With wildfire season upon us, the Chula Vista Fire Department (CVFD) has released advice for homeowners living near canyons, hills and other remote areas on what they need to do to safeguard their properties.
First, have a plan in place for an emergency, said Harry Muns, CVFD’s deputy chief and director of operations.
“Homeowners should focus on building a plan and ensure they discuss it regularly with their family to ensure they know what to do when they are asked to evacuate,” Muns said adding, “Continuously reviewing this plan is important so that everyone in their family knows what they should do, as well as what their other family members will be doing.”
Muns said practical fire plans should include “a clear understanding of where to go or meet away from the area.” He pointed out, when evacuations are necessary, that “cell towers are quickly overwhelmed and family members may not be able to talk with their family member’s to discuss or make a plan if they have not done so already.” Often, Muns added, “this results in family members duplicating efforts, or even feeling compelled to return to the evacuation area, which can be extremely dangerous for them as well as firefighters.”
CVFD notes people living near natural areas in the Wildland Urban Interface should provide firefighters with the defensible space they need to protect their property.
“The buffer zone you create by removing weeds, brush, and other vegetation helps keep the fire away from your home and reduces the risk from flying embers,” CVFD’s website counsels, noting homes within one mile of a natural area are in the Ember Zone.
Wind-driven embers can attack and destroy homes or neighborhoods far from the actual flames of the wildland fire. Therefore, it’s essential that homeowners have their properties cleared of hazardous brush before a fire occurs.
CVFD’s Prevention Division, overseen by the Fire Marshal, is there to provide services aimed at reducing the risk of fire and injuries to the public. Those services are provided through the administration of Fire Safety Engineering, Fire Code Inspection, Fire Investigation and Public Education Programs.
A few other firefighting tips:
• Install smoke detectors or alarms in homes and test their function monthly, while replacing batteries regularly.
• Mount functional fire extinguishers on every floor of your home, especially the kitchen and garage, and know how to use them.
• Water your property occasionally to reduce the aridity.
• Create a defensible space building a safe perimeter around your house by eliminating combustible materials (width should be 30 to 200 feet from the house). The wider the clearing and the fewer combustible debris, the greater the chance of protecting your home. Rake your property often to remove twigs, leaves, and dead plants. Homeowners with thick vegetation should clear as much as 100 feet, and those with houses on slopes should clear as much as 200 feet.
• Incorporate fire-resistant plants in your yard to slow down a fire’s progress. By establishing a “greenbelt” of plants around your property, you introduce a fire barrier. Plants such as the California Redbud, the Monkeyflower, Sage and Common Yarrow are standard fire-resistant shrubs.
• Space your greenery to create gaps because it makes it more difficult for a blaze to travel.
° Inspect your roof because the air-borne embers of a wildfire can penetrate into inner roof cavities, where they can be pushed inside the home by the heavy winds generated by a bushfire.
• Clean dry leaves and debris from gutters and install steel gutter guards.
• Check glass windows and doors. Fire can gain access into your house through windows and doors, and through the seals around them.
