Be Safe...Not Sorry

Be Safe...

...Not Sorry

Protect Yourself and Your Home

It only took minutes...and everything was gone. The fire roared up the hill, destroying everything in its path--our home, our cars and a lifetime of memories. Since then, we've rebuilt our home...but things will never be the same. The photo albums of the kids, my bronzed baby shoes, grandmother's jewelry--they're all gone. Without all those things, those momentos that really matter, nor new home just doesn't feel like home. The things that makes me the maddest--and the saddest--of all is that we could have saved our home. But we kept putting off protecting it "until tomorrow." We learned the hard way--tomorrow may be too late.

Each year thousands of wildfires burn out of control in California. And each year, hundreds of families lose everything they own and value because of these fires--and because they didn't take the time to protect their homes and property.

Don't you make the same mistake. This fire season, give yourself and firefighters a fighting chance to protect you home from wildfires. By taking the recommended fire safe measures, you can increase the chance of saving your home in a wildfire by 80 percent.

Remember, the fire safe work you do today could save your home--and those precious memories--tomorrow. This fire season, be safe, not sorry! Follow those fire safe tips that are mandated by law and recommended by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Fire safe practices required by law include the following:

Maintaining a "defensible" space around your home by clearing all flammable vegetation within 30 feet of the structure. Clear dead leaves and cut small trees and brush to leave widely spaced, larger trees.
Cleaning all needles and leaves from roof, eaves and rain gutters.
Trimming trees limbs within 10 feet of you chimney and trimming all dead limbs hanging over your house or garage.
Covering your chimney outlet or vent with a vertical spark arrester of 1/2" mesh screen.

By following these additional tips, you can further protect your home:

Maintain a minimum water storage supply of 2,500 gallons for use in emergency situations.
Maintain a well-pruned and watered land-scape in the 30-foot defensible space around your home.
Select low-growing and less flammable plans when landscaping your home; plant larger trees no closer than six feet from the structure.
Build you new home or re-roof you existing home with a Class A fire-resistive or non-combustible roof.
Ensure adequate access to your home and property to enable firefighters and their equipment to quickly reach a fire outbreak. Identify two escape routes from your property.
Make sure your home can be quickly identified by ensuring that its address is clearly marked and visible; also make sure that neighborhood or street signs are clearly identified to assist firefighters in locating your home in an emergency.

Find out more about Fire Safe!

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF), a department of the Resources Agency of California, provides leadership and services to protect and encourage sound land management to the forest-, brush-, and grass-covered lands in California.

For more information regarding fire safe practices, contact the CDF regional office, ranger unit headquarters, or the local wildland fire protection agency nearest you:

Coastal Region	Southern Region	Sierra Cascade Region	Central Region
135 Ridgeway Avenue PO Box 670 Santa Rosa, CA 95402 (707) 576-2275	2524 Mulberry Street PO Box 1067 Riverside, CA 92501 (714) 782-4140	6105 Airport Road Redding, CA 96002 (916) 225-2445	1234 East Shaw Avenue Fresno, CA 93710 (209) 222-3714

State of California, The Resources Agency, Department of Forestry

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