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ARE YOU LIVING IN THE RED?
Property Protection Tips from the Utah Fire Assessment Project

Protect Your Property From Wildland Fires
Homes in natural areas, or "wildland-urban interface zones," are at greater risk of damage by wildland fires. The choices you make about how you build and maintain your home will play a key role in preventing wildland fire damage.

The two houses shown here are examples of homes we have seen in wildlandurban interface zones. How does yours match up?

[Image:Fire Hazard House]

Fire Hazard House:

• Overhanging Trees
• Long overhang open eaves
• Large windows facing wildlands
• Open deck
• Shrub masses
• Long grasses and weeds

[Image: Fire Safe House]

Fire Safe House:

• Tile Roof
• Short, boxed eaves
• Small windows facing wildlands
• Low Plants
• Tile deck, underside enclosed
• Shrubs in small groups

Protection Tips...

• Make your roof fire resistant with asphalt or fiberglass shingles, tiles or metal.
• Reduce fuels, like vegetation, firewood and debris, that could lead fire to your house.
• Improve exterior walls' resistance to fire by using brick or stone, or by decreasing the
  amount of vegetation near your home.
• Remember that the steeper the slope, the more danger there is. Wildfires "run" uphill, so increase the space between your house and nearby vegetation.
• Make it easy for firefighters to find and reach you with a wide driveway and a clearly posted address.
• Have your own firefighting water source and make sure firefighters know where it is or can find it easily

What to Do If a Fire Is Approaching Your Home...

• Prepare for arriving fire fighters. Place ladders against the front of the house. Connect garden hoses with shutoff nozzles and turn on water. Leave nozzles closed.
• Park cars headed out.
• Remove lightweight curtains from inside windows. Close heavy drapes and blinds and pull furniture away from windows.
• Nail plywood covers over windows and vents.
• Move lawn furniture indoors.
• Turn on house, porch, garage and yard lights.
• Evacuate family, pets and livestock.
  
  Find out more at: http://www.blm.gov/utah/fire/utfire.html

Does Fire Have a Place in the Ecosystem?
Many ecosystems depend on fire to renew the landscape by releasing nutrients and stimulating new life. In time, fire creates a healthy diversity of plant and wildlife species.

A carefully planned fire management program recognizes the benefits of fire, and uses prescribed fires or naturally occurring fires to improve the environment and protect people living there. You can help by making sure your home is fire safe and by participating in the fire planning process.

[Image: 50-75 years before growth returns after a fire.}

The map on the cover shows levels of concern about wildfire ranging from low (green) to high (red) based on a combination of population density, past fire occurrence and vegetation. The map is the result of the Utah Fire Assessment project, a cooperative effort of federal and state land managers to develop a process that helps them assess fire hazards and risks and the values to be protected. County maps are available on our web site.

Fire Managers in Utah are taking a new look at their approach to fire and its role in maintaining healthy ecosystems. The red and the orange areas on this map are places where we are working together to develop plans to reduce risk and improve our response.

We Need Your Help!

• Build and maintain your home and property to protect them from wildland fires.
  
• Participate in community fire planning meetings.
  

A little planning can prevent this, [Image: Fire running uphill toward house.]

You can find more home protection information and statewide and county Fire Assessment Maps on our web site at:
http//www.blm.gov/utah/fire/utfire.html

A cooperative effort of:
U.S. Department of Interior
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
National Park Service (NPS)
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Forest Service (USFS)
Utah Department of Natural Resources
Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands
(FFSL)

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