HOME PREPARATION FOR WILDFIRE Over time residential areas have infringed into the wildlands creating potential for disastrous fires that have destroyed homes and property located in our forested areas. You can minimize danger to your family and property by pre-planning your actions while making your property fire resistant. Thin your property vegetation according to the Forest Highlands Firewise standards. The following are guidelines and steps you can take to safeguard your family from the effects of a wildfire:
OUTSIDE YOUR HOME Remove combustible items from around the structure well in advance of a possible fire. This includes lawn furniture, umbrellas, and tarp coverings. If they catch fire, the added heat could ignite your home. • If possible close outside attics and vents. This will eliminate the possibility of sparks blowing into hidden areas within the structure. Close windows and shutters. • Position garden hoses so they will reach around the structure. Use a spray-gun type nozzle. • A variety of local companies including Forest Highlands Recreation Concierge Services can provide yard cleanup to help remove combustibles. • Pine Needle Pickup is offered each summer season. Simply place pine needle bags along the roadside near your address marker. Our FH trash service provider picks them up for a fee.
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INSIDE YOUR HOME Close all windows and doors to prevent sparks from blowing inside, but do not lock them. If firefighters arrive to help save your home, they may need instant access. Leave the premises as soon as this is completed. • Close all doors inside the house to block the circulation of air and movement of fire from room to room. • Open the damper on your fireplace to help stabilize outside/inside pressure, but close the fireplace screen so sparks will not ignite the room. • Turn on a light in each room of the house, the porch, in the garden and in the yard. This will make the house more visible in heavy smoke and at night. • Shut off propane gas at the tanks. • If you have time, take down your curtains. If you don’t have time to take them down, leave them open. Close all venetian blinds or fire resistive window coverings to reduce the amount of heat radiating into your home. • Move combustible items away from windows and sliding glass doors and into the center of the house. • Park your car in the garage, heading out; close car windows; leave the keys in the ignition. • Close the garage door, but leave unlocked and disconnect the automatic garage door opener. • Place valuable documents and mementos inside the car in the garage for quick departure, if necessary. • Store flammable or hazardous materials such as paint, solvent and thinners in proper safety containers.
EMERGENCY EVACUATION PLAN | UPDATED AUGUST 2023 10
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