Cal Fire Tips On Wildfire Preparation

Fire fighters warned Coachella Valley residents Friday to take pro-active measures to protect your home from burning down.

Every season is fire season here in the desert. But, as the temperatures rise, fire officials expect the number of fires to increase as well.

Cal Fire said that many household changes could be made without hiring outside help, like clearing dead brush similar to this. . . and hardening your home, preventing it from catching fire easily.

“We’re in May and this stuffs already dried out,” said Bill Hunley, a Cal Fire Battalion Chief, who pointed out dead brush in the desert, which despite the winter rain, has dried out quickly.

One of the first things fire fighters do when battling a blaze is create a fire line. But, Cal Fire said homeowners should do the same to their home before a fire sparks.

It’s called defensible spacing.

“What we mean by defensible space is clearing all that brush within a 100 feet of the residence,” said Hunley. “We have to have that defensible space so that we can go in and defend that home.”

Shrubs, bushes, weeds, trees: any material that can easily catch fire should be removed.

Homeowners should also invest in hardening their home, said Hunley. That means avoid using flamable material on the exterior of the home, such as wood shingles on the roof.

“So, when flying embers do come flying up the roof [and] under the eves, make sure that’s hardened with non-combustible materials,” he said. “It’s a matter of time. [A fire] will hit somewhere. Just like an earthquake, it’s gonna hit.”

The Cal Fire Riverside County Fire Department has more on how to protect your home from wildfires.

For more information, log onto www.rvcfire.org, and there you will find the ‘Ready, Set, Go!” Wildfire Action Plan.