How Building with Steel Helps Protect Against Wildfires
September through November is fire season in California, and with wildfires becoming stronger, more threatening, and more costly every year, it pays to think ahead and prepare. Tens of thousands of Californians have lost their homes due to fires in recent years, and unfortunately, the trend only appears to be getting worse as climate change continues to exacerbate conditions for stronger and more destructive wildfires.
Related EcoSteel Project: Soda Canyon/ Napa Valley Fire Rebuild
Nevertheless, we are not completely powerless to the force of fires. Here are some important ways you can better prepare your home and family to stay safe in this wildfire season.
- Put together a Wildfire Action Plan. Every member of the house must be prepared and knowledgeable about what to do in case of an approaching fire. Create a designated emergency meeting spot outside of the home or hazard area. This is critical to ensuring that everyone has safely evacuated the area. Include pets or other livestock in this emergency plan as well.
- Be Prepared. Make sure everyone in the home understands how to operate a fire extinguisher and ensure that you have one on hand that is up to date. Assemble Emergency Supply Go-Bags for every member of the family. Each Go-Bag should contain emergency supplies in case of rapid evacuation including food, water, clothing, medications, copies of important documents, and money.
- Maintain a Defensible Zone around your home. Keep a buffer between a building on your property and the shrubs or forested areas that surround it. This buffer zone should be about 100 feet and is necessary for slowing or stopping the wildfire spread.
- Harden your home. Using ember-resistant building material is one of the most effective ways to protect your home from wildfires. The roof is the most vulnerable part of your home and so using a non-combustible metal roof instead of wood or shingled roof will drastically improve the chances of your home fighting off a fire. Install dual-paned windows to help prevent breakage. Lastly, building your home’s walls and exterior siding with non-combustible materials is critical to protecting your home.
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At EcoSteel, we design and manufacture steel homes and buildings using materials that are made to stand up to fires. For more information, call us at 800.587.6604 or provide your information here.