The last couple of years have seen huge and devastating wildfires.  While it is not always in our control to prevent a wildfire from starting, there are things that we can do on our own properties to help stop them spreading. One way of doing this is something referred to as “Defensible Space”. What is that?

 

Defensible space involves preparing the land surrounding your property in such a way so as to make it difficult for a fire to spread.  It involves reducing the amount of combustible materials on your property and removing large amounts of foliage etc. that would provide fuel for a fire.  There are, however, certain things to keep in mind with defensible space.

 

In order for this to be effective, it requires constant maintenance.  If you are unsure about what to remove in the way of combustible materials, look around your property and identify areas that would either fuel a fire or weaken one.  Clear areas that would fuel the fire.

 

Another factor to keep in mind when it comes to the spreading of fire is how quickly the fire department could access your property with all their equipment.  Defensible space will help enable them to access your property easily.  If you have a body of water on your property, make sure there is easy access to it which will also aid firefighters in doing their job quickly.

 

Before you start preparing your property though, check with local authorities to see what regulations are in place with regard to defensible space.  This is important because you do not want to endanger or disturb any wildlife or cause any damage to the environment.

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