Building on our prior post, resulting from the meeting held on October 7, hosted by Raymond Fire and Rescue, this is the 2nd article intended to provide steps you can take to reduce the risk of wildfire impacting your home.
As background, the introductory article contains links to the recording of the above meeting, the slides covered during the meeting as well as the Community Wildfire Risk Assessment. If you haven’t done so already, you are highly encouraged to review that article by clicking here.
This and the next posts will be focused on information gleaned from the Community Wildfire Risk Assessment, which you can view by clicking here.
Upon reviewing the above, we’ve come up with a punch-list of what we’d consider the “easy stuff” that we each can do to minimize risk of wildfire impacting our home on Raymond Cape. In a subsequent post we’ll share what we’d consider more “project-sized” recommendations that may require the services of various contractors.
For now, let’s tackle the easy stuff. Here we go!
- Keep street signs visible and clear of vegetation and fire fuels so that Raymond Fire and Rescue can actually find your home, if/when necessary.
- Ensure your road / driveway is not just a goat path. More specifically, ensure driveway accessibility with a recommended clearance: 12’ to 15’ wide and 13.5’ high. Doing so enables emergency services to get as close to your home as possible during an event.
- Remove ladder fuels (dead debris on ground and/or lower branches on trees) that allow fire to climb from lower to higher vegetation.
- Remove dead vegetation from under the deck and within 10 feet of the house and all structures.
- Clear branch, leaf-litter and other debris from roof and gutters regularly.
- Prune tree limbs away from roof.
- Clean roof vents to keep them free of debris, allowing them to keep embers out while allowing air flow for ventilation
- Ensure landscaping materials and vegetation is away from combustible siding.
- Maintain debris-free decks (e.g., remove ignitable furniture, planters and covering propane grills, especially during high fire danger periods)
- Regarding gas and electrical utilities:
- Keep vegetation pruned to a minimal level near utilities
- Keep fine fuel accumulation cleared away from propane tanks and electrical cabinets.
- Place non-flammable mulch, rock or stone around base of propane tanks and electrical cabinets
In closing, each of the above are simple tasks that you may elect to do yourself, or by hiring a reputable firm (such as Raymond Cape Winter Watch), to handle as part of upcoming Fall Cleanup.
If you’d like assistance with ANY of the above, please reach out by calling or texting now: (207) 370-4235.
Happy Fall!
Raymond Cape Winter Watch 