WILDLAND FIRE SAFETY

- Main - Using Landscaping to Create a Firebreak - How the Weather Affects Fire - Build or Remodel to Fire Safe Your House - Know Your Local Fire Laws Before You Burn Print This Page

MAIN (Return to Top)

Wildland fires destroy hundreds of homes and acres of land every year across the country. Fire-safe landscaping is an effective tool that creates an area of defensible space between your home and flammable vegetation that protects against devastating fires.

The Illinois Fire Safety Alliance encourages you to keep fire safety at the forefront by learning how to landscape and maintain your property to minimize possible fire damage and slow fires if they start.

USING LANDSCAPING TO CREATE A FIREBREAK (Return to Top)

Good grooming practices go a long way toward making homes safer from woods fires. But there are three landscaping hazards that can make a home vulnerable to wildfire regardless of the other precautions taken by the homeowner. Elimination of these same hazards around out-buildings such as barns, greenhouses and sheds, and from around animal cages, pens and corrals, will also make them much safer from wood fires.

HAZARD - Failure to have a distinct interruption of forest-type vegetation between woodlands and home.
SOLUTION - Create a buffer zone of at least 30 feet by replacing forest underbrush with a grass lawn: thinning trees around the house so there is a break between the crowns of yard trees and those in the surrounding forest. Prune all trees from six to ten feet from the ground.

HAZARD - Low to medium height vegetation growing right next to the home.
SOLUTION - Locate flowers, hedges, etc., away from the house

HAZARD - "Stair-stepping" vegetation that would allow a low-burning fire to sweep up increasingly taller bushes and spread into tree tops around the house.
SOLUTION - Remove one "step" in the ladder by pruning low tree branches; locating short plants under mature trees; locating medium height trees away from taller trees.

Grooming practices that all homeowners should routinely exercise include:

• Keeping lawns trimmed.
• Leaves raked.
• Housetop and rain-gutters free of debris such as dead limbs, pine needles and leaves.
• Keep firewood stacked away from the house.
• Tree limbs should be pruned away from overhead power lines and the rooftop.
• Spark arresters should be maintained on all fireplace and wood stove chimneys.
• Screens or other barriers should be used to prevent debris from blowing under the house or into the attic.
• Do not park vehicles in tall grass or over shrubs.
• Beware of sparks from chain saws, welding torches and other equipment.

HOW THE WEATHER AFFECTS FIRE (Return to Top)

• During a prolonged drought, tender plants that can be fuel for wildfires die and dry out.
• Cold weather, particularly during a drought, speeds the dying and drying process.
• When the woods are dry, thundershowers bring only limited relief. The fuels dry again quickly and fire can occur even the next day.
• Wind also dries fuels, and causes fires to spread.
• DO NOT BURN ON WINDY DAYS!!!

BUILD OR REMODEL TO FIRE SAFE YOUR HOUSE (Return to Top)

During a wildland fire, your house is fuel. To prevent structure loss, homeowners should use fire resistant building materials and construction techniques.

Roof
Untreated, wooden shake roofs are the number one cause of home loses to wildland fires.

• Use fire resistant roofing material like metal roofing, clay or concrete tile, asphalt shingle.
• Clear over-hanging branches, needles and other combustible debris from roof.

Balconies, decks and eaves
Overhang construction traps heat and embers and will increase the risk of structure loss.

• Construct deck supports of non-combustible materials or encase them – heavy timbers are more fire resistant.
• Enclose the under side of overhangs with non-flammable material or plywood sheathing.
• Construct balcony and deck surfaces of non-combustible or fire retardant materials.
• Remove accumulated debris from below slotted deck surfaces.

Exterior siding
Siding material is almost as vulnerable to fire as the roof. Intense heat and fire brands (carried by high winds that often accompany wildfires) will lodge in the exterior siding. Structure loss is likely unless siding is fire resistant.

• Use fire resistant siding materials such as stucco, metal, brick, cement shingles, concrete block or poured concrete.
• Ensure siding material is a minimum of ½ inch thick and extends from ground level to the roof line.

Windows and vents

• Ensure windows do not face trees or brush within 30 feet.
• Use double paned windows with metal blinds. Avoid flammable curtains.
• Ensure vent openings are screened with ¼ mesh.
• Have shutters or screens that can be rapidly placed over windows or vent openings if a fire approaches.
• Maintain access to attics, crawl spaces and under deck areas so that spot fires can be detected and extinguished following passage of the fire.

Electric utilities

• Maintain a 10 foot clearance between branches and power lines. Contact the utility company to remove dead or diseased standing timber within a tree length of the power line.
• Clear combustible material within 10 feet of propane and natural gas tanks. Locate tanks at least 30 feet away from the structure.

Chimney and stovepipe

• Cover chimney outlets with wire screen – mesh no larger than ½ inch.
• Clear branches within10 feet.
• Ensure the chimney outlet clearances are maintained a minimum of 24 inches from roof peak and a minimum of 35 inches from the roof directly below.

Trailers and mobile homes

• Skirt in areas under the trailer or mobile home with non-combustible materials.
• Use adequate tie-downs if the installation is to be mobile or semi-permanent.

Identify and make your home address highly visible

• Ensure all streets and roads are marked with visible, non-combustible signs.
• Number each home. If homes are set back from the roadway or more than one home is accessed by a single driveway, post numbers at the end of the driveway.

KNOW YOUR LOCAL FIRE LAWS BEFORE YOU BURN (Return to Top)

Call your local fire department or government agency for information concerning outdoor burning rules. Never light a fire outdoors until you are sure of what is legal. And always use good judgement concerning the weather and other conditions that can influence a fire. Be aware of firefighting capabilities available in your area. Everybody shares the responsibility of preserving life and property by planning for fire protection.

The safety information enclosed was compiled from the best sources available to us. The Illinois Fire Safety Alliance and authors cannot assume any liability for its effectiveness in every emergency situation.