Protect Your Home from Wildfire | Top 3 Tips
Summary
TLDREric 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
- π **Home Hardening**: Protect your home from ember exposure by hardening it against wildfire threats.
- π₯ **Ember Mitigation**: Install metal screening to prevent embers from entering the attic space through vents.
- π³ **Vegetation Management**: Manage both native and landscaping vegetation around your house to create a defensible space.
- π **Fuel Identification**: Identify and address all potential fuel sources on your property, including trees, shrubs, and built structures.
- 𧱠**Ignition Resistance**: Use fire-resistant materials like cement fiber board for exterior walls to mitigate flame exposure.
- π« **Avoid Combustible Materials**: Remove combustible vegetation near exterior walls to prevent fire ignition from embers or sparks.
- πΏ **Landscaping Choices**: Opt for non-combustible landscaping materials or fire-resistant plant species to reduce fuel for wildfires.
- π‘ **Defensible Space**: Create a defensible space by managing vegetation and ensuring a non-combustible surface extends from your foundation.
- β οΈ **Emergency Preparedness**: Sign up for a notification system to be alerted of wildfires and other emergencies in your area.
- π **Evacuation Plan**: Prepare an evacuation plan that prioritizes people and pets, followed by essential documents and irreplaceable items.
- π’ **Insurance Coverage**: Discuss with your insurance provider to ensure you have adequate coverage to rebuild in case of a total loss from a wildfire.
- π **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.
Outlines
π Home Wildfire Risk Mitigation
Eric Lovegren, the community mitigation manager for Eagle County, discusses the risk of wildfires and how to mitigate them at the property level. He highlights the importance of hardening homes against ember exposure, managing vegetation for defensible space, and preparing families for wildfire emergencies. The video provides practical tips, such as using metal screening for vents, choosing fire-resistant building materials, and creating non-combustible surfaces around the home. It also emphasizes the need to remove combustible vegetation and replace it with fire-resistant landscaping to prevent fire from spreading to the home's exterior walls.
π Emergency Preparedness and Wildfire Insurance
This paragraph focuses on the importance of emergency preparedness and insurance coverage in the face of inevitable wildfires. It advises residents to sign up for local notification systems to stay informed about wildfire emergencies and to prepare for quick evacuations by securing people, pets, and essential items within 20 minutes. The speaker also stresses the need for homeowners to review their insurance policies with providers to ensure adequate coverage for rebuilding in case of total loss due to wildfires. The paragraph concludes with a call to action, encouraging viewers to seek more information on wildfire risk assessments and community-level support for fuel reduction projects to create fire-adapted and resilient communities in Eagle County.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Community Wildfire Risk
π‘Ember Exposure
π‘Defensible Space
π‘Vegetation Management
π‘Cement Fiber Board
π‘Wood Siding
π‘Gravel Rock
π‘Combustible Vegetation
π‘Notification System
π‘Evacuation
π‘Insurance Coverage
Highlights
Eric Lovegern is the community mitigation manager for Eagle County, discussing wildfire risk and mitigation strategies in the Sky Legend community in Gypsum, Colorado.
Wildfires can be invited onto properties unintentionally through ember exposure and vegetation management.
Hardening homes against ember exposure involves creating defensible space and managing vegetation around the house.
Burning flying embers are the first to arrive as a wildfire approaches a home.
Gable vents can be a weak point in a home's defense against wildfires, allowing embers to enter the attic space.
Mitigating ember entry through vents can be achieved by installing an eighth of an inch metal screening.
Wildfires consume fuels, which include both vegetative and built materials on a property.
Cement fiber board is highly ignition and fire-resistant, making it a good mitigation strategy against flame exposure.
Wood siding and windows can be weak points in a home's exterior, making them potential fire hazards.
Using non-combustible surfaces like gravel or rock can prevent fire from moving along surfaces towards the exterior wall.
Woody shrubs near exterior walls can catch a spark and ignite, posing a fire hazard.
Removing combustible vegetation and replacing it with fire-resistant species can help mitigate fire risks.
Maintaining native grasses low within 30 feet of a structure is recommended for fire prevention.
Decks and other attachments to the building should be considered part of the home in terms of fire risk.
Junking Juniper and using ignition-resistant landscaping can help reduce fire hazards near the home.
Being notified of a fire and knowing when to evacuate is crucial, starting with signing up for a notification system like ecalert.org.
Evacuation should prioritize people and pets first, followed by essential items like prescriptions, paperwork, and irreplaceable items.
Homeowners should discuss insurance coverage with their providers to ensure they are adequately covered to rebuild in the event of a total loss from wildfire.
Wildfire disasters can be mitigated by taking steps to reduce wildfire risk on properties and within communities.
Free wildfire risk assessments and resources are available through Eagle County and local fire districts to help create fire-adapted communities.
Transcripts
hello I'm Eric lovegern I'm the
community mitigation manager for Eagle
County and we're here in the sky Legend
community in Gypsum Colorado to talk
about Community Wildfire risk and ways
that people unintentionally invite
wildfires onto their property in ways
that we might mitigate that threat
through hardening homes for Ember
exposure through creating defensible
Space by managing vegetation both native
and landscaping around your house and
then finally how you might better
prepare yourself and your family for the
inevitable return of wildfire to our
community so let's take a look at this
place and jump right into it so as a
wildfire approaches this home the first
thing that will arrive will be burning
flying Embers so we want to pay
particular attention to where those
Embers May land on the structure so
we'll look at the roof and work our way
down and we see here we have a gable
vent in this wall now that's designed to
bring air into the house and with it it
will bring large burning embers into the
attic space so we mitigate that by
providing a eighth of an inch metal
screening behind it so anything that
gets through isn't big enough to do any
damage so we want to look at all of the
fuels on the property both the home
itself and the vegetation surrounding it
so anything that burns is fuel and
that's what we're going to work on
looking at next so a wildfire looks to
consume fuels and in the case of this
house and this community there are a
variety of fuels present we have
vegetated fuels in the form of trees and
shrubs and then we have built fuels in
the form of this house and everything
that goes into it and they're not all
created equal so in this situation part
of this wall uses a cement fiber board
which is extremely ignition and fire
resistant and that is a great mitigation
strategy against potential flame
exposure to this wall but then we have a
small section here that has wood siding
and a window on it which are both
potential weak points in the exterior
armor of this building
so going with a gravel rock
non-combustible surface that extends out
from your foundation like this is a
great idea to prevent fire from moving
along the surface towards the exterior
wall or from Embers collecting in there
and igniting the home but in this case
we've planted a bunch of Woody shrubs in
here that could catch a spark and ignite
bringing fire to the wall and as we turn
the corner here into the side yard we'll
notice that there's a bunch of native
grasses and sage and other shrubs mixing
with Juniper that has been planted here
most likely to hide the HVAC and other
utilities back here in an effort to to
beautify the home but what has happened
is we've we've essentially stacked a
bunch of gasoline on a stick next to
this wood wall inviting fire in its many
forms to come here and ignite this home
so we mitigate by removing combustible
vegetation like Juniper and Sagebrush
and unpotenty and other Woody shrubs
replacing with hardscaping and other
kind of perennial type growth or or fire
resistant species of plants so now let's
take a look look at what's going on
behind this house as we see this owner
has already identified that having
combustible vegetation near exterior
walls
represents a potential fire hazard so we
want to continue this work out past the
initial five feet looking at removing
some of these Woody shrubs getting them
out and Away promoting healthier green
vegetation and keeping native grasses
low within 30 feet of a structure as
well and by low I mean less than six
inches
we also want to look at any kind of
attachment to the building so here we
have a large deck extending out over
this Gully
and a good thing to think about when
you're looking at your own home is that
if it's attached to your home it's part
of your home so my recommendation here
would be to junk the Juniper and go with
a much more ignition resistive type
Landscaping which could be perennial or
annual type flowers or it could be a
more native shrubs that have that are
deciduous in nature and have a higher
moisture content and and don't provide
as much fuel next to this built fuel
that is this home so now that we've done
everything humanly possible to prepare
this home and surrounding area for fire
we need to start talking about the
people who live in here and there's the
first thing is being notified of of the
fact that there is a fire and it's time
to evacuate which starts with signing up
for a notification system in this County
it's
ecalert.org and you'll be able to go in
there and sign up all of your mobile
devices and and be aware of all kinds of
emergency that are happening especially
Wildfire emergencies and when it's time
to evacuate a good rule of thumb when it
is time to evacuate is to start with the
piece and start going through making
sure you have people and pets first then
the second order of business is
prescriptions and paperwork pictures
passports other Priceless items that
can't be replaced all need to go with
you in about a 20 minute time frame so
that you know you can quickly exit the
area to a safe point and let
firefighters and emergency responders
come in and engage the fire
should the worst happen and you return
to a complete loss of your home and
property well it's an important thing to
remember that home values and
construction costs and everything
basically has gone up in price so it
would be a good time before the fire to
have conversation with your insurance
provider about are you adequately
covered to rebuild in the event of a
total loss from Wildfire wildfires are
inevitable in Colorado but Wildfire
disasters are not there are many steps
you can take to reduce Wildfire risk on
your property and within your community
if you would like more information about
how you might sign up for a free
Wildfire risk assessment through Eagle
County or with your fire district please
visit the sites below there's a variety
of resources available to help you
beyond just providing you the
information we can provide cost share
assistance we can help you on a
community level with fuel reduction
projects and prioritization and together
we can begin to create fire adapted
communities in a more Wild fire
resilient Eagle County
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