12 Tips On Protecting Your Home From Wildfires - A Must Read!

Wildfires are a very real part of life in Los Angeles. Every year, we hear of hundreds of people losing their homes to them. There are ways to help protect you and your home from these losses. Here are 12 tips on how to protect your home!

Photo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_California_wildfires

1. When you are going to evacuate, you need to do it sooner rather than later. The old and very young should be evacuated anyway. As a rule, houses with people there to protect them will survive far better than those without anyone. Once you know there is a fire in you area, you will need to take a few actions to ensure you remain safe. As mentioned previously, if you do decide to evacuate, do it ASAP. You don't want to be on the roads when the fire is near. They are dangerous in the smoke, you may get caught in the fire, and there are a lot of emergency vehicles on the roads.
   
   
2. When the fire season starts you need to remove hazards from around your house. Cut the grass and remove it to a location where it will not endanger the house. Remove timber and remove trees from too close to the house. The yard around the house should be kept clear of fire hazards (eg timber, long grass, etc) throughout the fire season.
   
   
3. Dress in protective clothing. If you have cotton overalls these are perfect. If not, you need natural clothes (cotton or wool), long pants (jeans are good), a full sleeve cotton shirt, a wide brim hat, leather boots (preferably lace up), eye protection (goggles), something to wrap around your mouth. Be sensible. Cover up, but don't wear a thick jacket or you will die of heat exhaustion. Do not wear nylon. Nylon is made of plastic, and will melt at fairly low temperatures. Nylon burns are some of the worst you can sustain.
   
   
4. Check all your taps (inside and out) are working and you have enough water.
   
   
5. Clean out your gutters. You can clog the down pipes with a tennis ball and fill the gutters with water.
   
   
6. Fill up your bathtub and all sinks with water. Also have buckets of water ready to put out spot fires.
   
   
7. If you see a fire without fire crews in attendance, call your emergency numbers immediately. 
   
   
8. Hose your house down with water (or retardant foam if fire crews are available).
   
   
9. Keep a watch on any spot fires that start. Put any out immediately. Be especially mindful of the house, embers can get under the roof, windows, etc. Be sure to have your protective clothing on.
   
   
10. Do not get in the way of fire and emergency crews. Always follow their instructions.
    
    
11. When the fire has passed, find any spot fires and extinguish them. 'Black out' any smoldering material, check the house for any signs of smoke or fire at all.
    
    
12. Keep an ear on the radio or TV for fire updates.  Just because the fire has passed doesn't necessarily mean you are out of danger. Stay vigilant for flare ups or a renewed ember attack.

References: 
Wikihow.com