Fire season is upon us (really, when isn’t it!) So, we thought we would provide a few quick and easy actions that you can take to better prepare your home for wildfire season.
- Clear your gutters of debris – You or your gardener could simply remove the debris from the gutter, or you could look for a more permanent solution like metal gutter screens, such as those made by LeafFilter and other companies.
- Replace vent screens with 1/8-inch screening to keep embers out – Most of the homes in Oak Park have ¼-inch vent screening, which will not keep embers out as effectively.
- Limb up bushes up to 18 inches from the ground, and clear out dead plant debris underneath – Limbing up allows you to see the debris under the tree or bush so you can remove it, and it creates a space between any debris and the easily flammable part of the plant.
- Trim tree canopies to at least 10 feet from your house – This will keep crown fires from igniting any flammable debris on your roof.
- Remove flammable Patio Furniture – Have a plan to move any flammable patio furniture into your garage in case of fire evacuation, where it will pose less of a threat to your home.
- Know how to monitor wildfire emergency progress, and have an emergency kit ready – CLICK HERE to register for VC Alert (fire alert and status by text, phone, email, fax, TTY/TDD device, or numeric page), and CLICK HERE for emergency kit details. People tell us all the time they don’t know how to get information when a fire happens. VC Alert is the solution to that, so please register today, if you haven’t done so already.
Finally, you can access a lot of helpful information and details on preparedness programs on our website at www.opfsc.org, and sign up for our newsletter HERE or on the bottom of any page on our website.
Let us know on our website if you’d like to volunteer or intern with our organization.
