Hardening your home

The best place to start is with planning and construction, both for the home itself and for the landscaping, but much can also be done with retrofit.

Nonflammable wall siding, double-glazed windows, nonflammable roof materials, enclosed eaves, 1/8" steel mesh-covered ventilation openings and walled or 1/8" steel mesh-enclosed spaces under terraces and porches, are all essentials parts of the exterior design.

Regularly removing any accumulation of flammable materials from the roof and around the house is crucial: where such accumulations are found is also where winds will drop embers in case of fire.

If you have a sprinkler system, identify circuits that water areas falling within your defensible space: they can be turned on in case of fire to heighten the suppressive effect of your fuel breaks. If you have a pool with a significant capacity, you may want to buy a fire pump and wildfire sprinklers (see [recommendations]), along with suitable feed hose for the pool )and hoses to connect your wildfire sprinklers to your pump) and keep the equipment handy in your garage -- the wildfire sprinklers will keep your defensible space wet, including house walls and windows if appropriate, and the system can run unattended after you evacuate.

Inside the home, keep flammable materials away from walls and especially windows, which get very hot as a fire approaches; make sure that all indoor curtains can be easily and quickly removed. For extra peace of mind, consider adding a fire sprinkler system within your home.

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