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Protect
Your Home, Forest and Property
From Wildfire
Introduction
. Are You FireWise? . Construction
Design and Materials
Defensible Space . Fire
and Water Wise Plants . Landowner
Assistance
Community Wildfire Protection
Plans . Contact Your Local
Forester
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Introduction
Due to Colorado’s arid climate and fire-dependent
forests, many homeowners and landowners may be
particularly vulnerable to wildfires. It is important
to keep in mind this threat when buying or building
a home. Fire is unpredictable. If there are weaknesses
in your home’s fire protection scheme, fire
can gain the upper hand because of some overlooked
or seemingly inconsequential factor. By creating
a wildfire defensible zone, homes are more protected
from this naturally occurring phenomenon and the
chance of spreading wildfires is greatly reduced.
If you are a homeowner and you are interested
in protecting your home from wildfires, follow
the CSFS guidelines for being FireWise. While
you may not be able to accomplish all measures
below, each will increase your home’s safety
and survival during a wildfire. Start with the
easiest and least expensive actions. Begin your
work closest to your house and move outward. Keep
working on the more difficult items until you
have completed your entire project.
Two factors have emerged as the primary determinants
of a home’s ability to survive wildfires:
choosing fire-resistant roofing material and creating
a wildfire defensible zone. First, it is important
to choose a fire-resistant roofing material that
is rated class C or higher when building a house
in or near forests or grasslands. Avoid flammable
materials such as wood or shake shingles.
Defensible space is an area around a structure
where fuels and vegetation are treated, cleared
or reduced to slow the spread of wildfire towards
the structure. It also reduces the chance of a
structure fire moving from the building to the
surrounding forest. Defensible space also provides
room for firefighters to do their jobs. Your house
is more likely to withstand a wildfire if grasses,
brush, trees, and other common forest fuels are
managed to reduce a fire’s intensity. The
following are a few key steps to creating a defensible
zone, but is not a comprehensive list. For more
detailed instructions on how to best protect your
home from wildfires, please see the "Colorado,
Are You FireWise?" Notebook (553
KB PDF).
- Actively manage roof: Clean roof and gutters
of pine needles and leaves at least twice a
year to eliminate an ignition source for potential
fires.
- Stack fire wood away from house: Locate firewood
uphill at least 15 feet from your home. Do not
stack firewood under the deck.
- Remove unhealthy vegetation: Trees and shrubs
that are stressed, diseased, dead or dying should
be removed so that they do not become a fuel
source for potential fires.
- Choose surrounding vegetation wisely: Maintain
a greenbelt (irrigated if possible) immediately
around your home using grass, flower garden,
and/or fire-resistant ornamental shrubbery.
An alternative is rock or other non-combustible
material, which may be preferable if your house
is made of wood or other flammable materials.
Avoid using bark or wood chip mulch in this
area.
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You are at risk!
Many people don’t realize that they face
serious wildfire danger. But if you live in
the foothills, grasslands, or mountains of Colorado,
you are risk!
Making the problem even worse is the exploding
population in once-rural areas surrounding municipalities.
The result is that more homes and more lives
are potentially threatened by wildfire every
year.
To be FireWise you must carry
out certain fire protection measures before
a fire even starts. By following the following
simple fire safety steps, your home will have
a chance to survive while firefighters work
to bring the wildfire under control. Remember,
a fire department’s effectiveness in battling
a wildfire starts with YOU!
Access
When a wildfire threatens, the first few minutes
are the most critical for saving your home.
Firefighting personnel must be able to immediately
locate and safely travel to your home in order
to effectively protect it.
Street signs and house addresses must be clearly
posted, and roads must be able to accommodate
busy traffic. At the same time that fire engines
and other emergency equipment are trying to
drive into your area, you must be able to escape
in your car with your family and valuable personal
possessions.
Learn
about Access (77 KB PDF)
in the Notebook.
Water Supply
Water supply is vital for a fire department
to protect a threatened house or extinguish
a burning one. Even a FireWise
house may not be able to survive a wildfire
without an emergency water supply. Many jurisdictions
require new developments to form or join a community
or municipal water system. In these cases, the
designed water systems have large storage facilities
that generally meet the needs of firefighters.
Learn
about Water Supply (74 KB
PDF) in the Notebook.
Defensible Space
Your first defense against wildfire is to create
and maintain a defensible space around your
home. This does not mean your
landscape must be barren. A defensible space
is an area, either man-made or natural, where
the vegetation is modified to slow the rate
and intensity of an advancing wildfire. It also
creates an area where fire suppression operations
can occur and helps protect the forest from
a structure fire.
Learn
about Defensible Space (96
KB PDF) in the Notebook.
Creating
Wildfire-Defensible Zones Factsheet
(205 KB PDF)
Trees & Shrubs
Many naturally occurring plants in our area
are highly flammable during the summer and can
fuel a wildfire, causing it to spread rapidly.
Removing flammable native vegetation and replacing
it with low-growing, fire-resistive plants is
one of the easiest and most effective ways to
create a defensible space.
Select landscape vegetation based on fire resistance
and ease of maintenance, as well as visual enhance-ment
of your property. In general, fire-resistive
plants:
- grow close to the ground
- have a low sap or resin content
- grow without accumulating dead branches,
needles, leaves or other debris
- are easily maintained and pruned
- are drought-tolerant in some cases
Learn
about Trees & Shrubs (61
KB PDF) in the Notebook.
Fire-Resistant
Landscaping Factsheet (192
KB PDF)
FireWise
Plant Materials Factsheet (279
KB PDF)
Grass
Seed Mixes to Reduce Wildfire Hazard Factsheet
(150 KB PDF)
Construction Design & Materials
Your house may be vulnerable to a wildfire
because of its design, construction and/or location.
When preparing to build, buy or remodel, know
what to look for in a FireWise home. A few modifications
to your construction plans can reduce the chance
of your house catching fire, or resist further
damage if it does catch fire. Don’t let
your house become more fuel for a wildfire.
Learn
about Construction Design & Materials
(76 KB PDF) in the Notebook.
Decks
Factsheet (505 KB PDF)
Roofing
Materials Factsheet (782
KB PDF)
Siding
Factsheet (831
KB PDF)
Windows
and Glass Factsheet (388
KB PDF)
Firewise
Construction: Design and Materials by Peter
Slack (922 KB PDF)
Interior Safety
Residential Sprinkler Systems
A fire occurs in 1 out of 10 American homes
every year. In wildland areas, the fire from
the home may spread into the wildland. Residential
fire sprinkler systems are a great asset to
homeowners in the Urban Wildland Interface.
Smoke Detectors
Lives can be saved when smoke detectors are
properly installed and maintained. Most areas
require smoke detector installation for new
structures.
Portable Fire Extinguishers
Portable fire extinguishers are your best defense
against a small fire. Fire extinguishers for
home use are not intended to fight large or
spreading fires.
Plan Your Escape!
Smoke alarms can cut your risk of dying in a
home fire nearly in half, but you have to know
what to do when they go off.
Learn
about Interior Safety (123
KB PDF) in the Notebook.
Forest
Home Fire Safety Factsheet
(116 KB PDF)
What to do When...
What To Do When You Are Threatened By Wildfire
If you have followed the advance preparation
steps previously outlined, you have created
a FireWise home that has a better chance of
surviving a wildfire. But when a wildfire is
immediately threatening your area, there are
additional steps you can take.
- If you see a fire approaching your home,
report it immediately by dialing 911. Stay
on the phone to answer additional questions
the emergency dispatcher may ask.
- Dress properly to prevent burns and lifelong
scars. Wear long pants, cotton or wool longsleeve
shirts or jackets. Gloves and a damp cloth
provide added protection. Do not wear short
sleeve shirts or clothing made of synthetic
fabrics.
Learn
about Interior Safety (53
KB PDF) in the Notebook.
Learn more about being FireWise from the
national FireWise Website.
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Construction Design and Materials
Your house may be vulnerable to a wildfire because
of its design, construction, and/or location.
When preparing to build, buy, or remodel, the
following tips can reduce the chance of your home
catching fire or resist further damage if it does
catch fire.
Location
- Choose a site away from heavily vegetated
areas.
- Build on the most level portion of the property.
- Avoid ridge tops, canyons, and areas between
high point on a ridge.
- Construct your structure a minimum of 30
feet back from ridges or cliffs; increase the
distance if your home will be more than one
story.
Building Materials
- Use Class A or B roofing materials such as
asphalt shingles, slate or clay tile, or metal.
AVOID wooden shake-shingle roofing.
- Fire-resistive or noncombustible construction
materials are essential for siding and walls.
Use a minimum of Class III flame/spread-rated
siding material – stone, brick, and stucco
are best.
- Limit the length of roof eaves so that they
do not extend beyond exterior walls. If the
eaves are longer, enclose them with fire-resistive
materials.
- Foundations may come in contact with a spreading
wildfire before other areas of the structure.
Enclose foundations with concrete block, cement
walls, or other fire-resistive materials.
- Minimize the size and number of windows on
the downhill side of the house or the side most
likely to be exposed to wildfire. Both size
and materials used are crucial in windows and
sliding-glass doors. Multi-paned glass or tempered
glass is recommended.
- Cover exterior attic, soffit, and underfloor
vents with metal wire mesh (openings no larger
than one-eighth of an inch) to prevent sparks
from entering structures through vents. Install
eave and soffit vents closer to the roof line
than to the walls.
- Do not locate decks at the top of a hill;
a fire’s spread is generally uphill. Enclose
the undersides of balconies and decks with fire-resistive
materials so that burning embers cannot accumulate.
- Cover chimneys and stove pipes with a nonflammable
screen (mesh openings no larger than one-half
inch).
Publications
Firewise
Construction: Design and Materials by Peter
Slack (922 KB PDF)
Construction
Design & Materials (76
KB PDF) in the
FireWise Notebook.
Decks
Factsheet (505 KB PDF)
Roofing
Materials Factsheet (782
KB PDF)
Siding
Factsheet (831
KB PDF)
Windows
and Glass Factsheet (388
KB PDF)
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Defensible Space
Creating a defensible space around your home
and on your land is an important step to take
in order to protect them from wildfire. The following
is a list of tips that can improve a home’s
ability to survive a forest fire.
Create Defensible Space around your Home
- Create defensible space on flat ground a
minimum of 70 – 75 feet around a home.
(This distance is increased if the structure
is located on a slope.)
- Thin out continuous tree and brush (shrub)
cover around structures. Remove flammable vegetation
from within the initial 15 feet around structures.
- Beyond the initial 15 feet, thin trees to
a 10- to 12- foot crown spacing. Occasionally
clumps of two or three trees are acceptable
for a more natural appearance if additional
space surrounds them.
- Mow grasses and weeds to a height of 6 inches
or less for a distance of 30 feet from all structures.
- Prune tree branches within the defensible
space up to a height of 10 feet above ground.
- Dispose of all slash and debris left from
thinning by either chipping, hauling away, or
piling and burning. Contact your local fire
department or local
district office of the Colorado State Forest
Service for burning restrictions and/or
assistance.
- Remove shrubs and small trees or other potential
“ladder” fuels from beneath large
trees. (Left in place, these fuels can carry
a ground fire into tree crowns.)
- Trim any branches extending over roofs, and
remove branches within 15 feet of chimneys.
- Clean pine needles, leaves and other debris
from roofs and gutters. This eliminates an ignition
source for firebrands, especially during hot,
dry weather.
- Stack firewood and woodpiles at least 30
feet from any structure. Make sure they are
uphill or on the same level as structures, and
clear away flammable vegetation from within
10 feet of these woodpiles.
- Place liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) containers
at least 30 feet from structures. Clear anything
flammable, including vegetation from within
10 feet of all tanks.
Remember
- Defensible space allows firefighters
room to safely defend your home.
- Maintain your defensible space annually
by removing debris, shrubs, and other vegetation
that has accumulated through the year.
Before and After D-Space
Pictures
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before |
after |
Publications
Defensible
Space (96 KB PDF)
in the FireWise
Notebook.
Creating
Wildfire-Defensible Zones Factsheet
(205 KB PDF)
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Fire- and Water- Wise Plants
Any plant in a wildland ecosystem is potentially
fuel for a fire. However, a few are more “Fire
Wise” than others. The following are some
plants that are both fire resistant and drought
tolerant. As it turns out, these two go hand in
hand, and make ideal vegetation choices for your
land in the Colorado foothills or mountain landscapes.
Landscaping with water wise plants, known as
xeriscaping™, is an environmentally friendly
practice that also saves money on your monthly
water bill. Contrary to many misconceptions, xeriscaping™
does not necessarily mean rock gardens and cacti.
Many xeriscape™ plants are vibrant and colorful
flowers, and choosing these can be a beautiful
way to design a Colorado garden.
Visit here to learn to
see xeriscaping™ suggestions for your lawn
& garden.
Publication
FireWise
Plant Materials Factsheet
(279 KB PDF)
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Landowner Assistance
CSFS is committed to helping assisting homeowners
and landowners to promote healthy and sustainable
forest conditions. One of the ways we do this
is by emphasizing action on state, private and
other non-federal lands, and prioritizing technical
and financial assistance to those that have demonstrated
willingness and/or commitment to act.
Learn more about Landowner
Assistance Programs offered through the CSFS
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Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs)
Community Wildfire Protection Plans
are authorized and defined in Title I of the Healthy
Forests Restoration Act (HFRA) passed by Congress
on November 21, 2003 and signed into law by President
Bush on December 3, 2003.
The Healthy Forests Restoration Act places renewed
emphasis on community planning by extending a
variety of benefits to communities with a wildfire
protection plan in place. Critical among these
benefits is the option of establishing a localized
definition and boundary for the wildland-urban
interface (WUI) and the opportunity to help shape
fuels treatment priorities for surrounding federal
and non-federal lands.
A CWPP, as described in the Act, brings together
diverse local interests to discuss their mutual
concerns for public safety, community sustainability
and natural resources. It offers a positive, solution-oriented
environment in which to address challenges such
as: local firefighting capability, the need for
defensible space around homes and subdivisions,
and where and how to prioritize land management
– on both federal and non-federal land.
Learn more about Community
Wildfire Protection Plans.
Learn about Fuelbreak
Guidelines for Forested Subdivisions & Communties
(611 KB PDF).
For more information about Community Wildlife
Protection Plans, contact Ralph Campbell, Community
Forestry Division Supervisor, at (970) 491–7544.
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