Wildfire Prevention Tips to Protect Your Home

06/14/2023

All of our spring rains have been great for our lawns and flowers and improving drought conditions across the state. Yet as the summer weather dries things out again, wildfire threats to life and property will increase.

Luckily, there are many things you can do now to prevent fires, protect your property, and stay safe.

To reduce wildfire hazards to your home and property, the most effective actions are to minimize the ability of your home to ignite during a wildfire, and to reduce or eliminate nearby fuel.

• Emergency Alerts save lives. Register today for the alerts in your county.
• Ensure your roof has a Class A fire rating.
• Rake and remove all pine needles and other flammable debris from a 5-foot radius around the foundation of your home, roof, gutters, and deck several times a year.
• Screen attic, roof, eaves, and foundation vents with 1/8-inch metal mesh.
• Keep your lawn hydrated and maintained, and mow grass and weeds to a height of 4 inches or less.
• Treat or mow shrubs that re-sprout aggressively (such as Gambel oak) every 3-5 years or more depending on growth rates.
• Remove tree branches that hang over your roof and chimney.
• Properly thin and prune trees and shrubs as you address the home ignition zone. The sticks and other debris left from cutting trees and shrubs are called slash. Slash is a fuel for wildfire, so dispose of slash from thinning trees and shrubs by chipping or hauling to a disposal site. Any accumulation of slash that’s chipped or otherwise should be isolated 30 feet or more from your home.
• Keep firewood stacked uphill from (or at the same elevation as) any structures, and keep the woodpile at least 30 feet away from your home.
• Do not stack firewood between remaining trees, underneath your deck, or on your deck.
• Remove flammable vegetation within 10 feet of woodpiles.

Planning ahead and taking action now can increase the likelihood of the safety of your home when a wildfire occurs. Ultimately, it is your responsibility to protect your property and investments from wildfire.

Colorado County Emergency Alerts contacts - https://dhsem.colorado.gov/emergencyalert

A map of fire restrictions and agency contacts is available here - http://www.coemergency.com/p/fire-bans-danger.html

Colorado State Forest Service Wildfire Mitigation - https://csfs.colostate.edu/wildfire-mitigation/

Home Ignition Zone Guide - https://csfs.colostate.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2021_CSFS_HIZGuide_Web.pdf

Protect Your Home and Property from Wildfire - https://csfs.colostate.edu/wildfire-mitigation/protect-your-home-property-from-wildfire/

Colorado Wildfire Prevention Tips & Resources - https://www.colorado.com/articles/colorado-wildfire-prevention-tips-resources

Current Colorado Wildfires - https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1GcddFWq2DJILLfCFc8up8VYN7oQ&ll=40.170062172094255%2C-106.1308700171754&z=8

National Fire Protection Association - http://www.firewise.org/