Protect Your Okanagan Home From a Spot Fire
Spot fires happen fast, prepare your property
Many of us have witnessed first hand fires in the Okanagan Valley and how quickly they grow with the summer heat, no rain and winds. There is always a probability that a spark or ember ignite a spot fire close to your property. Spot fires can ignite quickly especially if you have flammable material, wood piles, stored lumber alongside a garage or garbage piles around your property. Homes with too much vegetation close to them can ignite quickly and are also more difficult to protect.
Take a good look around your home and property for potential fire hazards that can ignite a spot fire.
- Create a 20 meter cleared zone around your home and buildings
- Remove any dead branches or fallen trees
- Remove fallen leafs or grass cuttings
- Store firewood 10 – 20 meters or more from your home
- Cleanup any dry undergrowth and grass especially around your home
- Cut back any trees overhanging your home or buildings
- Prune lower branches on trees and remove flammable shrubs from under and between trees
- Make sure your gutters are clean from leafs
- Store flammable fuels, oily rags and chemicals away from your home and make sure they are enclosed
- Make sure you don’t have any broken glass or bottles lying around
- Use non-flammable mulch or rocks instead of wood chips or bark mulch
- Check for untreated wooden shakes, shingles and wood siding which can provide no resistance to a fire
- Vegetation should be cleared away from power lines, propane tanks and other fuel supplies
- Contact your utility company if trees or branches are not clear of power lines
- If you have a long driveway keep it clear for quick access by the fire department
- Have a plan and alternative access route for leaving your home and property
- Check undersides of balconies, decks and crawlspaces for flammable materials
- Before you buy a home, familiarize yourself with fire protection services available in the area