Wildfires frequently begin unnoticed and spread rapidly out of control.  Here are some steps to reduce your risks and protect family and property.

v     Report hazardous conditions that could cause a wildfire.

v     Teach children about fire safety.  Keep matches off limits.

v     Learn first aid and CPR.

v     Show your family members how and when to shut-off utilities when necessary.

v     Post fire emergency telephone numbers where easily located or by all phones.

v     Plan escape routes away from your home by car and on foot

v     Regularly clean your roof and gutters.

v     Inspect chimneys at least twice a year.

v     Use mesh screen beneath porches, decks, floor areas and the home itself.

v     Install smoke detectors on each level of your home, test monthly and change batteries once a year (a good time is when you change the clocks back)

v     Keep a ladder that will reach the roof, and an escape ladder for a second floor.

v     Use fire resistant drapes.

v     Keep handy household items that can be used as fire tools such as an axe, rake, handsaw, bucket and shovel without having to look for them.

v     Design and landscape your home with plants and materials that can contain the fire rather than fuel it.

v     Use fire-resistant or noncombustible materials for roofs, siding, decking and trip with UL approved fire-retardant chemicals.

v     Create a 30 to 100 foot safety zone around your home and clear of all flammable materials, including branches, structures near power lines, vines on walls, leaves and twigs and stacked firewood.

v     Trim trees and remove limbs within 5 feet of the ground.

v     Place stove, fireplace and grill ashes in a metal bucket, soak in water for two days, then bury in mineral soil.

v     Store gasoline, oily rags and other flammable materials only in approved safety cans.

v     Identify and maintain an adequate outside water source such as a small pond, well, swimming pool or hydrant with a garden hose long enough to reach home and structures – better yet why not be prepared with Emerco’s “Lil Fire Protector™” home and marina firefighting cart.

v     Listen to your battery operated radio for reports and evacuation information.

v     Confine your pets to one room.  Make plans to care for them in case you evacuate.

v     Arrange temporary housing at a friend or relative’s home outside the threatened area.

If advised to evacuate do so immediately.

v     Wear protective clothing, i.e., sturdy shoes, cotton or woolen clothing, long pants, long-sleeved shirt, gloves and a handkerchief or mask to protect your face.

v     Take your emergency supplies kit

v     Lock your home

v     Tell someone when you leave and where you are going

v     Choose a route away from the fire hazards.