AAA offers fire protection tips to keep your home and family safe
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BAY AREA, Calif. (July 20, 2017) – With the aggressive Detwiler fire near Mariposa forcing thousands of people to evacuate their homes this week, AAA is reminding residents on helpful tips to secure their home from wildfires.
Create and maintain a defensible space
- Minimize or clear shrubs and trees closest to your home.
- Use concrete, rocks or other noncombustible materials for landscaping.
- Remove dead vegetation, keep grass short, and trim tree limbs so they are at least 10 feet from other trees, roofs and decks.
- Clear your roof and gutters regularly to avoid accumulation of flammable materials.
- Keep any combustibles, such as firewood and picnic tables, away from structures.
- Use noncombustible or fire-resistant materials, such as tile, slate, sheet iron, aluminum, brick or stone for the roof, exterior of your home, and fences and decks.
- Consider installing double-pane, tempered-glass windows; they are less likely to crack in high temperatures.
- Use a chimney guard to keep sparks from landing on the roof. Cover all exterior vent openings with 1/8- to 1/4-inch metal mesh to reduce the possibility of burning embers getting into or under your home.
- Keep propane tanks away from buildings and flammable vegetation.
- Where possible, roads and driveways should be at least 16 feet wide to allow for access by fire trucks and large equipment.
- Ensure that your address is clearly marked and visible from the street.
- Create a plan for your family that includes escape routes and places to meet, as well as out-of-area phone and email contacts. Practice, review and revise the plan regularly. Don’t forget to include your pets and animals.
- Have a few options lined up for places that can keep your animals in case of an emergency.
- Keep important papers – birth certificates, passports, medical records, insurance information – in a fireproof and waterproof box.
- Assemble an emergency supply kit that includes nonperishable food and water (enough for three days), a multipurpose tool, flashlight, hand-crank or battery-powered radio, batteries, extra cash, cell phone and charger, first-aid supplies, critical medications and basic personal hygiene products. Consider keeping another kit in the trunk of your car.
AAA Northern California offers a wide array of automotive, travel, insurance, DMV, financial services and consumer discounts to more than 4 million members. AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers since it was founded more than 117 years ago.
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