Firewise Community Information

Dear Homewood Homeowners Association Member:

As we are in the prime of wildfire season, and as a FIREWISE USA community, the Homewood Homeowners Association is asking you for your help in being FIREWISE and to maintain our certification to be in good standing.

The following actions can statistically help your home and property from loss in a wildfire event:

1. Establish a 5’ non-combustible zone around the perimeter of your structure. This zone should be taken down to bare mineral soil or establish base rock or pea gravel.
2. Provide 30’ of clearance around the perimeter of your structure. This includes removing flammable brush, limbing trees, removing ladder fuels (trees/vegetation) that can carry fire into the mature tree canopy.
3. Remove all pine needles or downed tree limbs from your roof and decks.
4. Thin the trees on your property to provide canopy spacing ranging from 10’ to 30, thus reducing fires ability to travel from one canopy to the next.
5. Harden your structure. The hardening of your structure reduces wildfire embers from embedding and igniting your home. Some key components are: https://www.ntfire.net/home-hardening  
   1. Have a non-flammable roof such as composition shingles or a metal roof.
   2. Non-combustible material for any decks, stairs, or railings.
   3. Non-combustible siding, double or multi-pane windows.
6. If you don’t have defensible space or know what steps to take, please contact our local fire protection district and set up a defensible space inspection (https://www.ntfire.net/defensible-space-program )

Homewood Firewise Contact: Tiffany McLaughlin

tmac9@macco.org or 916-275-2357