Wildfireawareness:Thingstodotoprotectyourhome

aforestedarea,herearesome steps you can take to help protectyourhome.

Yardwork

During fire season, you should regularly clear away any natural, combustible materials on your property. Rake up leaves and clear awayanydeadbranchesand other debris. Mow the lawn and prune any dead limbs fromtreesorshrubs.

Storagesmarts

(NC) This spring’s early season wildfires in Albertaareanotherstarkreminderoftheimpacts of major events. With wildfires increasing in frequency and intensity, it’s important to be awareofyoursurroundings.Ifyouliveinornear

Don’t leave combustible patio furniture and cushions on your deck or porch. Instead, store those in a detachedgarageorshedwhennotinuse. Ifyouhavepropanebarbecuetanks,store those as far away from the building as possible. And never store firewood against the house. In addition to being potential fuel for a wildfire, insects will use it to set up home right next to –andpossiblyinside–yours.

Homerenovations

If you are building or renovating your homeinanareawherewildfiresarearisk,select morefire-resistantmaterialsfortheexterior,such as metal roofing, masonry walls or fibre cement boardforthesiding.

Triple-paned windows and fire-rated exteriordoorscanalsohelppreventfireentering yourhomethroughthosevulnerablespots.

If you’re building a deck, consider noncombustible composite materials. And, if you have a wooden fence, there should be at least a 1.5 metre gap – or a barrier of non-combustible materials such as gravel, river rock and patio stones–betweenitandthehouse.

Prepareforevacuation

Monitorlocalemergencyservicesforany evacuation orders. Make sure your vehicle is fuelledup,withthewindowsclosedandisfacing the street in case you need to make a quick getaway.

You should always have an emergency bagpreparedwithessentialsincludingcash,your passports, insurance info and other important documents, medicine, non-perishable food, water,aflashlightandafirst-aidkit.

Finally,closeallwindowsanddoors,and turnoffyourpropaneornaturalgassupplybefore youleave.

You can find more advice on how to protectyourhomefromaCo-operatorsadvisorin your area. Find more fire safety tips at firesmartcanada.ca.