FIRESAFE YOUR HOME!

Inside the House

Post fire emergency telephone numbers
Plan several escape routes away from your home by car and by foot
Inspect chimneys at least twice a year, clean chimneys once a year. Keep dampers in good working order
Consider installing protective shutters or heavy fire-resistant drapes
Equip chimneys and stovepipes with a spark arrester that meets the requirements of National Fire Protection Association Code 211. Contact the fire department for exact specifications.
Use 1/2-inch mesh screen beneath porches, decks, floor areas, and the home itself. Screen openings to floors, roof and attic
Install a smoke detector on each level of your home, especially near bedrooms. Test monthly, change the batteries at least once a year.
Purchase and store in easy access an ABC type fire extinguisher. Teach each family member how to use it
Keep the following 'fire tools' handy: a ladder that will reach the roof, a rake, axe, handsaw and/or chainsaw, bucket, and shovel

Create a firesafe zone around your home.

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Outside the House

Contact your local fire department/forestry office for information on fire laws
Make sure that fire vehicles can get to your home. Clearly mark all driveway entrances and display your name and address
Use fire resistant or non-combustible materials on the roof and exterior structure of the dwellings. Or, treat wood or combustible materials used in roofs, siding, decking, or trim with UL-approved fire-retardant chemicals
Clear a 10-foot area around propane tanks and the barbecue. Place a screen over the grill—use non-flammable material with mesh no coarser than 1/4-inch.
Place stove, fireplace, and grill ashes in a metal bucket, soak in water for two days, then bury the cold ashes in mineral soil
Stack firewood at least 100 feet away and uphill from your home. Clear combustible material within 20 feet. Use only UL-approved wood burning devices
Store gasoline, oily rags, and other flammable materials in approved safety cans. Place cans in safe location away from the base of buildings

Create a 100-Foot Safety Zone Around Your Home

Design and landscape your home with wildfire safety in mind
Select materials and plants that can contain fire rather than fuel it
Plant fire-resistant shrubs and trees. For example, hardwood trees are less flammable than pine, evergreen, eucalyptus or fir trees
Rake leaves, dead limbs and twigs, clear all flammable vegetation
Remove leaves and rubbish from under structures and dispose of them properly
Thin a 15-foot space between tree crowns, remove limbs within 15 feet of the ground
Remove dead branches that extend over the roof
Prune tree branches and shrubs within 15 feet of a stovepipe or chimney outlet
Ask the power company to clear branches from power lines
Remove vines from the walls of the home
Mow grass regularly
Dispose newspapers and rubbish at an approved site, follow local burning regulations

Fallbrook Is Not Fire Proof,
Let's Make Fallbrook FireSafe

The information presented in this web site is believed to be accurate and of practical value in preparing for fire disasters, but no guarantee can be given that guidance presented here will provide complete protection.

Liability for any losses that may occur in a fire, or as a result of applying the information contained in this web site is specifically disclaimed by the Fallbrook FireSafe Council. Please use your own judgment in fire safety and consult the appropriate organizations listed below for specific information.

North County Fire District, California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection, San Diego FireSafe Council

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