Protect Your Home from Wildfire | Top 3 Tips

Summary

Eric Lovegren, Community Mitigation Manager for Eagle County, discusses strategies to reduce wildfire risks in the Sky Legend community, Colorado. He highlights the importance of ember exposure mitigation, creating defensible space, managing vegetation, and home hardening. Lovegren also emphasizes the need for community preparedness, including evacuation planning and insurance coverage discussions, to build fire-adapted and resilient communities.

Takeaways

• 🏠 **Home Hardening**: Protect your home from ember exposure by hardening it against wildfire threats.
• 🔥 **Ember Mitigation**: Install metal screening to prevent embers from entering the attic space through vents.
• 🌳 **Vegetation Management**: Manage both native and landscaping vegetation around your house to create a defensible space.
• 🛑 **Fuel Identification**: Identify and address all potential fuel sources on your property, including trees, shrubs, and built structures.
• 🧱 **Ignition Resistance**: Use fire-resistant materials like cement fiber board for exterior walls to mitigate flame exposure.
• 🚫 **Avoid Combustible Materials**: Remove combustible vegetation near exterior walls to prevent fire ignition from embers or sparks.
• 🌿 **Landscaping Choices**: Opt for non-combustible landscaping materials or fire-resistant plant species to reduce fuel for wildfires.
• 🏡 **Defensible Space**: Create a defensible space by managing vegetation and ensuring a non-combustible surface extends from your foundation.
• ⚠️ **Emergency Preparedness**: Sign up for a notification system to be alerted of wildfires and other emergencies in your area.
• 📝 **Evacuation Plan**: Prepare an evacuation plan that prioritizes people and pets, followed by essential documents and irreplaceable items.
• 🏢 **Insurance Coverage**: Discuss with your insurance provider to ensure you have adequate coverage to rebuild in case of a total loss from a wildfire.
• 🔍 **Risk Assessment**: Consider signing up for a free wildfire risk assessment to understand and reduce wildfire risks on your property.

Q & A

Who is Eric Lovegren and what is his role in Eagle County?

Eric Lovegren is the Community Mitigation Manager for Eagle County. He is responsible for discussing community wildfire risks and mitigation strategies to reduce the threat of wildfires in the area.

What is the primary concern when a wildfire approaches a home?

The primary concern when a wildfire approaches a home is the arrival of burning flying embers, which can land on the structure and potentially ignite fires.

How can a gable vent contribute to the risk of a wildfire spreading in a home?

A gable vent can bring large burning embers into the attic space of a home, increasing the risk of fire spreading within the structure.

What is the recommended mitigation strategy for gable vents to prevent ember entry?

The recommended mitigation strategy is to install an eighth of an inch metal screening behind the gable vent to prevent embers from entering and causing damage.

What are the two types of fuels that a wildfire looks to consume?

A wildfire looks to consume vegetative fuels, such as trees and shrubs, and built fuels, which include the house and everything that goes into it.

Why is the use of cement fiber board on a wall considered a good mitigation strategy against potential flame exposure?

Cement fiber board is extremely ignition and fire-resistant, making it a great mitigation strategy against potential flame exposure as it reduces the risk of the wall catching fire.

What are the potential weak points in the exterior of a building that can be identified in the script?

Potential weak points in the exterior of a building include wood siding and windows, which are more susceptible to catching fire compared to materials like cement fiber board.

What is the purpose of having a non-combustible surface like gravel or rock extending from the foundation of a house?

A non-combustible surface prevents fire from moving along the surface towards the exterior wall and stops embers from collecting and igniting the home.

Why is it a bad idea to plant combustible vegetation like Juniper and Sagebrush near exterior walls?

Planting combustible vegetation near exterior walls is risky because it can catch a spark and ignite, potentially bringing fire to the wall and increasing the risk of the home catching fire.

What is the recommended action to mitigate the risk of fire from vegetation around a home?

The recommended action is to remove combustible vegetation like Juniper and Sagebrush and replace them with hardscaping or fire-resistant species of plants to reduce the risk of fire spreading to the home.

What steps should homeowners take to prepare for potential evacuation due to a wildfire?

Homeowners should sign up for a notification system like ecalert.org to be aware of emergencies, and when it's time to evacuate, they should prioritize getting people and pets to safety first, followed by essential documents and irreplaceable items within a 20-minute timeframe.

How can homeowners ensure they are adequately covered to rebuild in the event of a total loss from a wildfire?

Homeowners should have a conversation with their insurance provider to ensure they have adequate coverage to rebuild in case of a total loss from a wildfire.

What resources are available for homeowners to reduce wildfire risk on their property and within their community?

Resources available include free wildfire risk assessments through Eagle County or local fire districts, cost share assistance, and community-level fuel reduction projects and prioritization to create fire-adapted and more wildfire-resilient communities.