Homeowner Fire Season Precautions

Fire officials have begun to urge homeowners to take safety precautions for an early fire season.

Measures recommended by the National Interagency Fire Center to protect homes from wildfires:

-Use fire resistant material, such as tile, slate, sheet iron, aluminum, brick, or stone, when building a house.

-Treat existing materials, such as wood siding, cedar shakes, exterior wood paneling, or other highly combustible materials, with fire retardant chemicals.

-Regularly clean roof surfaces and gutters of pine needs, leaves and branches to avoid the accumulation of flammable materials.

-Remove portions of any tree extending within 10 feet of the opening of any stove or chimney.

-Space landscape vegetation so that fire can not be carried to the house or surrounding vegetation.

-Keep tree branches 15 feet above the ground.

-Maintain a fuel break around the house.

-Dispose of stove or fireplace ashes and charcoal briquettes only after soaking them in a metal pail of water.

-Store gasoline in an approved safety can away from the house.

-Propane tanks should be far enough away for valves to be shut off in case of fire.

-All combustibles such as firewood, picnic tables, boats, etc., should be kept away from the house.

-Keep a garden hose connected at all times.

-Have fire tools handy such as, a ladder long enough to reach the roof, a shovel, a rake and a bucket for water.

-Each home should have at least two different entrance and exit routes.