Wildfires And Your Home

By Colleen Knolin


If you live in a heavily wooded area, it doesn't take much for a fire to spread from treetop to treetop. Taking some of these precautions will keep you and your family safer, as well as your home, before the evacuation crews order you to leave:

Have a getaway bag prepared: You may not get a lot of time, so having a gym bag packed with essentials in the front hall closet will ensure you have what you need. If one of your family members is not home when disaster strikes, you will be able to gather up what is important for them as well. Things for the bag would be your important documents, or copies of them, and any prescription medications that you or your family require. It would make this tough time easier if you have toiletries and electronics ready to go as well.

Your data: Invest in an external hard drive and program your computer to do automatic back-ups so you can spend a bit more time grabbing photos and other irreplaceable items when you are forced to leave your home.

Keep an eye up high: For those who have power lines, always be certain that there is nothing touching them, and that trees are not allowed to be too close. Trees fall down, not only in fires, but in wind storms as well.

Build a protective zone: A 10 metre area around your home should be free of any flammable objects, so clear away any dead vegetation, trees, or other refuse.

Take steps to prevent fire: Around half of wild fires are actually the doing of a careless person. It just takes one spark to start a huge tragic fire, cause by a controlled burns that gets out of hand, campfires that are carelessly left, or still burning cigarette butts.

Don't build camp fires when the weather's been dry, and never smoke in fire hazard areas. It's shocking, but some people throw burning cigarettes from their vehicle even today, don't be one of those people. Dry vegetation on the side of the road can catch fire quite quickly from an still burning cigarette butt.

Keep your property clear of excess vegetation. Be certain to choose fireproof building materials when building a home, if you can. This could include fire resistant shingles, tempered glass windows, a spark arrestor on your chimney. Your home insurance premiums can also be reduced by taking precautions like these.

Take the time to create a detailed evacuation procedure. Review the plans with your family in the household so they understand the procedure. You'll need to prepare an emergency kit. This should include non-perishable foods and at least a three-day supply of drinking water. It's essential to have a first-aid kit included, and a portable radio, flashlight, and extra batteries are important.

You can slow down a fire that is coming your way by having containers like garbage cans filled with water, as well as a pool or hot tub. Evacuate your home immediately, if ordered by a civil authority. To make your home more simple to recognize, use address numbers that are fireproof. Your home will be determined faster by firefighters this way.

Call 911 immediately if you see any signs that a wildfire is forming.

Make sure you have the right home insurance. If the worst happens, and a wildfire strikes in your area, don't be caught without enough coverage to rebuild your home!




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