Homeowner Preparedness
Creating Defensible Space
How to create a fire safe zone around your home
Evaluate your home's fire safety
Homeowner Fire Prevention Brochure
FIRE PREVENTION FOR: HOMEOWNERS
...BECAUSE FIRE SAFETY IS EVERYONE'S RESPONSIBILITY
- PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT
Your home is more than where you live. It is your family memories, your treasured belongings, your land, your investment. Protect your investment–make your home fire-safe.
- Maintain the vegetation on your property.
- Make sure your house and other structures on your property are fire resistant.
- Practice safe burning and outdoor fire activities.
- BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR
- Elderly members of the community are occasionally unable to adequately maintain parts of their property. Be a good neighbor and help if you can. By helping your neighbor become fire safe, you are not only protecting their land you are also protecting your own property. Fire safety is everyone's responsibility.
- FIRE SAFETY IS A YEAR-ROUND ACTIVITY
Because the weather is not always predictable and rainfall is notoriously low in Southern California, fires can happen year-round.- YOUR PROPERTY
- Fire safety begins outdoors with vegetation abatement:
- Maintain 100' of clearance of native and dead vegetation around all structures including residences, garages that are attached or within 10' of residences and buildings designed to house farm animals.
- Maintain 10' of clearance of native and dead vegetation along both sides of roadways and driveways.
- Maintain 13'6" vertical clearance of all vegetation for the entire width of all roads and driveways.
- Maintain 10' of clearance of combustibles (vegetation, trash, etc.) around propane tanks.
- Maintain trees adjacent to or overhanging a building free of dead wood.
- Mature trees within 100' of structures and over 18' tall must be trimmed 6' above the ground and 10' from all chimney outlets.
- Remove debris from under trees which exceeds 6" in depth.
- Maintain roof of structure free of leaves, needles or other dead vegetative growth.
- Remove garbage, refuse, trash, cuttings, trimmings, or other combustible waste material from property or along driveways and roadways.
- YOUR HOME
- You can make your home fire resistant:
Roofs should have a minimum of Class 'A' roof covering (contact the Department of Planning and Land Use: Building Division for more information on roof coverings).- Exterior wall surfaces should be non-combustible such as stucco, masonry and cement fiber board.
- Unenclosed underfloor areas should be enclosed to the ground with non-combustible construction.
- Windows should be tempered glass, dual-pane glass, or block glass.
- Skylights should be tempered glass for class 'A' rated assembly.
Insulation that is foil-backed or un-faced fiberglass batts and blankets are better suited to conditions of potential fire hazards. - Consider indoor automatic sprinklers for your home or other large structures on your property such as guest houses or barns
- YOUR PLAN
- Should a fire occur, make sure you are prepared.
- Smoke detectors should be checked monthly. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, having at least one working smoke alarm in your home can double your chances of survival.
- Evacuation plans should be communicated to the whole family and include plans for animals living on the property.
- If you see smoke and are unsure if it is a controlled burn or not, please call:
(760) 723-2010 or dial 911
- FOR MORE INFORMATION
- For more information on other fire-safety related topics, please visit our www.wildfirealert.org homepage.
