How to Protect Your Home From Wildfires
Protecting a property from natural disasters is always a concern for people moving into areas where events like wildfires occur. There are extraordinarily helpful guidelines provided by state agencies, but homeowners will want to take other precautionary steps. Some of these guidelines involve degrees of property management. Others require modifications to structures that can be easily addressed with the help of good contractors.
Establishing Your Property Perimeter
One of the best ways to prevent wildfires from destroying property is by establishing a property fire line. This means removing all flammable timber and shrubs around the home. It’s tough, but removing duff from trees and shrubs is a must to mitigate fire fuel.
Most state agencies recommend trimming foliage and trees to a distance that measures no closer than one hundred feet around a home. With this type of perimeter, fires would have to exhibit extreme volatility to penetrate a completely open area.
Take Extra Care of Your Home’s Roof Construction
Most home fires that occur during a wildfire emergency start at the roof level. Old shingles and wooden tiles are great for making a roof appear aesthetically acceptable, but they do little to prevent the spread of fire. Many structures ignite during a wildfire because of wind and air flows. Wind carries hot embers to nearby structures with flammable roofing materials. If you replace your roof with tile or metal roofing material, many accidental fires can be avoided. Metal roofing materials are excellent guards against fires caused by burning embers carried by prevailing wind patterns.
Property owners often discover that they live in an area that is susceptible to wildfires after only a few seasons. The best way that they can protect their property is through roof material conversion. Wooden shakes look great, but they present hazards in regions where wildfires occur. The decision to replace your roof with tile or metal roofing materials is a big decision. It could be the difference between your home being susceptible to the next wildfire, or avoiding the things that lead to a fire causing incredible property damage. Roofing materials are often the difference between safety and total loss when a wildfire threatens a property.
Create a Ground-Level Fire Barrier
Another excellent way to prevent the spread of wildfires near a home is a barrier near the ground level. Outlining your property with a moat that is filled with flame-proof material like asphalt can help protect your home. Placing an asphalt line around the perimeter of your property creates a solid surface that separates materials that can catch fire from those that resist flame.
An asphalt moat is something that many new property owners never consider. These moats, however, could be the most important barrier between their property and the spread of a seasonal wildfire.
Along with other efforts to remove flammable materials from your property, structural improvements will work to save a home when a wildfire is near. For additional home security, you should also consider our Fire+ Burglary Protection Package so you can protect yourself from all sorts of troubles.
