Defensible Space - Home Ignition Zone 2

 Continuing from our previous post which covered Zone 1, we are going to discuss Home Ignition Zone 2 (or the Intermediate Zone). You may have heard these tips before, but it doesn’t hurt to be reminded and go over it again.

Zone 2 is 5-30 feet from the furthest exterior point of your home. Landscaping and hardscaping are key elements here – employ these to create breaks that can help influence and even decrease the spread of a wildfire. Create fuel breaks using driveways, walkways, and patios.

Keep lawns trimmed to a height of four inches or less, and remove any ladder fuels so that a surface fire can’t spread to the tops of trees. Prune your trees 6-10 feet from the ground and make sure your trees have a minimum of 20 feet space between crowns. If you are planting trees, they should be arranged so that mature crowns are a minimum of ten feet away from the edge of your home. Tree and shrubs in this zone should be limited to small clusters to allow breaks in vegetation.

If you have any, move trailers, recreational vehicles, storage sheds, propane tanks, and other combustible items or structures out of this zone. If you are unable to move them, create intentional defensible space around them – trim vegetation and use landscaping to your advantage.

Defensible Space - Home Ignition Zone 1

You may remember back in April when we discussed Wildland Urban Interface month, there was the mention of concentric safety zones around your home regarding creating a defensible space. The end goal here is to cover each Home Ignition Zone, which may include tips and tricks you have or have not seen previously.

The first Home Ignition Zone is Zone 1 (or Immediate Zone), which is 0-5 feet around your home or to the property line. This zone includes the building itself, any deck/patio/balcony, or another outside entertaining space that touches your home, fencing (particularly where it meets the building), and immediate landscaping. 

An easy way to create defensible space in zone 1 is to remove weeds, brush, and other vegetation and debris. An option to consider while you’re doing your spring gardening is to use non-combustible rock mulch in place of standard mulch. Trim grass to 4 inches or less in height and try to maintain that through the summer. Trim back tree branches to at least 10 feet from your home if they are touching or overhang the building. Firewood and other combustibles should be stored farther from the structure. 

 

Vents and eaves are another place to keep an eye on as they can provide places for embers to gather and ignite in any combustible materials that are stuck there. An option to consider is to enclose the eaves, if that’s not something you want to do, make sure you clean out the eaves. Put a noncombustible screen across any vents, and make sure to keep the mesh clear of any debris. Roofs and gutters are particularly vulnerable surfaces, as embers can lodge here and start a fire. Regularly cleaning your roof and gutters of debris, installing gutter guards or screens, and blocking off any points of entry on your roof will all help harden your home. 

 

When it comes to decks and patios clean between the boards, underneath, and areas against the building. Consider constructing lattice or screening under porches and decks to keep leaves from collecting underneath. Something to consider is to keep planters, baskets, and other arrangements off the area during the fire season. You should also avoid storing combustible materials on the patio or deck.

 

To watch a video that shows the differences taking the time to create a defensible space in home ignition zone 1 can make, click here.

Fire Prevention Week - Debris Burning

 Our main source of preventable fires is caused by the general public. Some things that these fires result from are: campfires (as well as hunter’s warming fires), children, equipment use (cars, trucks and SUVs usually exhaust related; chainsaws, lawnmowers most often strike related), fireworks, miscellaneous (firearms, exploding targets, etc.) and debris burning.

In Pennsylvania, a wildfire that starts from debris burning is defined as: a wildfire spread from clearing land, burning trash, dumps, vegetation, logging slash or other prescribed burning. It is important to remember how to properly burn your debris so that a wildfire doesn’t result.

As part of Fire Prevention Week, we (with some help from the one and only Smokey Bear) would like to provide you with some helpful information to safely burn debris both now and in the future.

1.       Check conditions – don’t burn when its windy or if vegetation is very dry

2.       Check local regulations – a permit to burn may be required

3.      Watch what you burn – burn natural vegetation, it’s not a good idea to burn household trash,     plastic or tires (and may even be illegal to burn in some locations)

4.       Never burn beneath objects (i.e. powerlines, overhanging branches)

5.       Look around – the site should be surrounded by gravel or dirt at least 10 feet in all directions, keep the surrounding area watered down and have a shovel nearby

6.       Keep your pile small and manageable – you can add more as the other burns down

7.      If you’re using a burn barrel, make sure it is in good condition and made entirely out of metal, and has at least three evenly spaced, three-inch, screened vents and metal top screen.

8.     Stay with your fire until it is completely out; then drown the fire with water, turn the ashes with a shovel and douse again – repeat several times.

9.     Check the burned area regularly over the next few days, especially if the conditions are warm, dry and windy

 

Fire Prevention Week - Campfires

 October 4-10 is Fire Prevention Week, it is observed each year during the week of October 9^th in tribute of the Great Chicago Fire. The fire began on October 8, 1871, and killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 people homeless, destroyed more than 17,000 structures, and burned more than 2,000 acres of land. The National Fire Protection Association has sponsored Fire Prevention Week since 1922. To learn more about the NFPA click here.

While this year’s theme is Fire Safety in the Kitchen, remember that we also cook on grills and campfires outside.

Some tips for campfire safety, directly from Smokey Bear himself:

1.       Don’t build a campfire if the campground, area, or event prohibits them

2.       Don’t build a campfire in hazardous, dry conditions

3.       Find out if there is an existing fire pit for use

4.       If there isn’t one already there, and you can build a campfire, choose a site at least 15 feet from tent walls, shrubs, trees, or other flammable objects – and be aware of low hanging branches

5.       Choose an open, level location away from heavy fuels (i.e. logs, brush, decaying leaves)

6.       Take the wind, and its direction into account and choose a spot that is protected from gusts

To correctly build your pit follow these steps:

1.       Clear an area 10 feet in diameter of grass, twigs, leaves and firewood

2.       Dig a pit about 1 foot deep

3.       Circle the pit with rocks

To properly maintain and extinguish your campfire:

1.       Always have a source of water, bucket, and shovel nearby

2.       Keep the fire small and under control

3.       Never leave your campfire unattended

4.       Allow the wood to burn completely to ash, if possible

5.       Pour lots of water on the fire to drown all embers, continue to pour until hissing stops

6.       If you don’t have water, stir dirt or sand into the embers with a shovel to bury the fire

7.       Scrape any remaining sticks and logs with a shovel to remove embers

8.       Continue adding water, dirt or sand and stirring with a shovel until all material is cool

Remember: If it’s too hot to touch, it’s too hot to leave

 Something to consider when camping on State Forest Land in Pennsylvania during the springtime:

"If a campfire is desired during spring fire season -- you must obtain permission from the district forester to have a campfire from March 1 through May 25; no campfires are permitted when the district forester determines the forest fire danger to be high, very high, or extreme."

Always check with the State Forest District Office before building a fire.