From: the Office of the Fire Marshal and the Ontario Ministry of
Natural Resources
For on-going use
Length: 513 words
Ontario can have more than 1,200 wildfires in a given year. These fires can
threaten communities and destroy homes and cottages.
Those living in forested regions face a serious risk of wildfires. But there are
things you can do to reduce the risk of losing your home or cottage. The
following are simple preventative measures that can lessen the ignition
potential of your home and reduce the risk of property loss, damage and injury.
Any kind of vegetation around your home is combustible. Trees,
shrubs, grass, your woodpile – even fallen leaves - act as fuel to a wildfire.
Remove any shrubs, trees or fallen branches within 10 metres of your home. Keep
your grass mowed and watered, and use fire resistant plants for landscaping.
Deciduous trees have low flammability rates while evergreens are much more
combustible. A good fuel free space gives firefighters a better chance to save
your home from fire.
Firewood should be stacked at least 10 metres away from the house and covered
with a non-flammable cover. Remove all flammable material from within 5 metres
of any fuel tanks on your property.
Roofing materials such as steel, asphalt, tile and ULC treated
shanks are ignition-resistant, and steep steel roofs do not collect leaves or
tree needles. Similarly, materials such as stucco, metal, brick, concrete, and
aluminium or steel siding are the most fire resistant.
If your home or cottage has a chimney, make sure there are no tree limbs within
3 metres of it. Remove all dead tree limbs overhanging or near the house. Sparks
from the chimney can set the tree on fire, which can set your house on fire.
Make sure your chimney meets Ontario’s building code and is screened-in with an
approved spark arrestor.
The eaves around your roof should be boxed in and screen should cover attic vent
openings to keep sparks out. Embers can collect in open eaves and set the house
on fire. Similarly, the underside of wood decks attached to the house should be
enclosed. Dry grass or sparks and embers under the deck can set the house on
fire.
Should a wildfire approach your property, damage can be limited
if firefighters have easy access to it.
Post a sign with the name of the access road and house number in reflective
letters where it can easily be seen on dark or rainy nights.
Keep your driveway short, ensure its grade is not too steep or too narrow for
fire trucks and maintain a surface capable of holding fire trucks. Remove
flammable vegetation at least 5 metres on each side of the driveway so it is
passable in a wildfire.
While these tips may not prevent a wildfire from approaching your home or
cottage, they will help contain any potential damage and reduce the dangers your
family and property will face.
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