YOUR PERSONAL WILDFIRE ACTION PLAN 

YOUR PERSONAL WILDFIRE ACTION PLAN READY, SET, GO! 

The Salt Lake City Fire Department is participating in the “Ready, Set, Go!” campaign to help you prepare for a wildland fire. Our firefighters are also available for free individual home evaluations or group discussions to assist you.  

To contact us, call the Salt Lake City Fire Department at (801) 799-3473 or visit www.slc.fire.gov.

READY, SET, GO! Wildfire Action Plan 

Saving Lives and Property through Advance Planning 

Fire season is now a year-round reality in many areas, requiring firefighters and residents to stay on heightened alert throughout the year. 

 

Each year, wildfires consume hundreds of homes in the Wildland/Urban Interface (WUI). Studies show that as many as 80 percent of the homes lost to wildfires could have been saved if their owners had followed a few simple fire-safe practices. In addition, wildfire-related deaths occur because people wait too long to leave their homes. 

 

Your fire department takes every precaution to help protect you and your property from wildfire. However, in a major wildfire, there will simply not be enough fire engines or firefighters to defend every home. 

 

Successfully preparing for a wildfire requires you to take personal responsibility for protecting yourself, your family, and your property. Use this publication now to get the tips and tools you need to prepare and succeed. 

 

Fire is, and always has been, a natural occurrence in the wildland. Our brush-covered hills, canyons, and forests burned periodically long before we built homes there. Wildfires, fueled by a buildup of dry vegetation and driven by seasonal hot, dry winds, are extremely dangerous and impossible to control. However, many residents have built homes and landscaped without fully understanding the impact a fire could have, and few have adequately prepared their families for a quick evacuation. 

 

It’s not a question of if but when the next major wildfire will occur. That’s why the most important person in protecting your life and property is you, not the firefighter. Plan ahead, prepare now, and use the tips in the next pages to create heightened awareness and a more fire-safe environment for you and your family. 

Living in the Wildland Urban Interface and the Ember Zone

 

Ready, Set, Go! begins with a house that firefighters can defend. 

What is Defensible Space? 

Defensible space is the required space between a structure and the wildland area that, under normal conditions, creates a sufficient buffer to slow or halt the spread of wildfire to a structure. It protects the home from ignition by direct flame or radiant heat. Defensible space is essential for the survivability of structures during wildfire conditions. 

Is your home or business in the Wildland Urban Interface, a space next to the foothills in the north or east side of the city, or a building surrounded by grassland on the west side of the City?

Defensible space works! 

If you live in a Wildland Urban Interface, you must provide firefighters with the defensible space they need to protect your home. The buffer zone you create by removing weeds, brush, and other vegetation helps keep fire away from your home and reduces the risk of flying embers. 

A home within one mile of a natural area is in the Ember Zone. Wind-driven embers can attack your home, so you and your home must be prepared well before a fire occurs. Ember fires can destroy homes or neighborhoods far from the wildfire’s actual flame front. 

 

Defensible space is made up of two zone around your home; Zone 1 extends 30 feet from the exterior walls of your home. Zone 2 extends an additional 70 feet beyond Zone 1, or to your property line. Zone 2 extends an additional 70 feet beyond Zone 1, or to your property line.

Follow the advice under each zone to help protect your home.

Diagram of defensible space zones around a home for wildfire protection. Zone 1 (0–30 feet from the house): trees trimmed at least 10 feet from the chimney, lower tree limbs removed to reduce 'fire ladder' effect, and plants/shrubs spaced apart to prevent fire spread. Zone 2 (30–70 feet, or to the property line): trees spaced apart to reduce fire spread. Illustration shows a house surrounded by concentric zones with trees, shrubs, and grass, labeled with arrows indicating recommended spacing distances.

Zone One extends 30 feet out from buildings, structures, decks, etc. 

 

  • Trees trimmed at least 10 feet from the chimney.
  • Remove all dead or dying vegetation. 
  • Trim tree canopies regularly to keep branches at least 10 feet from structures and other trees. 
  • Remove leaf litter (dry leaves/pine needles) from yard, roof, and rain gutters. 
  • Relocate woodpiles or other combustible materials into Zone Two. 
  • Remove combustible material and vegetation from around and under decks. 
  • Remove or prune vegetation near windows.
  • Remove “ladder fuels” (low-level vegetation that allows fire to spread from the ground to the tree canopy). Create a separation between low level vegetation and tree branches. This can be done by reducing the height of low-level vegetation and/or trimming low tree branches. 

Zone Two extends 30 to 100 feet out from buildings, structures, and decks. You can minimize the risk of fire jumping from plant to plant by removing dead material and thinning vegetation. The minimum spacing between plants is three times the plant’s dimension. 

 

  • Trees spaced to reduce fire spread.
  • Remove “ladder fuels.” 
  • Cut or mow annual grass down to a maximum height of four inches. 
  • Trim tree canopies regularly to keep branches at least 10 feet from other trees. 
  • Space plants and shrubs to prevent fire from spreading.

What is a Hardened Home? 

Construction materials and the quality of the defensible space surrounding a home give it the best chance of surviving a wildfire. Embers from a wildfire will find the weak link in your home’s fire protection scheme and gain the upper hand because of a small, overlooked, or seemingly inconsequential factor. However, there are measures you can take to safeguard your home from wildfire. While you may not be able to accomplish all the measures listed below, each will increase your home’s and possibly your family’s safety and survival during a wildfire.

 

View each tab to see home hardening strategies for your property:

Roofs are the most vulnerable surface because embers can land there, lodge, and start a fire. Roof valleys, open ends of barrel tiles, and rain gutters are all points of entry. 

Embers can gather under open eaves and ignite exposed wood or other combustible material. 

Embers can enter the attic or other concealed spaces and ignite combustible materials. Vents in eaves and cornices are particularly vulnerable, as are unscreened vents. 

Combustible siding or other combustible or overlapping materials provide surfaces or crevices for embers to nestle and ignite. 

Embers can enter gaps in doors, including garage doors. Plants or combustible storage near windows can be ignited from embers and generate heat that can break windows and/or melt combustible frames. 

Embers can collect on or in combustible surfaces, on the undersides of decks and balconies, and ignite the material, then enter the home through walls or windows. 

To further harden your home, consider installing a residential fire sprinkler system. In addition to extinguishing a fire started by an ember that enters your home, it can also help protect you and your family year-round from any fire that may start in your home. 

Tour a Wildfire Ready Home 

View each tab to see ways you can prepare your home.

Make sure your address is clearly visible from the road.

  • Keep working fire extinguishers on hand. 
  • Install smoke alarms on each level of your home and in each bedroom. Test them monthly and change the batteries twice a year. 
  • Wood products, such as boards, panels, or shingles, are common siding materials. However, they are combustible and not good choices for fire-prone areas. 
  • Build or remodel with fire-resistant building materials, such as brick, cement, masonry, or stucco. 
  • Be sure to extend the foundation materials to the roof. 
  • Ensure you have at least a 100-foot radius of defensible space (cleared vegetation) around your home. Note that additional clearance may be needed for homes in severe-hazard areas. This means looking beyond what you own to determine the impact a common slope or neighbors’ yard will have on your property during a wildfire. 
  • Cut dry weeds and grass before noon, when temperatures are cooler, to reduce the risk of sparking a fire. 
  • Landscape with fire-resistant plants that have a high moisture content and are low-growing. 
  • Keep woodpiles, propane tanks, and combustible materials away from your home and other structures such as garages, barns, and sheds. 
  • Ensure trees are kept far from power lines. 
  • Your roof is the most vulnerable part of your home because it can easily catch fire from windblown embers. Homes with wood-shake or shingle roofs are at high risk of being destroyed during a wildfire. 
  • Build or reroof your roof with fire-resistant materials, such as composition, metal, or tile. Block any gaps between the roof decking and covering to prevent embers from entering. 
  • Clear pine needles, leaves, and other debris from your roof and gutters. 
  • Cut any tree branches within 10 feet of your roof. 
  • Heat from a wildfire can cause windows to break even before the home ignites. This allows burning embers to enter and start internal fires. Single-pane and large windows are particularly vulnerable. 
  • Install dual-pane windows with the exterior pane of tempered glass to reduce the chance of breakage in a fire. 
  • Limit the size and number of windows in your home that face large areas of vegetation. 
  • Vents on homes are particularly vulnerable to flying embers. 
  • All vent openings should be covered with 1/8-inch or smaller metal mesh. Do not use fiberglass or plastic mesh because they can melt and burn. 
  • Attic vents in eaves or cornices should be baffled or otherwise protected to prevent embers from entering (mesh alone is not enough). 
  • Have multiple garden hoses that are long enough to reach any area of your home and other structures on your property. 
  • If you have a pool or well, consider a pump. 
  • Have a fire extinguisher and tools such as a shovel, rake, bucket, and hoe available for fire emergencies. 
  • Install a solid door with self-closing hinges between the living areas and the garage. Install weatherstripping around and under the door to prevent embers from entering. 
  • Store all combustibles and flammable liquids away from ignition sources. 
  • Driveways should be designed to allow fire and emergency vehicles and equipment to reach your house. 
  • Access roads should have a minimum 10-foot clearance on either side of the traveled section of the roadway and should allow for two-way traffic. 
  • Ensure that all gates open inward and are wide enough to accommodate emergency equipment. 
  • Trim trees and shrubs overhanging the road to a minimum of 13 1/2 feet to allow emergency vehicles to pass. 
  • Use heavy timber or nonflammable construction material for decks. 
  • Enclose the underside of balconies and decks with fire-resistant materials to prevent embers from blowing underneath. 
  • Keep your deck clear of combustible items, such as baskets, dried flower arrangements, and other debris. 
  • The decking surface must be ignition-resistant if it’s within 10 feet of the home. 
  • Cover your chimney and stovepipe outlets with a nonflammable screen of 1/4-inch wire mesh or smaller to prevent embers from escaping and igniting a fire. 
  • Make sure that your chimney is at least 10 feet away from any tree branches. 
  • Non-Combustible Boxed-in Eaves 
  • Box in eaves with noncombustible materials to prevent accumulation of embers. 
  • Screen or enclose rain gutters to prevent the accumulation of plant debris. 
  • Non-Combustible Fencing: Make sure to use noncombustible fencing to protect your home during a wildfire. 

Your Wildfire Action Plan

Use this worksheet to build your Ready, Set, Go wildfire action plan.

Get Ready!

Now that you’ve done everything you can to protect your house, it’s time to prepare your family. Your Wildfire Action Plan must be prepared with all members of your household well in advance of a fire. Each family’s plan will be different, depending on their situation. Once you finish your plan, rehearse it regularly with your family and keep it in a safe and accessible place for quick implementation. 

 

Prepare Your Family 

  • Create a Family Disaster Plan that includes meeting locations and communication plans, and rehearse it regularly. Include in your plan the evacuation of large animals such as horses. 
  • Have fire extinguishers on hand and train your family how to use them. 
  • Ensure that your family knows where the main shut-off controls for gas, electricity, and water are, and how to use them. 
  • Plan several different evacuation routes. 
  • Designate an emergency meeting location outside the fire-hazard area. 
  • Assemble an emergency supply kit as recommended by the American Red Cross. 
  • Appoint an out-of-area friend or relative as a point of contact so you can communicate with family members who have relocated. 
  • Maintain a list of emergency contact numbers posted near your phone and in your emergency supply kit. 
  • Keep an extra emergency supply kit in your car in case you can’t get to your home because of a fire. 
  • Have a portable radio or scanner so you can stay updated on the fire. 

Get Set! 

Use the checklist below if a wildfire is near your area and you are asked to get set, in case of evacuation.  

 

General checklist 

  • Evacuate as soon as you are set! 
  • Alert family and neighbors. 
  • Dress in appropriate clothing (e.g., natural-fiber clothing such as cotton and work boots). Have goggles and a dry bandanna or particle mask handy. 
  • Ensure you have your emergency supply kit on hand, including a battery-powered radio, spare batteries, emergency contact numbers, and ample drinking water. 
  • Stay tuned to your TV or local radio stations for updates, or check the fire department website. 
  • Remain close to your house, drink plenty of water, and keep an eye on your family and pets until you are ready to leave. 

 

Inside checklist 

  • Shut all windows and doors, leaving them unlocked. 
  • Remove flammable window shades and curtains and close metal shutters. 
  • Remove lightweight curtains. 
  • Move flammable furniture to the center of the room, away from windows and doors. 
  • Shut off the gas at the meter. Turn off pilot lights. 
  • Leave your lights on so firefighters can see your house under smoky conditions. 
  • Shut off the air conditioning. 

 

Outside checklist 

  • Gather flammable items from the exterior of the house and bring them inside (e.g., patio furniture, children’s toys, door mats), or place them in your pool. 
  • Turn off propane tanks. 
  • Don’t leave sprinklers on or water running – they can waste critical water pressure. 
  • Leave exterior lights on. 
  • Back your car into the driveway. Shut doors and roll up windows. 
  • Have a ladder available. 
  • Patrol your property and extinguish all small fires until you leave. 
  • Seal attic and ground vents with precut plywood or commercial seals if time permits. 

 

Survival tips if you are trapped 

  • Shelter away from outside walls. 
  • Bring garden hoses inside the house so embers don’t destroy them. 
  • Patrol inside your home for spot fires and extinguish them. 
  • Wear long sleeves and long pants made of natural fibers such as cotton. 
  • Stay hydrated. 
  • Ensure you can exit the home if it catches fire (remember, if it’s hot inside, it is four to five times hotter outside). 
  • Fill sinks and tubs for an emergency water supply. 
  • Place wet towels under doors to keep smoke and embers out. 
  • After the fire has passed, check your roof and extinguish any fires, sparks, or embers. 
  • Check inside the attic for hidden embers. 
  • Patrol your property and extinguish small fires. 
  • If there are fires that you cannot extinguish with a small amount of water or in a short period of time, call 9-1-1. 

Go Early! 

By leaving early, you give your family the best chance of surviving a wildfire. You also help firefighters by keeping roads clear, enabling them to move more freely and do their jobs. 

 

When to leave 

Leave early enough to avoid being caught in fire, smoke, or road congestion. Don’t wait to be told by authorities to leave. In an intense wildfire, they may not have time to knock on every door. If you are advised to leave, don’t hesitate! 

 

Where to go

Leave for a predetermined location (a low-risk area, such as a well-prepared neighbor’s or relative’s house, an American Red Cross shelter or evacuation center, a motel, etc.). 

 

How to get there

Have several travel routes in case one route is blocked by the fire or by emergency vehicles and equipment. Choose an escape route away from the fire.

 

What to take

Take your emergency supply kit containing your family’s and pets’ necessary items. 

 

Emergency supply checklist

  • The American Red Cross recommends that every family assemble an emergency supply kit well before a wildfire or other emergency occurs. Use the checklist below to help assemble yours. For more information on emergency supplies, visit the American Red Cross website at www.redcross.org. 
  • Three-day supply of water (one gallon per person per day). 
  • Nonperishable food for all family members and pets (three-day supply). 
  • First aid kit. 
  • Flashlight, battery-powered radio, and extra batteries. 
  • An extra set of car keys, credit cards, cash, or traveler’s checks. 
  • Sanitation supplies. 
  • Extra eyeglasses or contact lenses. 
  • Important family documents and contact numbers. 
  • Map marked with evacuation routes. 
  • Prescriptions or special medications. 
  • Family photos and other irreplaceable items. 
  • Easily carried valuables. 
  • Personal computers (information on hard drives and disks). 
  • Chargers for cellphones, laptops, etc. 
  • Note: Keep a pair of old shoes and a flashlight handy in case of a sudden evacuation at night.