Let s Be Firewise! Here s how...

Transcription

1 Let s Be Firewise! Here s how...

2 The roof is most important in protecting my home! 2 Low A green lawn tells fire to Stay Away! 3 4 plants slow oncoming fire Stack wood pile away from home 5 Keep fuel tank clear of clutter

3 Keep the home happy by finding the tools to keep it Firewise. start END

4 Barry, Jerry and Mary all live in a wildfire zone. They work together to ensure that their homes will survive a wildfire. In the puzzle, match the answers below with the spaces and questions Down 1. Never play with these. 4. Remove from roof and gutters. 6. Make sure your driveway is clear for (two words). 8. Enclose the underside of your porch or. 9. Learning how to protect your home from a wildfire. 13. When grass gets tall and dry. Across 2. The worst type of roofing for fire protection. 3. Make sure you have a spark arrester covering this. 5. Vegetation that goes from grass to bushes to trees (two words). 7. Store 30 feet from your home. 10. Make sure this is visible for fire fighters. 11. Do this to clean up dead branches. 12. Area of at least 30 feet of clean and green space around a home (2 words). 14. A great type of siding. ANSWERS: matches, stucco, mow, chimney, fire trucks, ladder fuel, prune, deck, needles, address, firewood, defensible space, shake, prevention.

5 There are at least 10 fire hazards in the picture. How many can you find?

6 Can you find the hidden words? R O O F I N G N E Y W E E R I F P M A C R N N W T O K W E N O O F A Z R N C Y E M Z I L P D E T U G R Z R N R O K A E R B L E U F G R E O E T E W A T N O P R M R E O E N I A R T E R E R I F D L I W P C F K I A I O E R R R F S E F S A F E T Y fuel break siding roofing wildfire safety emergency campfire firetruck water fireworks nozzle propane

7 Help Jerry and friends escape the forest fire.

8 Now, quiz your parents! 1 3 Who is Blaine County Firewise? 2 What Is Defensible Space? Does Defensible Space Require A Lot Of Bare Ground In My Landscape? Does Creating A Defensible Space Require Any Special Skills Or Equipment? Does Having A Defensible Space Guarantee My House Will Survive A Wildfire? Does Defensible Space Make A Difference? 1) Blaine County, in cooperation with local fire departments, received a grant to prepare local residents to be fire-safe. We are local firefighters commissioned by the federal Communities At Risk grant to improve our community s chance of survival in the event of a wildfire. Our crews are assessing homes in the *wildland-urban-interface, offering recommendations and providing free assistance to help your home survive a wildfire. 2) Defensible space is the area between a house and an oncoming wildfire where the vegetation has been modified to reduce the wildfire threat and to provide an opportunity for firefighters to effectively defend the house. Sometimes, a defensible space is simply a homeowner s properly maintained backyard. 3) No. Unfortunately, many people have this misconception. While bare ground is certainly effective in reducing the wildfire threat, it is unnecessary and unacceptable due to appearance, soil erosion, and other reasons. Many homes have attractive, well vegetated landscapes that also serve as effective defensible space. 4) No. For the most part, creating a defensible space employs routine gardening and landscape maintenance practices such as pruning, mowing, weeding, plant removal, appropriate plant selection, and irrigation. 5) No. Under extreme conditions, almost any house can burn. But having a defensible space will significantly improve the odds of your home surviving a wildfire. Blaine County Firewise w w w. b c f i r e w i s e. c o m 6) Yes. Investigations of homes threatened by wildfire indicate that houses with an effective defensible space are much more likely to survive a wildfire. Furthermore, homes with both an effective defensible space and a nonflammable roof (composition shingles, tile, metal, etc.) are many times more likely to survive a wildfire than those without defensible space and flammable roofs (wood shakes or shingles). These conditions give firefighters the opportunity to effectively and safely defend the home. Twin Falls District BLM / MidSnake RC&D