JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – This is the dry time of the year when wildfires quickly fire up but preparing now can help protect your home from catching fire.
When we go 2 weeks without rain there is usually an increase in fire activity. Although we can't control the weather a few steps can be made around the house to slow or stop the spread of fire.
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It is important to keep your property lean from dead trees while maintaining green moist vegetation.
Your home’s chance of surviving a wildfire increases when a 100 foot buffer of defensible space is cleared between a building on your property and the grass, trees, shrubs that surround it.
Defensible space is also important for the protection of the firefighters defending your home.
Two zones make up the required 100 feet of defensible space.
To improve the odds of a building surviving a wildfire make two zones around the structure with the first zone extending 30 feet out from buildings or decks and remove all dead plants, grass and vegetation.
Trim trees regularly to keep branches a minimum of 10 feet from other trees and remove branches that hang over your roof. Remove or prune flammable plants and shrubs near windows.
In the second zone that extends out to 100 feet, make sure to cut or mow annual grass down to a maximum height of 4 inches. Create horizontal and vertical spacing between shrubs and trees.
Remove fallen leaves, needles, twigs, bark, cones, and small branches over 3 inches in depth.