A little bit of work and effort now can pay big dividends in protecting what is yours in the event of a wildfire. To Determine the Area of Defensible Space Surrounding the Home, Use the following formula: 1.5 X height of the structure + 30 feet. Living in the rural areas is often synonymous with living in the Urban Wildland Interface (UWI). The UWI is not a pre-determined geographical area. Rather, it is a set of conditions that exist when combustible homes are built in a combustible environment.
While Texas’s wild land communities have begun to grow, the volunteer fire departments that serve these areas are vital to our safety. However, they may be unable to protect a large number of homes when threatened when a wildfire approaches. By taking a few simple steps to create a defensible space around your home, you can greatly reduce the likelihood of a wildfire being lured to your dream home. Defensible space is an area surrounding a home where the vegetation, and sometimes the Defensible space is designed to achieve three benefits
1) To allow firefighters the room to perform the task at hand.
2) To give the structure opportunity to survive a wildfire on its own when firefighters cannot safely attempt to defend it.
3) To stop a fire from spreading from the structure to surrounding vegetation.
To create a defensible space around your home, follow these guidelines:
VEGETATION MODIFICATIONS
Within the designated defensible space zone, thin trees and brush cover so that the widest portions of the tops are 10-15 feet apart.
Remove shrubs and smaller trees if they are underneath larger trees. Prune branches of trees to the height of 10 feet.
Isolate flowerbeds and surround them with a non-flammable ground cover.
STRUCTURAL MODIFICATIONS
- Use fire resistive building materials when possible on any new construction projects, especially the roof. Install chimney screens or spark arrestors.
- Enclose porches, foundations and roof/attic openings to prevent debris from accumulating.
- Post name and address in 3″letters. Provide adequate driveway and turnaround space for emergency vehicles.
- Protect windows and glass doors with fire resistant drapes or internal shutters.
- Develop external water supplies such as cisterns, dry hydrants, ponds and swimming pools.
- Store tools such as shovels, axes, rakes, hoes and especially connected garden hoses for emergency use.
- Structure itself, has been modified in order to separate the “fuels” which a wildfire feeds from.
- Keep grasses well irrigated and mowed to approximately 2″ or less.
- Clear needles and leaves from roofs and gutters.
Most of these tasks do not involve in spending a lot of money and should make it much easier to prevent wild fires from becoming catastrophic on your place. Having an area of defensible space around barns and hay/equipment storage areas is recommended.
