hours after the
fire, maintain a "fire watch." Re-check for smoke and sparks
throughout the house. </li></ul><p><strong>Recovery From A Fire</strong></p><h1>Call your local American Red Cross.
In Limestone County, that phone number is (256) 232-6820. They
can also assist you in taking care of your immediate needs, such as
shelter, food, and clothing.</h1>
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