Fire Safety Tips

Every Home Should Have Smoke Alarms: 

The International Fire Code calls for smoke detectors to be installed and maintained in each room used for sleeping purposes, and in the area just outside of sleeping areas, with at least one smoke detector on each level of the home (including basements). Buy a smoke alarm at any hardware or discount store. It's inexpensive protection for you and your family. A working smoke alarm can double your chances of survival. Test it monthly, keep it free of dust and replace the battery at least once a year. Smoke alarms themselves should be replaced after ten years of service, or as recommended by the manufacturer.

Prevent Electrical Fires:

Never overload circuits or extension cords. Do not place cords and wires under rugs, over nails or in high traffic areas. Immediately shut off and unplug appliances that sputter, spark or emit an unusual smell. Have them professionally repaired or replaced. Contact the Electrical Division of Labor and Industries for electrical questions or concerns. They can be reached at 360-416-3000.

Use Appliances Wisely:

When using appliances follow the manufacturer's safety precautions. Overheating, unusual smells, shorts and sparks are all warning signs that appliances need to be shut off, then replaced or repaired. Use safety caps to cover all unused outlets if there are small children in the home.

Alternate Heaters:

• Portable heaters need their space.
• Keep anything combustible at least three feet away.
• Keep fire in the fireplace. Use fire screens and have your chimney cleaned annually. The creosote buildup can ignite a chimney fire that could easily spread.
• Kerosene heaters should not be used in a dwelling.
• Never use gasoline or camp-stove fuel.

Affordable Home Fire Safety Sprinklers:

When home fire sprinklers are used with working smoke alarms, your chances of surviving a fire are greatly increased. Sprinklers are affordable - they can increase property value and lower insurance rates.

Plan Your Escape:

Practice an escape plan from every room in the house.

• Caution everyone to stay low to the floor when escaping from fire and never to open doors that are hot.
• Select a location where everyone can meet after escaping the house.
• Get out then call for help.

Caring for Children:

Children under five are naturally curious about fire. Many play with matches and lighters. Tragically, children set over 20,000 house fires every year. Take the mystery out of fire play by teaching your children that fire is a tool, not a toy. Keep all matches and lighters stored above the level where young children can reach them. Many fires set by children who are curious about fire result in fatalities.

Caring for the elderly:

Every year over 1,200 senior citizens die in fires. Many of these fire deaths could have been prevented. Seniors are especially vulnerable because many live alone and can't respond quickly. It is especially important that this vulnerable population has smoke detectors.

Remove fire fuel wherever possible.

Clean your gutters of debris and make sure your roof is clear of leaves and moss. Many of the large, catastrophic fires in the West in recent years were fueled by warm, dry, and in many cases extreme wind, blowing hot embers as much as a mile in advance of the fireline. These embers catch fire in dry leaves in gutters and unscreened attic vents, eaves, and soffits. Install 1/8 inch metal mesh screening to block embers.

Never store flammable materials underneath elevated decks or porches (for example firewood) and clean dead vegetation from between deck boards and under the deck. 

Plant for moisture resilience.

Healthy plants tend to be more resilient to swings in temperature and moisture. Choosing plants to fit the specific conditions in your garden, considering soil, moisture, sun exposure, and otherwise gardening factors will help create a resilient garden.

Consider groupings of plants and introduce more diversity of species or varieties to assure more vitality. A well-designed plant community tends to be more drought-tolerant and insulating to extreme changes. Native plants often make good choices. 

Create a defensible space.

Fire professionals often talk about maintaining a defensible space within 100 to 200 feet of your home. Within this area modify the landscaping to give your house the best chance to survive on its own. This will greatly improve the odds of success for firefighters who are defending your neighborhood. If your home is on a slope or subject to high winds, extend the area of this zone to whatever your fire department recommends. Separate shrubs (with spaces of at least 10 feet between clumps), limb up trees, and use hardscaping such as rock, stone pathways, and concrete to break up potential fire fuels.

Within 5 to 30 feet of the home use only individual trees or shrubs, keeping them well maintained and pruned up. Remove dead, dry leaves, needles, or branches, and do not place flammable mulch near the foundation.

Beyond using inflammable hardscape, groundcovers such as succulents and even a narrow band of turf grass can provide valuable protection. Keep grass near your home (both turf and natural meadows) watered, if possible, and mowed during fire season to no more than 4 inches. Use of fire-resistant plants is the best choice and grass to grow from 0 to 30 feet from your foundation.

Pruning plants to reduce dead and dying limbs and leaves is critical. While no plants are completely fire resistant, chances of surviving and slowing the spread of fire are better when there is less flammable material on the ground and within plants and trees. You may wonder “Why remove dead leaves when we know they create habitat for beneficial insects and wildlife?” Removing flammables during fire season, within the ignition zone of your home will increase your chances for survival and keeping your home.

Removing ladder fuels (vegetation under trees) prevents fires from reaching the crowns of trees. Prune trees at least 6 to 10 feet from the ground; for shorter trees, do not trim more than 1/3 of the overall tree height. Trees overhanging roofs and structures can be problematic and should be trimmed back, in fact, there should be no trees and or shrubs within the first 0-5 feet of the foundation and few scattered trees or shrubs within 5 feet to 30 feet of the structure.