In this Action Guide, we hope to provide tips and tools you need to prepare for a wildland fire threat (Ready), have situational awareness when a fire starts (Set), and to evacuate early (Go!).
Firewise Guide to Landscape and Construction
This brief brochure provides a useful guide to landscaping and home construction/renovation with the major goal of reducing fuels. We also have a number of copies in our office. Contact us if you're interested in obtaining a free copy!
Building a Wildfire Resistant Home: Codes and Costs
“A new home built to wildfire-resistant codes can be constructed for roughly the same cost as a typical home.” -Headwaters Economics
This paper by headwaters Economics illustrates the ways that constructing a wildfire resistant home can actually be comparable to the cost of constructing a home that is not wildfire resistant. If you are looking at building a home, or remodeling your current building, consider reading through this guide to learn how to reduce your risk of wildfire devastation.
“This study finds negligible cost differences between a typical home and a home constructed using wildfire-resistant materials and design features.”
Wildfire Research Fact Sheet: Decks
Firewise's new wildfire research fact sheet has some great information on how to reduce the ignitability of your deck or lanai. It's just one page but packed with useful information.
From the Source:
"MANY HOMES LOCATED IN WILDFIRE-PRONE AREAS HAVE ATTACHED DECKS, WHICH CAN POTENTIALLY SPREAD FIRE TO THE HOUSE WHEN IGNITED DURING A WILDFIRE. A burning deck can ignite siding or break the glass in doors or windows, allowing fi re to gain entry into the house. Consequently, making decks less vulnerable to wildfire also makes your house less vulnerable. Reducing the deck’s vulnerability requires an approach that focuses on the materials and design features used to build the deck, and creating a noncombustible zone around and under the deck."