Taking preventive wildfire safety measures is essential to protect yourself and your home during wildfire season.
It’s no secret that British Columbia is an incredible province. We have hot summers, milder winters, mountains, ocean views, and stunning lakes and rivers.
Many people choose to live in BC due to our temperate climate. However, as we’ve seen in recent history, this also means we have an increased risk of wildfires.
While many measures are taken by the province to prevent and fight wildfires when they do happen, unfortunately, sometimes we just can’t stand up to Mother Nature. That’s why it’s even more critical to mitigate the risks of wildfires affecting your home and treasured belongings.
Below, we’ve outlined the best wildfire safety tips to ensure minimal destruction if you are caught in the middle of a wildfire area.
Don’t Feed Fires
Clutter feeds fires, and it doesn’t take much for wildfires to spread when the right conditions permit. Embers travel on average, up to 2 km and have been known to travel up to 17 km. That being said, keeping your yard/outdoor areas clutter-free will significantly reduce the risk of an ember catching in your yard.
Clear debris, such as dry grass or leaves, from your yard, remove lumber/wood/branches stacked near your home, and clean your gutters regularly, as they can collect leaves and pine needles.
In the unfortunate event that your home is affected, clutter within the home can make the fire spread faster and be more intense. Reducing excess clutter like paper, cardboard storage boxes, and clothing can help fire crews fight the fire quickly.
Clutter can make a quick escape difficult or even impossible. Wildfires spread quickly, and evacuation orders can come without much notice.
Protect Your Valuables
Along with removing clutter, there are other wildfire safety measures you can take to protect your home and valuables.
Plant fire-resistant plants around your property if possible, and consider removing highly flammable plants, such as cypress, eucalyptus, and ornamental grasses, as well as mulch.
Within your home, create an inventory list of all valuable items. You can create your own or use this one from the Red Cross. Take photos of your items and create a digital document with all the information. Should you need to make a claim with your insurance company, this will help expedite the process and ensure nothing is forgotten.
Make digital copies of documents, then email them to yourself or save them on an external hard drive. Consider investing in a fire safe or fire chest for jewelry, small keepsakes, documents, and external hard drives.
Have an Emergency Kit and a Go-bag
Being in a wildfire area, even if you’re not on alert or on evacuation notice, can be extremely stressful, making it harder to prepare to leave. The last thing you want to be doing is trying to remember where your children’s birth certificates or your passports and insurance documents are and if you have grabbed everything you may need, such as a first aid kit, a flashlight, or your medication. Having a checklist and go-bag ready will help you prepare if a fire alert or evacuation notice is issued for your area.
Get your emergency kit and go-bag prepared by following the checklists on the Province of BC website.
If a wildfire is getting close to your area, gather the items from your checklist and your go-bag and have them in an area so you can quickly grab them if you must evacuate.
We Can Help You Prepare
Many of us would rather not think about natural disasters, but they can happen anytime and anywhere. There has been a marked increase in wildfire activity, especially in California recently and in western BC over the last several years, so it is never too early to prepare and take preventive wildfire safety measures to protect yourself and your home.
Our team of professional home organizers and our handyman can help you protect your home and belongings and give you some peace of mind going into this summer.
We can help you declutter, organize and itemize your belongings, as well as prepare your outdoor space to ensure you’re as wildfire-ready as possible.
We offer free phone or video call consultations or a 30-minute in-person consultation for $50+tax.
Alternatively, you can send us videos of the areas you need help with via WhatsApp at 604-446-3939, and we would be happy to provide you with an estimate. Contact us today.
