WILDFIRE PROTECTION IN TGO

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• Contact TGO Firewise at firewise@tgocsa.com

Preparation

A few simple actions may help save your home

• Clean the roof and gutters on your home or/and RV. Dried leaves and pine needles are perfect materials to catch on fire quickly.

• Clean out flammable materials underneath your deck and RV.

• Consider your outbuilding construction type. Is it flammable? What is stored in it? Think of combustibles inside that once ignited, will make the fire go from small to explosive; Significant fire hazards include LP tanks, gasoline, lawn chemicals, or fertilizers.

• Have your house number easily visible from the street so that emergency services can find you during the day and at night.

• Keep 25-50 feet of hose readily available at a faucet away from the structure.

• Have tools such as a shovel, rake, handsaw, bucket, broom, and fire extinguisher easily available.

Defensible Space

The goal of Firewise landscaping is to create and maintain ideally a 30-foot safety zone around your home and/or RV. This “defensible space” reduces the wildfire threat to your home by changing the charcteristics of the flammable vegetation and increases the likelihood that a home or RV will survive a wildfire, even in the absence of firefighters.

This defensible space does not need to be devoid of shrubs and trees but should be wisely landscaped with plants known to be less flammable.

Your Landscaping should be Lean, Clean, and Green:

Lean – Prune shrubs and cut back tree branches.

Clean – Remove dead plant material from around your home; this includes dead leaves and dry vegetation.

Green – Plant fire-resistant vegetation that is healthy and green throughout the year.

Note: You need to contact CSA/ARC before working beyond your property line.

ALSO REMEMBER TO:

4 Landscape with less-flammable plants. See list of plants at this link on page 5 of the Firewise Brochure...

4 Keep trees and shrubs pruned. Prune all trees six to 10 feet from the ground.

4 Take out the “ladder fuels” vegetation that serves as a link between grass and treetops. These fuels can carry fire from vegetation to a structure or other trees further spreading the fire.

4 Replace vegetative mulches such as shredded bark with stone.

4 Make sure there is no vegitation touching any structures.

4 Dispose of cuttings and debris by bringing them to the curb for CSA to haul away.