No, this isn’t about football. It is about saving lives and buildings in a wildfire—major factors in sustainability. My wife called the Moraga-Orinda Fire District (MOFD) and asked for a home wildfire preparedness inspection. She knew from others that the inspection was available for free. Tom Eberhardt is a volunteer with MOFD’s Fire Adaptive Community Ambassador Program and does risk assessments on homes and provides educational information on MOFD’s fire code. Tom came by for an hour to help us prepare as best we could for a wildfire. He walked around the house with us and discussed various aspects of home fire safety. He gave us lots of information, including a handout that defined what a defensible space should look like around a home.
Zone Defense
Zone 0 is the area nearest your house, and the idea is to protect your home from embers getting in the crawlspace, siding, and attic. Tom told us that embers in a crawl space can remain dangerous after the visible flames are extinguished. Zone 1 goes from 5 to 30 feet around the house and is called the “Lean Clean and Green Zone.” Zone 2 is 30 to 100 feet from your homes and is the Reduced Fuel Zone.
Tom pointed out that we could protect our house from embers in Zone 0 by installing mesh around the bottom of our deck, crawlspace vents, and eyebrow vents on the roof. We could trim a Persimmon tree that hangs partly over our roof and clean any leaves and debris around the perimeter. Tom suggested we replace bushes in Zone 0 with stones, but if not, we should make sure any bushes have clearance on the bottom and are free of any dry, combustible material.
For Zone 1, Tom had similar advice. Green plants spaced apart are generally okay in the 5 to 50-foot zone. Just ensure two feet of clearance between the tree and bushes and between the tree branches and the ground, and keep the ground clean. The advice is similar in Zone 2. Tom said the Juniper plant we removed from our curb was a “Gas can” and a real hazard. The farther you go out from the perimeter of your home, the more likely you will be in a neighbor’s yard. “The thing for you to do is provide space and time for you to grab your go bags and get to safety,” says Tom. The fate of our homes is linked to the fire safety of our neighbors’ yards and homes even a mile away and we have no control over that. For more detailed information about fire-wise landscaping, including planning a garden that is native, water efficient, and fire safe, please see an article from a 2023 “SCOCO Sustainability Newsletter” by Liza Kirby, 5 Firewise Landscaping Tips for a Safer and Beautiful Yard.
Resources
The Moraga-Orinda Fire District (MOFD) and Office of the Fire Marshal require relatively strict adherence to Exterior Wildfire Hazard Abatement Requirements. The MOFD also offers “Home Hardening Grant and Wildfire Safety Opportunities,” including the free home safety assessment, free ember resistance vent screens, free gutter guards that keep embers getting under your roof, brush chipping service, and a Broom puller loan. The French Broom shrub, along with any variety of bamboo, is invasive, not native, and very flammable. Eucalyptus trees are also highly flammable and shoot off embers while burning.
An extensive document was created for the MOFD by Sequoia Ecological Consulting, Best Practices for Environmental Protection During Wildfire Risk Reduction.
Check your local Fire District to find out what ordinances are in place and what services they offer you and your neighbors.
You can connect with the Contra Costa Fire District and discover county resources to help you mitigate wildfire risk. And you can request a home inspection through Cal Fire.
Photo by Soly Moses: https://www.pexels.com/photo/dramatic-nighttime-forest-fire-in-california-28317514/
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