Ten Tips to Prepare Your Property for Wildfires

Are you and your family, home and property prepared for a wildfire? Houston Area citizens in Grimes Montgomery and Waller Counties have been forced to evacuate as wildfires threaten their property with 100 homes consumed by the wildfires so far. While our hearts and prayers goes out to those in Central Texas where more than 1,300 homes have been lost in the Bastrop, TX wildfires with many still in the balance, Houston Area residents are also beginning to think about their own property and what they can do to protect it. At Dagley Insurance & Financial Services, we want to make sure our clients and fellow Texans' property and families are prepared in the event of a wildfire threat.

The first rule of thumb, is to create at least a 30 feet “fire defensible space” around your property. In the event of a fire, this clearing will allow firefighters room to do their job, will stop the fire from spreading to your home or business and will give the structure the opportunity to survive a wildfire on its own if firefighting help is not available.

Here are a

few tips to prepare you

r home and property for the threat of a wildfire:

1. Move combustible structures such as playground equipment, wood piles, garden trellises, patio furniture etc. away from your home or office building or into storage.
2. Clear dead foliage, weeds, tall grasses and brush
3. Prune trees ten feet up from the base of the trunk and limbs at least 10 feet from roof if possible
4. Remove vines from the sides of home or building
5. Irrigate before and cut the lawn keeping grass at maximum of two inches
6. Remove any debris from under decks or porches
7. Clean rain gutters of debris
8. Pay special attention to the vegetation around the driveway which is potential kindling for automobile exhaust systems
9. Keep your gas grill and propane tank at least 15 feet away from any structure.
10. Locate water sources and makes sure hoses are ready to go on all sides of your home or building

The Texas Forest Service also has a printable checklist for preparing your property in case of wildfire.

If you have any tips to pass on, please leave a comment!

Also, for more information about how you can join us in collecting supplies for the victims of the Texas wildfires and for our firefighters, please read this post for more information.