Tips for prevention

• Is your residence and surrounding property safe from the threat of wildfire?
• Have the pine trees been cleared within 25 feet of the house?
• For the next 75 feet are the pine trees thinned approximately 25 feet apart, and are branches pruned to a height of 6-10 feet?
• If you burn firewood, is your wood piled at least 25 feet from buildings?
• Is your roof clean of combustable materials?
• Are combustable materials removed from under and around the building?
• Do the buildings have skirting where needed?
• Are there fire tools such as a preconnected 100 feet of hose, shovel, rake, ladder and pail available?
• Is the grass mowed to 100 feet from the house?
• Is the chimney clean with a spark arrestor on top?
• Is the roofing made of noncombustable material?
• Is your road or driveway accessible for a fire truck? (consider locked gates or chains, driveway width and steep grades before answering)
• Are all bridge crossings strong enough to support a fire truck?
• Is there an area for a fire truck to turn around?
• Have you and your family planned a safe evacuation route in case of a fire?
• Do you have emergency fire phone numbers posted?
• Do you know proper burning techniques and the safest time of the day or year to burn?
• When doing open burning, do you know how to obtain a burn permit from your local agency?
• Is your burn barrel in good condition with a safe screen covering, and does it have a 10 foot clearing around it?

  And the most important question of all.......

• Can you honestly say that you cannot do anything to your dwelling or property to make them more safe from a forest fire?

Most people that recieve this information dismiss it as government waste; another scare tactic to drive them from their homes, as was the case in Grayling. But to the few that read the brocheres and followed the advice given, it was better than the best insurance policy money could buy.


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