No Cost, Just A Little Time

• Move your firewood pile out of your home's defensible space.
• Perform a FIREWISE assessment of your home. Clean your roof and gutters of leaves and pine needles (best done in October).
• Clear the view of your house number so it can be easily seen from the street.
• Put a hose (at least 100' long) on a rack and attach it to an outside faucet.
• Trim all tree branches if they overhang your house.
• Trim all tree branches from within 20' of all chimneys.
• Remove trees along the driveway to make it 12' wide.
• Prune branches overhanging the driveway to have 14' overhead clearance.
• Maintain a green lawn for 30' around your home.
• If new homes are still being built in your area, talk to the developer and local zoning officials about building standards.
• Plan and discuss an escape plan with your family. Have a practice drill. Include your pets.
• Get involved with your community's disaster mitigation plans.
• Check your fire extinguishers. Are they still charged? Are they easy to get to in an emergency?
• Does everyone in the family know where they are and how to use them?
• Clear deadwood and dense flammable vegetation from your home's defensible space.
• Remove conifer shrubs from your home's defensible space especially if your home is in a high-risk area.
• Review your homeowner's insurance policy for adequate coverage. Consult your insurance agent about costs of rebuilding and repairs in your area.
• Talk to you children about not starting fires or playing with matches.
• If you have a burn barrel that you use for burning trash, STOP !
• Compost leaves in the fall, don't burn them.
• If you burn your brush piles or grass in the spring, get a burning permit.
• Always have a shovel on hand and hook up the garden hose BEFORE you start the fire.
• Never burn if the smoke and flames are blowing towards your home (or your neighbour’s home).
• Be a Firewise advocate.
  
  

Minimal cost actions($10 - $25 and a little time)

• Install highly visible house numbers (at least 4" tall) on your home.
• Install big, highly visible house numbers (at least 4" tall) at the entrance of the driveway onto the street. Use non-flammable materials and posts.
• Install metal screens on all attic, foundation, other openings on your home to prevent accumulation of leaves and needles.
• Hold a neighbourhood meeting to talk about fire safety.Invite your local fire chief. Have coffee and donuts for neighbours.
• Install a fire extinguisher in the kitchen AND the garage.
• Install a metal shield between your home and an attached wood fence.
• Replace conifer and evergreen shrubs with low-flammable plants in your home's defensible space.
• Thin and prune conifer trees for 30' to 100' around your home.
• Purchase and use a NOAA weather alert radio. Many types of emergencies are announced through this service.
• Replace vinyl gutters and downspouts with non-flammable, metal gutters and downspouts.
• Install a spark arrestor or heavy wire screen with opening less than 1/2" on wood burning fireplaces and chimneys.

Moderate cost actions($50 - $250 and a little more work)

• Build a gravel turn around area near your house big enough to allow a fire truck to turn around.
• Join your neighbours in having an additional access road into your neighbourhood. Share the costs.
• Treat flammable materials like wood roofs, decks, and siding with fire retardant chemicals
• Modify driveway gates to accommodate fire trucks. They should be at least 10' wide and set back at least 30' from the road. If locked, use a key box approved by your local fire department or use or a chain loop with the lock that can be cut in an emergency.
• Enclose decks to prevent accumulation of leaves, needles, and debris. Include a metal screen with a 1/8" mesh opening to prevent sparks from getting under the deck.

• Replace your roof with fire-resistant materials such as Class A shingles.
• Install a roof irrigation system to protect your home's roof.
• Install an independent water supply for a sprinkler system with a non-electric (e.g., propane) powered pump capable of running unattended for 24 hours.
• Replace wood or vinyl siding with non-flammable material.
• Replace single-pane glass windows and plastic skylights with tempered, double-pane glass.
• Box in eaves, fascias, and soffits with aluminum or steel materials with metal screens to prevent entry of sparks.
• Improve driveway culverts and bridges to accommodate the weight of a fire truck.
• Relocate propane tanks inside the defensible space but at least 10' from the house. Have non-flammable ground cover such as gravel around them for 10'.
• Have electric service lines to your house placed underground.
• Improve your driveway by straightening sharp curves and filling in sharp dips that would hinder a fire truck.