Plan for Fire

Plan for fire.

By Cindy Poore

This was a crazy summer! So, so hot. I may be getting old, but I don’t remember so may days of 100 plus heat from past years.  Isn’t it usually just a few (3-4) weeks? This heat is just going on and  on.  And the fires are not making things better.

The fire. Now THAT was scary. And it didn’t even come close to us.  The Blue Cut Fire burned so fast, so hot, so unpredictably, that we were under mandatory evacuation orders. After seeing the devastation, I can understand why. They couldn’t take any risks.

We were safe and pretty far from the actual fire. I wish I could say the same for everyone. A dear, dear friend’s property was right in its path. Fires were popping up everywhere on his property. He and his son stayed behind to defend his home and buildings. They fought with tractors and shovels and were on the point of exhaustion around midnight when a group of firefighters came over the ridge and helped them fight the monster off. All his buildings were saved. Tragically,  his very near neighbors and many others in his valley were not so fortunate and lost their homes.

So planning for fire in your landscaping and maintenance is essential for nearly any home. Here are some tips from  the University of California Cooperative Extension:

DEFENSIBLE SPACE GUIDELINES

Below are general guidelines adapted from CAL FIRE:

1. Create and maintain a defensible space of at least 100 feet or greater from each building or structure.

2. From the home to a distance of 30 feet, keep plants low, and make sure to have irrigation available when needed. Check with your local fire department about the exact distances                           required in your area.

3. Preserve single specimens or groupings of well-spaced and well-pruned trees or other vegetation.

4. Eliminate ladder fuels within the defensible space zone by disrupting the vertical and/or horizontal continuity of plants.