Reducing the Fire Threat for Your Home

By Emory Bryan, for NEWS 9

BROKEN ARROW, OK -- The threat of wildfire depends on the conditions, but the risk can be reduced.  There's a national effort to help people make their homes more resistant to wildfire. The program is called Firewise and it comes down to eliminating fuel for the fire, especially up close to a home.

Many suburban neighborhoods are just as vulnerable to wildfire as the ones that burned Thursday.  In Broken Arrow, many new subdivisions are bordered by hay fields or trees and that's plenty of fuel for a fire.        

Broken Arrow Fire Captain Jeremy Roberts says homeowners can reduce the danger to their property.

"That means cutting down small trees and brush that come up on the property line, keeping the grass mowed down where it's shorter," said Broken Arrow Fire Captain Jeremy Roberts.

Firefighters say one of the most vulnerable factors for a neighborhood is when a subdivision is next to woods. An out of control wildfire can get right into a neighborhood.

The other factor is home construction and maintenance.

Experts say it's critical to keep the roof and gutters clear of anything that can burn.  They recommend strong, tempered glass windows, and do not recommend wood shingles, which can trap embers and catch fire.

Read tips on ways to evaluate and reduce the threat to your home.

"The home can be built, designed and maintained to withstand the fire without the intervention of the fire department.  That means the home is ignition resistant, and if it is ignition resistant, it will not catch fire," said Jimmy Smalley with the National Fire Prevention Association.

During a fast moving fire, the threat may only last a moment, but a brush pile, or dry plants up next to a home can burn it down.  Eliminating those fuel sources and wetting down the yard can sometimes save a home.

"If you can get it to go around you, even if you're not stopping the whole fire, if it breaks around your house that's usually enough especially in a high wind situation like we've had this week," said Broken Arrow Fire Captain Jeremy Roberts.