LAKE COUNTY ? Oct. 4 through 10 is Fire Prevention Awareness Week. An area of primary focus is maintaining a defensible space. Providing a defensible space around the perimeter of one”s home can be key to surviving a fire and avoiding catastrophic losses.
“Ideally is to have a 100-foot defensible space,” Lake County Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Willie Sapeta said. “If that is not achievable they should have a defensible space that encompasses their entire property up to the property line.”
A defensible space of 100 feet around a residence is required by law. The goal is to protect property while providing a safe area for firefighters. Clearing an area 30 feet immediately surrounding a structure is critical as this area requires the greatest reduction in flammable vegetation. The fuel reduction zone in the remaining 70 feet, or to the property line, will depend on the steepness of the property and the vegetation.
“Another thing that people should be doing is making sure that all flammable materials are away from their home, like firewood from the winter and any other flammable debris that may be near their house that would cause a fire to spread to the home,” Sapeta said.
Large trees do not have to be cut and removed as long as all of the plants beneath them are removed. This eliminates a vertical “fire ladder.” “Once it ladder fuels from the ground to the trees then we have spotting problems and the fire intensifies,” Sapeta said.
To achieve defensible space while maintaining a large stand of trees with a continuous tree canopy prune lower branches of the trees to a height of six to 15 feet from the top of the vegetation below. Remove all ground fuels such as fallen leaves, needles, twigs, bark, cones, pods, small branches, etc. so that surface litter does not exceed a depth of three inches. Ideally, grass should not exceed four inches in height.
For more fire safety and prevention tips visit the Web site at www.fire.ca.gov.
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com or call her directly at 994-6444, ext. 11.
