Protect your home from wildfire
Though above-normal levels of rain in winter and spring bring much-needed moisture to Arizona, they can also bring an abundance of vegetation.
As the season changes, winds, dry conditions, and high temperatures reduce that spring glory into extremely flammable fuel sources. Urban development in the Phoenix metropolitan area has resulted in new neighborhoods nestled next to agricultural fields and desert areas. This greatly increases the threat of property damage from wildfires every summer.
To protect your property, follow this advice from the national FIREWISE Communities program and SRP SafetyConnection™. Remember, wildfires are not limited to communities in heavily wooded areas of the state.
Maintain at least 30 feet of lean, clean and green space surrounding your home.
- Lean: Prune shrubs and cut back tree branches, especially within 15 feet of a chimney.
- Clean: Remove all dead plant material from around your home. This includes dead leaves, dry grass, firewood and any other combustibles.
- Green: Use fire-resistant vegetation, where possible, and keep it healthy. Local landscape specialists can provide more details about these types of plants.
Defensible space allows fire fighters room to put out fires.
To make your property less vulnerable to wildfires:
- Plant trees a safe distance apart.
- Take out or limit the "ladder fuels," vegetation that serves as a potential fire link between grasses, shrubs, trees and structures.
- Maintain your irrigation system to keep plants from drying out.
- Remove dead vegetation from your roof and yard, and dispose of debris promptly.
- Cut overhanging branches and prune tree limbs so the lowest is six-to-ten feet from the ground.
- Refuel garden equipment carefully and maintain it regularly.
- If you smoke, use an ashtray.
Proper care of your plantings can help to prevent them from becoming fire fuel.
Prepare for a fire emergency now. Take a few minutes to discuss your emergency plan with your family. Remember to:
- Post your local fire department telephone number (if it's not 911) in a visible spot.
- Decide where you will go and how you will get there in the event of a fire. Map out at least two escape routes out of your home and out of your neighborhood.
- Keep tools such as a working hose, two-gallon bucket, shovel, rake, axe, and handsaw or chainsaw at the ready.
- Practice family fire drills, and include your pets. Evacuations for wildfire can occur without advance notice. When wildfire conditions exist, be alert.
If you live in the foothills, your property faces a real fire risk. Protecting your home from wildfires is your responsibility. Please follow the suggestions on this page to protect your property.
Go to the national FIREWISE Communities program for more fire prevention tips.
