10 WAYS TO PROTECT YOUR HOUSE THIS WILDFIRE SEASON

Climate change is here. It’s why wildfire season is getting longer, hotter, and more dangerous. Your home is probably the most expensive thing you own – and you can’t put a price on the memories or sense of security it gives you. So you don’t want to leave your home’s fate or your family’s future up to chance. Follow these steps to protect your property and maximize the chances your house will be here once the fire has passed.

Outdoors, the best offense is a strong defense. The goal is to stop a fire from reaching or entering your house.

Stop fire in its tracks by depriving it of kindling. Clear flammable vegetation like pine trees and twigs from around your home. Replace them with non-combustible materials like gravel, brick, or concrete in your yard. This “defensible barrier” slows the fire or stops it from spreading.

Cleaning your gutters and roof removes debris that could catch fire when embers are flying around in the wind – the #1 way most fires spread. Cleaning your roof seriously reduces the chances of it catching fire.

Installing metal wire mesh of 1/8″ or smaller over your attic vents and under-eaves vents helps keep embers from entering your home.

Similarly, if your home is elevated, consider enclosing the foundation to prevent embers from getting underneath your house and starting a fire from below. Wind-blown embers are extremely dangerous if they get under your house.

The likelihood of your home surviving a wildfire depends on what materials it’s made of.

When replacing your roof, use fire-suppressing underlays like Polystick XFR or Titanium FR. If you’re building a new roof, consider metal roofing, one of the best options. If that’s too costly, composite fiberglass shingles still provide decent protection. You can also cover your eaves and ledges with fire-resistant paint; untreated wood ignites easily.

Use fire-resistant caulk, mortar, or expanding foam to seal any openings in your exterior walls, doors, windows, or roofs. This helps keep embers out.

Install dual-pane metal frame windows with tempered safety glass, and apply impact resistant film to the inside of the glass to protect against heat and keep airborne debris from entering your home. Again, your goal is to keep the fire out. Fireproof shutters provide great protection as well.

When building or remodeling, use fire-resistant materials for your exterior walls. The firewall spray we’ve developed at TPHA adds a thin, cement and glass-based layer to all exterior surfaces to prevent them from catching fire. It also protects you from wind damage and keeps your home’s finish from fading for up to 25 years.

If water is limited where you live, install an external sprinkler system with its own power source, or keep water tanks on hand. You can also use hoses to fill large containers with water before fires arrive. But never risk your life to fight the fire; leave that to the pros. And make sure your house number and street name are easy to spot day or night so firefighters and emergency responders can easily locate your home.

For peace of mind, document your home’s contents. Take photos, make lists, and do a video walkthrough of your home. Regularly review your insurance policy to ensure your coverage hasn’t changed as companies are adapting to the growing risk of wildfires and often raise rates or cut coverage. You don’t want to be caught by surprise.

More Useful Resources

• FEMA: Protecting Your Property
• FEMA: Wildfire FAQs and Resources
• Fire Adapted: Communities Learning Network
• Firewise: National Fire Protection Plan