Fires can occur at any time of year. Some simple steps will improve your home’s resistance to fires of any kind.
The home itself:
Install and maintain smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.
Have a fire extinguisher on each level of your home.
Cover attic and sub-floor vents with noncombustible screening (mesh size no greater than 5 millimetres.
Your roof is the most vulnerable part of your home because it can catch fire from wind-blown sparks. If you are building a new home or re-roofing your existing house, use roof covering material with a Class A fire-resistive rating.
Limit the size and number of windows that face large areas of vegetation. The heat from a wildfire can ignite the furnishings inside your home through these windows.
Install tempered glass or multi-layered glazed panels in exterior walls, glass doors and sky-lights. Or install solid exterior shutters.
Outside your home:
Create a zone of non-combustible material around your house that will slow down a fire and possibly direct it around your home. To do this, you must view your yard as a fuel source. Fire will only burn if fuel is present. Fuel can include your landscaping, woodpiles, decks, etc. To create your survivable space, take the following steps within 10 metres of your home (in heavily treed areas 15 metres; 30 metres if your home is on a hillside).
Remove all dry grass, brush, leaves and dead or dying trees from within at least 30 metres of your home.
Reduce the number of trees in heavily wooded areas.
For trees taller than 5 metres, prune lower branches within 2 metres of the ground to keep ground fires from spreading into treetops. Shrubs planted under trees should be no more than 45 centimetres high.
Remove dead branches overhanging your roof, and all branches within 3 metres of chimneys.
Enclose the underside of balconies and above-ground decks with fire-resistant or noncombustible materials.
Cover chimneys serving fireplaces with noncombustible screening with a mesh size no greater than 5 millimetres.
Store firewood at least 15 metres from any structure.
Clearly mark emergency water sources and maintain easy access to them.
Maintain an insulated emergency water supply within 300 metres of your home. Check with your local fire department to learn what standards you must meet.
Mow your lawn regularly and dispose promptly of cuttings and debris.
Clear your roof, gutters and eaves of debris.
Do not connect wooden fencing directly to your home.
Make sure that the street number of your house is clearly visible from the road.
The Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction
Toronto Office 20 Richmond Street East, Suite 210, Toronto, Ontario M5C 2R9, Tel: (416) 364-8677
