10 Steps To Protect Home

Sat., Aug. 12, 2000

By Trinity Hartman trinityh@spokesman.com

The phone number for FireSafe Spokane is 464-1086. A Saturday Valley Voice article listed an incorrect number.

FireSafe Spokane suggests 10 steps to protect a home from wildfires:

Recognize the hazard. Fires are a normal part of the ecosystem.

Create defensible space.

Clear flammable materials to create a minimum 30-foot buffer around the house.

Reduce flammables. Remove dry grass, brush, dead leaves and pine needles. Replace dry, flammable plants with barberry, rose of Sharon, sedium and spirea.

Prune or remove trees. Low-hanging branches allow fire to climb up.

Relocate wood piles. They should be at least 30 feet from a house, and flammable vegetation should be kept 10 feet from woodpiles.

Keep the roof, gutters, decks and yard free of pine needles, leaves and debris.

Be accessible. Make sure fire trucks can find the house and get into the driveway.

Rate your roof. The roof is the most vulnerable part of the house in a wildfire. Wood shake roofs are especially flammable.

Recycle yard debris. Spokane County has a ban prohibiting burning this summer and fall.

Prepare your home. Put in smoke detectors and fire extinguishers.

FireSafe Spokane offers free home and yard inspections for people who live in forested areas. They can be reached by phone at 484-1086 or on the Web at www.firesafespokane.com.

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