| FireSafe Garden |
|
|
|
| Fire Safe Demonstration Garden |
|
|
|
| Bear Creek Fire Station #75 |
| Sponsored by : |
• California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection
• Chevron
• United States Forest Service
• Southwest Riverside FireSafe council |
 |
| |
Southwest Riverside County FireSafe council
(Garden Location)
38900 Clinton Keith Road
Murrieta, CA 92562 |
|
|
|
| WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS GARDEN? |
| Everyone living at the urban/wildland interface needs to be concerned with wildfire. (The urban/wildland interface is the area where commercial and residential development abuts undeveloped land.) |
|
| This garden was created to show you, the homeowner, how to take active measures to protect your life and property in the event of a wildfire.
Wildfire safety involves two issues: what you can do to make your home fire safe and how to arrange your landscaping to slow an approaching fire, or even stop it before it reaches your home.
|
|
| This FireSafe
Demonstration
Garden shows you both the right and the wrong way to build a home and to design and maintain your landscape.
|
|
| WHAT MAKES THIS HOUSE FIRE SAFE? |
The fire safe house has a noncombustible, Class A roof. Examples of Class A roofing are tile, metal or composite shingles. Flying firebrands will not set this roof on fire. Roof vents are covered with fine mesh screen to keep out sparks and embers. |
|
This fire safe house has noncombustible stucco on the outside walls. Other noncombustible finishes are brick, concrete block or metal siding. The eaves on the fire safe house are boxed in and stuccoed to block entry of burning embers. |
|
The fire safe house has proper vegetation clearances with well maintained landscaping. The swimming pool serves as an emergency water supply. Hoses are coiled and hung up for quick access. |
|
Fire safe windows are dual pane. Emergency shutters made of heavy plywood are stored in the garage for placement over the windows in a fire emergency. |
|
There are no large trees with branches hanging over the driveway so emergency vehicles have ready access. |
|
| This home has a readily visible house address, with letters at least 4" high.
|
|
| WHAT MAKES THIS HOUSE AT HIGH RISK FOR FIRE? |
This house has a roof made of untreated wooden shake shingles. Roofs like this catch fire easily from red hot firebrands carried by the wind. Roof vents are covered with coarse mesh screen which may allow burning embers to enter the attic. |
|
| This house has wooden siding which does not resist fire. |
|
Open eaves, where the roof meets the walls, trap burning embers which may set the house on fire. |
|
This house has combustible wooden fences near it, no emergency water supply, and no hoses ready for fire fighting. Piles of wood around the patio area and weeds around the flammable wooden deck add to the hazardous conditions. |
|
|
The windows of this house are made of single pane glass and the owner has prepared no emergency shutters.
|
|
| Access for emergency vehicles is limited because of overgrown trees. |
|
| The house has no visible house address, making it difficult for emergency vehicles to find.
|
|
| WHAT MAKES A LANDSCAPE FIRE SAFE? |
|
| When you plan a fire safe landscape, you must realize that given the right conditions all plants will bum. |
|
| The four principals for creating a fire safe landscape are: |
|
1. Consider the type of potential fuel
Some plants burn less readily than others because A) they maintain a higher moisture content or B) because of poor fuel quality. |
|
2. Choose small plants
They are desirable because the have less material for the fire to burn. |
|
3. Consider the arrangement of your plants
Leave some bare spaces between your trees and shrubs. These act like mini firebreaks which may slow or perhaps stop the fire. |
|
4. Zone your landscape
The closer the plants are to your home, the smaller and more fire resistant they should be. This creates a "defensible space" where fire fighters can make a stand against the fire. |
