Burn Bans & Mitigation Tips

Both Potter and Randall County Commissioners approved 90-day outdoor burn bans earlier this week. Potter County will implement the ban after Feb 9 in order to allow the Bureau of Land Management the opportunity to complete controlled burns north of Amarillo.

There are currently 152 counties in Texas with burn bans.

Besides taking wildfire PREVENTION steps mentioned in prior posts, you should strive for wildfire MITIGATION. Mitigation simply means things that you can do to and around your property to reduce or eliminate the risk to your home and even life.

The Institute for Business and Home Safety offers a great guide on ways to protect your home from fire (i.e. roof covering suggestions, vent protection, siding options, and creating a defensible space). Check it out here

Just a few I took out include:

• The roof is the most vulnerable part of your home - replace roof covering with a Class A fire-rated covering, remove accumulated debris from your roof, clean out gutters on a regular basis
• During a wildfire, an open window allows embers and flames to enter the home. Install dual-pane windows for more protection and perferably tempered glass which is 4x more resistant to breaking during a fire
• Have a defensible space which is 100 feet of your home or property line. Maintain or remove vegetation that is near vents, soffits, or windows. Large plants pose a significant threat to your home. Prune trees or branches to a minimum of 10 feet from your home and to eliminate ladder fuels (those that allow fire to climb up the bark and into the upper portion of the tree).
• Fences can bring a fire directly to your house and ignite the siding. If the fence comes within 10 feet of your house or in direct contact, replace it with a noncombustible fence or use heavy wire wesh in a wood frame.
• Move firewood, dry mulch, leftover building materials and other items as far away from your house