Getting ready for Texas fires

[ctpres]

Looking for ideas on preparing for possible wild fire. We live in an area that is ready to burn at any time. We were short on water long before other parts of the state, trees are dying, grass dead etc. I am looking for things to do that might help our house survive. Short term and long term ideas needed. My list so far:
House on blocks so I need to get all leaves and vegitation removed
Run well on generator on a regular basis, thinking weekly
Replace comp roof with metal (already have hardy siding)
Cut grass as short as I can. Would like to burn it but think thats not a good idea at this time
Rake leaves and dead grass away from house and then disc yard
Not sure it will really help but I am watering trees around house
Pre mount sprinklers, soaker hose or? on roof and keep hoses connected to hose bibs around house
Ditto above on the decks and porches
Struggleing with what to do with trees around house. Would like to keep them for house shade. Removal right now near impossible as all prof. tree services to busy. They are to big and to close to house for me to tackle. Maybe a fire break but have no idea how wide. These fires are jumping four lane highways.
Ok that's my best so far, any above a waste of time? What else can we do. Any and all comments appreciated.

 

[Gary Fowler]

You need to put in fire break several hundred yards from your house if possible to stop the fire there. Once it get to your house, there might not be any thing that can save it. having the hardy plank siding will certainly help and a metal roof should do the trick. Water to keep it cool is always good but I dont think a soaker hose will put enough water. I would mount some sprinklers along the ridge vent and hook a hose to them. Locate the hose away from the expected fire incoming direction. Other than that, make sure your fire insurance is paid up.

 

[orezok]

In California we have experienced many wildfires. The biggest cause of structures burning is from blowing embers. What often happens is that an ember blows into your attic space through a gable or eave vent and ignites within the structure.

Out here, we are not allowed to install eave vents as they cause a chimney effect and draw in embers. If your attic is vented, and most are, I would make some type of cover you can use to close them off when fire is imminent.

 

[radioman]

I agree with a firebreak away from house. I have no idea what your property looks like, but the IDEAL in my mind would be a bare line as least one bucket wide of tractor or dozer surrounding your lot farthest away from your home. The idea is to remove all vegation that is flammable creating a safety zone around the lot.

If a fire DOES advance towards your home, I would start a backfire on the outside of your plowed circle towards the fire so it will burn out and use up the flammable stuff.

I would keep the soil soaked around your home and house damp, but you might not have enough water, I really don't know on this one. Can't hurt to try.

Do you have all your chainsaws ready to go? any trees inside your keep zone too close to your firebreak that could catch?

 

[jinman]

Call your insurance agent and make sure you review your coverages and change them if needed. If all your preparations fail, your insurance will be the most important material thing you own.

 

[SSdoxie]

Take all the precautions you can to prevent fire from reaching the house. Some good advise here but be prepared for the worst. I have property south of San Antonio and my insurance agent emailed me this list of preparations and what to do if you do have damage.
The one thing not mentioned in here is gather all your personal keepsakes, family photo albums, etc that no amount of money can replace. Take them somewhere safe for storage or put in trunk of your car ready to evacuate if necessary.

Be prepared!
If you were forced to evacuate your home or business on a moments notice, are you prepared?
Here are the TOP 5 things to do BEFORE disaster strikes.
1) Keep valuable papers in a safe deposit box.
2) Video tape each room (it will help you remember what you have) and keep it in a safe deposit box.
3) Back up your computer, and keep a copy in a safe deposit box.
4) Review your coverage limits with your agent.
5) Have an evacuation plan for your family and employees (and a common place to meet if you are separated).

If you have damage;
Promptly report the claim to your insurance company.
If possible, make temporary repairs, such as putting tarps or plastic sheeting over roofs and boarding up broken windows.
Remove soggy or wet items from your house to prevent mold.
Take photos and video of damage.
Make a list of damaged property, including descriptions and age of the items.
Save receipts from temporary repairs and cleanup efforts.
If you have to leave your home, make sure your insurer knows how to reach you.
Require repair contractors to provide proof that they are properly licensed and insured. Check with the Better Business Bureau as well.
Get descriptions of repair work and cost estimates in writing. Never pay for repairs in advance.
Get insurance company approval before beginning major repairs.
David Dady
David@dadyinsurance.com

Two hours after I received this email on Thursday our kids (who live in the house) called to tells us they were being evacuated because fire was headed that direction. Luckily for us the gravel pit South of us stopped most of it and cooled it down so fire departments could get it under control.

 

[woodlandfarms]

You should search the net for the codes for California. Brush removal is critical, and keeping trees far away from your house helps. I think it is 100 feet brush clearance perimeter but we only see the fires and are not close to them. As mentioned, embers in the attic are a big issue. But these fires can be monsters. Not knowing tree density in your area makes suggestions harder. I gues what I am saying is that you should first focus on making sure you have a solid evacuation plan and that you will get out if you spot trouble and not wait.

 

[Branchchipper]

There are answers to all of your questions available for free; depending on your fire protection jurisdiction, you may also be able to get a free survey of your property's hazards (and even mitigation help) based on the Firewise program...

Please visit www.firewise.org, and click on the homeowner resources (upper right). This is a national cooperative organization; most state and all federal land management agencies, as well as many local fire departments, participate in their education and mitigation programs.

Some basics:
-remove all vegetation within 30' of structures; this distance increases to 100' for structures on sloping ground.
- cutting a fire break in addition to maintaining clearances is a good idea for some, but its size and distance from the structure must be based on probable fire behavior in your area (based on fuels, winds, etc). For this you should get advice from your local agency.

You are on the right track- firefighters cannot create defensive space around your structures once they are there to fight fire- it is too late.

I just retired from a long fire career, and I can tell you that this was one of my biggest frustrations every summer- people didn't do the simple preventative things ahead of time, and expected us to "fix it" as we stood there with the fire bearing down on their place.

The Firewise stuff is all pre-fire action that has been shown over and over again to prevent loss. I have seen neighborhoods where every home burned except those with established defensive space, which can be as simple as closely-clipped green lawn!

 

[ctpres]

I could supply more info about our place but I am asking the question knowing answers will aid others in possible wild fire areas. So far the most unexpected point is house acting like chimney. We have been building houses for years trying to increase ventelation thru the attic with the objective of attic temp and outdoor temp being the same. Now I learn that same cooling effect just sucks fire embers into the attic! WOW. And now the really bad news - I have read reports that the conditions causing such dry weather in our area will be repeated next year! Keep the ideas and facts coming, a lot of people need this information.

 

[ctpres]

I looked at our soffit vents and found they are louvered metal with bug screens on the inside, BUT the bug screens are PLASTIC and won't be much help stopping airborne fire embers.
So in addition to the hurricane pannels for windows and doors I will need to fab some for soffit vents. From what I am begining to understand you could drown the roof to no avail unless you stop air flow thur the attic.