| A unit of Lasting Forests
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A Total Forest Management Plan
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Wildfires destroyed more than 220 homes last month as they swept through Los Alamos, N.M. Research scientists for the U.S. Forest Service and FireFree prevention experts now report the New Mexico blaze might have destroyed less if homeowners had kept the areas around their homes free of ignitable debris. Most Los Alamos home fires were ignited by other houses and yards -- not nearby forests. Arizona homeowners are advised to heed the fire prevention warnings Los Alamos revealed and create a 30-foot, non-combustible zone around their houses. "Within several hundred yards of most residential areas the forest fire burned only as a surface fire, largely fueled by pine needles, dead leaves, cured vegetation and flammable shrubs surrounding homes," explained Jack Cohen, a fire research scientist for the U.S. Forest Service, in a report issued last week. "In forests, it burned as an intense, continuous crown fire, but in residential areas it mostly remained on the surface."
SAFECO (Nasdaq:SAFC), the seventh largest insurer of U.S. homes, has developed FireFree, a national public education campaign designed to help homeowners fight fires before they start. In Arizona, SAFECO partners with the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Project Impact and the Ponderosa Fire Advisory Council to implement community-wide cleanup and disposal events. "Most people assume wildfires can only be combated by professionals," said Suzanne Romero of the Ponderosa Fire Advisory Council. "Through FireFree, we are teaching homeowners how they can fight back using simple preventative measures". 10 Steps to Wildfire Defense SAFECO and its FireFree partners cite several ways families can reduce their risk of wildfire.
1. Define your defensible space. Create a 30-foot, non-combustible zone around your house. It is the most effective safeguard against wildfire.
2. Reduce flammable vegetation, trees and brush around your home. Choose fire-resistant plants with loose branching habits, high moisture content and little seasonal accumulation of dead vegetation.
3. Remove or prune trees. Remove or thin overcrowded or weakened trees. Prune low-hanging branches to keep ground fires from climbing into trees.
4. Cut grass and weeds regularly. Fire loves dry grass and weeds. Mow or trim low vegetation and keep it well-watered, especially during dry seasons.
5. Relocate wood piles and leftover building materials. Stack all burnable materials at least 30 feet away from your home and other buildings.
6. Keep your roof and yard clean. Pine needle build-up on composition shingle roofs can burn off the "gravel" surface layer and spread fire into the home. The Forest Service's Cohen also found that -- in several cases -- exterior wood walls caught fire from concentrations of pine needles that lined their base.
7. Keep signs and addresses visible, and keep the home accessible. Highly visible signs and address numbers allow firefighters to find your home quickly during an emergency. Safe, easy access to your property includes driveways with well-trimmed peripheral vegetation. Contact your local fire agency for recommendations.
8. Rate your roof. In a wildfire, it's the most vulnerable part of your house. Consider treatment or replacement of a wood shake roof. If you have a fireplace or wood stove, install an approved spark arrestor.
9. Regularly recycle yard debris and branches. Check into alternative disposal methods such as composting or recycling. If you burn yard debris, first contact your local fire agency for current regulations.
10. Know what to do when wildfire strikes. Monitor local radio and TV for fire reports and evacuation procedures. Arrange garden hoses so they can reach any part of your house. Keep an emergency checklist handy and make sure it includes closing all windows and doors and packing your car for quick departure.
"The key to preventing wildfire damage is constant vigilance," Romero adds. "With summer swinging into high gear, families must prepare for the worst and hope for the best." SAFECO, in business since 1923, is a Fortune 500 diversified financial services company based in Seattle. SAFECO and its more than 17,000 independent agents and financial advisors provide premier insurance and financial services to individual and business customers.
CONTACT: SAFECO Le Roi Brashears, 206/545-3048 or Ponderosa Fire Advisory Council Suzanne Romero, 520/214-2439
see potential developments via http://www.dhcd.virginia.gov/HOUSING/HEE/default.htm
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Last revision January 17, 2000.