Wildfire Protection That Starts at Home | SERVPRO® of West Forsyth County
7/22/2021 (Permalink)
One of the scariest thoughts for any homeowner is the idea that their home might be threatened or even destroyed in a raging wildfire. North Carolina was actually the No. 5 state in the country for wildfires in 2020, so the possibility might not be as far-fetched as you might imagine.
But you can take steps to make your home less susceptible to wildfire, on top of the oft-ignored practice of simply being careful, which is the best method of prevention.
Let’s talk about a step called “defensible space.”
What Is Defensible Space?
It’s not about stopping invaders from Pluto. “Defensible space” is the practice of making the property around your home safer, so that fire can’t close in on your home.
You can slow or stop the spread of a fire with the right combo of regular pruning and tree spacing, gravel and inorganic material as a kind of hardscape moat around your house, and removal of dry fuel sources like dead trees or brush.
Defensible space is a way of choking a fire out before it takes your home. With limited fuel available, a fire has nowhere to spread. Defensible space also gives firefighters their best chance of stopping a wildfire before it gets to your house, by giving them adequate space in which to work.
Why Defensible Space Matters
Though West Coast wildfires get most of the press, they can and do occur all over the country. In fact there were over 59,000 wildfires nationwide in 2020.
Even disregarding the 10,000+ fires in California, that’s still an average of almost 1,000 fires per state in 2020, with no state tallying zero fires.
North Carolina was well above that average, with a total of 2,364 fires, giving up almost 13,000 acres of land to their blazes. And 2021 is shaping up for more of the same—the number of fires so far has increased by 25% over last year.
It behooves homeowners to take any available protection when wildfires are concerned, and defensible space is one more step you can take to prevent losing your home to one.
If your home is damaged by fire of any sort, wild or not, SERVPRO is ready and able to repair the damage caused. Get in touch today to get the pros on your team. It is best to contact us directly 336-946-1131.