Removing stuff around your home that could fuel wildfire: Importance of 'defensible space'
Jake Carver moved into his Camino-area home less than a year ago. Since that time, he had to evacuate during the Caldor Fire. Then, the major snowstorm of December 2021 brought down trees and powerlines across the foothills and around his home.
“I definitely was unprepared for it, that's for sure,” Carver said about the forces of nature that have hit close to home. “I mean, I knew coming out here there would be stuff like that.”
On the brink of fire season, he and his neighbors have been doing what they can to prepare.
“Everyone's kinda looking out for each other to try to maintain it,” he said about the wooded area surrounding his community. “We knew once all the trees fell it was gonna be an issue come fire season.”
| MORE | 2022 California Wildfire Preparedness Guide: What to know and how to stay safe
So he’s cleared vegetation, limbs and tree trunks – even making a “safer” burn pile area to get rid of all that debris.
“I kind of dug down a pit, got some retaining wall blocks to build it up a bit to contain it a little better. Make it safer,” Carver explained to KCRA 3 about the cinder block-surrounded pit he created on his property to burn yard debris.
He realizes, however, that there's still work to be done to create what firefighters call a defensible space.
Creating defensible space is all about improving a home's chance of surviving a wildfire, according to Cal Fire’s website readyforwildfire.org.
It’s a buffer you make between your home and the vegetation or trees in your yard that becomes fuels in a wildfire.
California Fire Safe Council is also trying to get the word out in communities across the state that, for people like Carver, preparing in advance is key.
“Part of creating a defensible space is getting education out about creating defensible space,” said Hedi Jalon, executive director of California Fire Safe Council.
According to Cal Fire, we can think of those defensible spaces in terms of zones -- extending from your home five… to 30… to 100 feet out, and it helps to stay on top of keeping it clear.
“We can’t stress enough that year-round creating defensible space really does help your chances of surviving a fire and your neighbor as well,” Jalon said.
Carver said he and his neighbors are taking those steps together.
“Coming over and helping to clear some of the areas, and pull some stuff away. Getting the chainsaw out, and making it easier for me to be able to do burn piles,” he said. “Definitely a communal effort.”
It’s that effort that could help improve their community’s safety during fire season.
“Long term I can definitely see, being out here in the country now, how much more work is needed to be done to do your part,” said Carver. “There's a little more work, but it's a trade-off for what you get out here for sure.”
Other things to think about before fire season, according to California Fire Safe Council:
- Have a family evacuation plan.
- Set up wildfire alerts on your phone based on your zip code.
- Having a "go-bag" of essentials ready in case your family is ordered to evacuate.
- Check out preparation resources like California Fire Safe Council at cafiresafecouncil.org.