Dry weather and strong winds are a recipe for wildfires. As we recognize Wildfire Community Preparedness Day this year, we want to share some tips that will help keep your family, business, and community safe.
Every year, during the second week of May, our Fire & Life Safety team at DynaFire partners with the NFPA to put a spotlight on wildfires. These out-of-control fires ravage our countryside and our cities. In 2022, nearly 70,000 wildfires destroyed 7.6 million acres.
Can we lower these numbers? Yes! As part of the annual Wildfire Community Preparedness Day, homeowners and business owners across the U.S. and Canada can grab rakes, ladders, and work gloves to help make their properties and communities less susceptible to fire.
Here are our top tips for wildfire safety:
Defend Your Home Ignition Zone (HIZ)
Using this graphic as a guide, imagine lines around your property at five feet, 30 feet, and 100 feet. The NFPA offers best practices for protecting your home or business based on which zone you’re targeting.
Small changes can make a significant impact! You’ll want to focus most of your efforts on the five feet immediately surrounding your residence or office. This may mean replacing wood chips with gravel and rocks, trimming trees, or reworking your landscape design.
Clean And Clear Around Your Home Or Business
You want your decks, porches, and walkways clear and debris-free, so grab a broom and sweep away leaves, limbs, pine needles, and anything else that can burn.
This is also a great time to clean gutters so that if embers fall onto your roof, there’s no material for them to ignite. If you have mulch in your flower beds, rake it away from the building at least five feet.
Store Decor
Clearing patio furniture, cushions, rugs, and plants off your porches, decks, and patios is a smart way to stay fire safe. The less material available to catch fire, the less likely a fire will spread to your home or business.
Trim Your Trees
Dry, dead limbs are kindling for a wildfire. Keeping your trees, shrubs, and bushes trimmed and pruned is good for your vegetation and fire safety. A good rule of thumb is to keep trees and limbs at least five feet away from any building. Giving the embers less to catch hold of will keep your property safer.
Clear Your Perimeter
Focusing on your 30-foot HIZ, walk around your property and remove anything that could act as a fire ignition surface. Wood piles, boats, and other vehicles can help fire spread to buildings if stored too close.
Create An Evacuation Plan
Knowing what to do and where to go if ordered to evacuate can save lives. Take this opportunity on Wildfire Community Preparedness Day to plan your escape route. You should plan two ways out of your community if one of your exits is blocked by fire. Include household pets and horses in your evacuation plan. Share these plans with your family at home, and with employees and building occupants at your business.
You can download the NFPA’s Toolkit here.
Join DynaFire This Wildfire Community Preparedness Day!
We hope you will join us on May 6 and put these preparedness tips into practice to help keep your home, business, and community safe in case of a wildfire. At DynaFire, we take Fire & Life Safety seriously every day and want to do everything we can to keep you safe.
Contact us with any questions and if you need assistance setting up your business’s Fire & Life Safety systems. We look forward to helping you stay fire-safe!
