6 Tips to Protect Your Home from Wildfires

<em><a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/dl2_lim.mhtml?id=1249451&size=medium_jpg&src=5e45e50e820d1d362e4f89e52b00ba58-2-9&from_redirect=1">Wildfire</a> photo from <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/">Shutterstock</a></em> <br> <br> Fire season hit the West early this year and with a vengeance, <a href="http://inhabitat.com/19-elite-firefighters-killed-by-deadly-yarnell-hill-wildfire-in-arizona/">threatening homes and lives</a>. Proper preparation can really make the difference between a saved home or a pile of embers and broken hearts during a wildfire - read on for six important steps to protect your castle if a fire comes licking at the doorstep.

The first step is often the most effective and doable projects for a homeowner—clear combustible debris from around the house. This include obvious things like dry grass and brush, stacks of firewood and debris, and some not so obvious things like a wood fence and even a wooden deck. <a href="http://www.fire.ca.gov/communications/communications_firesafety_100feet.php">Defensible spaces </a>should go out at least 30 feet from a house and large concentric rings of fuel reduction out further improve the odds. The clearer the area the better chances a fire crew will stay to protect the property.

Eaves and vent openings are a perfect place for embers to fly into and start a home ablaze from the interior. Making sure they are not too numerous, and <a href="http://www.finehomebuilding.com/how-to/articles/fire-resistant-details.aspx">properly screened</a> and maintained may seem like a little detail but is often the weakest point of a house in a wildfire. Even keeping gutters clean can help protect the home's vulnerable eaves.

Roofs are often the most venerable part of a house in a fire so it goes without saying cedar shakes are out of the question, even in urban areas. <a href="http://firecenterbeta.berkeley.edu/bwmg/roof-1.html">Class A rated roofs </a>are the norm, including many asphalt shingle types, but tile and steel are preferred options. Same goes for siding—a shingle or wood wall is very poor while a fiber cement type stands up well. A low or non flammable underlayment dramatically improves the fire resistance.<!--nextpage-->

Windows are also exceptionally venerable as the intense heat can go right through and actually catch drapes and furniture on fire. The easy solution is replacing the window fabric with a more heat resistant product. Windows can break as well so smaller tempered units are more stable than large windows. The best choice is installing outside<a href="http://inhabitat.com/the-prefab-sol-duc-cabin-by-olson-kundig-architects-rests-lightly-on-four-stilts/"> non-combustable shutters</a> which can be quickly closed in an emergency.

Designing a new home provides a perfect opportunity to incorporate fireready measures. Good access to the property for emergency vehicle is a must. <a href="http://inhabitat.com/minimalist-adobe-brick-home-is-a-box-within-a-box/">Avoiding complex shape</a>s and bump outs reduces places for embers to lodge and cause a hotspot. Sprinklers help but, alas, someone needs be there to turn them on so having a standing water source for firefighters can be just as effective

"Location, location, location" is not just for resale. Placing a house in a thick stand of trees is plainly asking for trouble, but so is setting a home on a hilltop or overhanging a prominent rock outcropping where it becomes a clear target for a moving fire. Too often people’s dream homes are just not designed appropriately in the urban/wildland interface and hazards of oncoming fires, so a few simple rules can make all the difference in protecting that assets from mother nature’s fury.