Defend Your Home Against Wildfire | SERVPRO® of Darien/New Canaan

7/22/2021 (Permalink)

If your home is damaged by fire of any other reason, SERVPRO of Darien/New Canaan is ready and able to repair any damage.

No one wants to think about their home being caught up in the vicious swoop of wildfire, but unfortunately, it happens more often than you might think. Wildfires are swift and voracious, and considering the amount of combustible material with which we are surrounded, it’s a wonder we are able to contain these destructive blazes at all.

But we have ways of fending off wildfires before they come near our dwelling, beyond the most obvious, which would be to simply be more careful.

Let’s look at the concept of “defensible space.”

What Is Defensible Space?

It’s not about fighting off aliens—“defensible space” is a series of buffer zones you can create around your home. By planting and pruning purposefully, removing dead trees and brush, and installing areas of gravel or hardscape, you can make it difficult for fire to get from your property’s edge to your home.

Think of it as a barrier (aka defense), designed to shelter your home in the event of a wildfire by depriving the fire of fuel as it comes nearer. Defensible space also gives firefighters a better chance of stopping a wildfire before it breaches your home’s perimeter.

Defensible space isn’t required by law or local codes in Connecticut, but it’s a good fire safety practice to consider just the same.

Why Defensible Space Matters

When you think of wildfires, you may think of the West, but they can happen anywhere. There were over 59,000 wildfires across the United States in 2020.

Even removing California’s 10,000+ fires from that number, the average state encountered almost 1,000 fires.

Even Connecticut saw close to 600 wildfires last year. And the first six months of 2021 have seen a 25% increase in fires nationwide versus the previous year.

We should take advantage of anything that will prevent or deter wildfires from damaging our property and precious resources, and creating defensible space is as helpful as any.

If your home is damaged by fire of any sort, wild or not, SERVPRO is ready and able to repair the damage caused. Get in touch today to get the pros on your team.