TOP 10 STEPS TO MAKE YOUR HOME SAFER FROM WILDFIRES
Through pro-active measures and community-wide programs, you can can make your home safer from wildfires, save on insurance premiums, and start being safer together.
Replace Wood or Shake Shingles with a Class-A fire rated roof – Most Class-A fire resistant roofs are made of asphalt shingles, concrete, brick, or masonry tiles, and metal shingles or sheets. Wood shake shingles are not Class A fire-resistant rated and may increase the risk of your roof igniting from airborne embers.
Create a 5-foot Ember Resistant Zone around your home – Remove vegetation and wood chips from around your home and replace with stone or decomposed granite to create a 5 feet ember resistant zone around your home. Also be sure to replace any wood fencing connected to your home with metal fencing.
Install Fire-Resistant Vents – Install 1/16 to 1/8 inch noncombustible, corrosion-resistant metal mesh screens over exterior vents to prevent wind-blown embers from blowing into your house.
Remove any Combustible Material from the bottom of exterior walls – Maintain a minimum of 6 vertical inches of non-combustible material (measured from the ground up) from any attached horizontal surface like a deck. This barrier will help to stop embers from traveling up and igniting your home’s walls. Noncombustible materials include brick, stone, fiber-cement siding or concrete.
Enclose Eaves – Installing soffits under your eaves can prevent heat and embers from getting trapped and igniting. When enclosing eaves, non-combustible or ignition resistant materials are recommended.
Upgrade Windows and Shutters – Multi-paned windows are more resistant to breaking during a wildfire, which helps keep flames from entering. Adding noncombustible metal shutters will also create a barrier between your home and the elements, including wildfire and storms.
Replace Combustible Wood Decking – Replace combustible wood decking material with fire-retardant treated (FRT) wood, fire-resistant composite deck boards, or autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC). Additionally, clear any weeds and debris from under your deck and replace with noncombustible materials like concrete, gravel, stones, or bare soil.
Move Combustible Outbuildings – relocate any combustible sheds, gazebos, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), open covered structures with a solid roof, dog houses, or playhouses to a distance of at least 30 feet from your home.
Create and Maintain a Defensible Space – comply with all state and local laws requiring the creation and maintenance of a defensible space around your home, which may include trimming trees and removing brush and debris from your yard.
Stay Safer Together – Through community-wide programs, such as Firewise USA, communities can create an action plan and start being safer together. Firewise USA is a nationally recognized program with proven results, sponsored by the National Fire Prevention Association.
Learn More:
In many states, proactive measures such as those listed above may qualify you for an insurance discount. By doing more to protect your home, you can save more.
Read the full text of California’s Safer from Wildfires insurance regulation.
Find a list of Firewise USA sites in California.
California’s Office of the State Fire Marshal maintains a list of tested and approved roofing materials.
See CAL FIRE’s defensible space page and your local city or county for details on creating a defensible space around your home.
Learn how to Start a Firewise Community.
Source: https://www.insurance.ca.gov/01-consumers/200-wrr/Safer-from-Wildfires.cfm
