subject: Fire Safety: Establishing a Defensible Space [print this page]
Fire Safety: Establishing a Defensible Space
Our Team Leaders are uniquely qualified to provide the expertise to create a defensible space around your home for fire safety. Ron Wallace is a Certified Arborist and graduate of SRJC Fire Academy as well as a former Volunteer Firefighter.
John Rector is a Certified Arborist and former WIldland Firefighter with Cal Fire. Both Ron and John have attended training with the Santa Rosa Fire Department, Cal Fire and the the Sonoma County Office of Emergency Services. TreePro has also worked with Fire Safe Sonoma and Cal Fire to clear dead trees, debris and provide road clearance for Emergency Vehicles in the event of an emergency. This training involved evaluating properties for fire hazard based on the location of the home, the slope of the terrain andthe type of trees at the site. Steep hillsides on south facing slopes require the removal of additional fuel material and greater spacing between trees, TreePro offers fire safe clearing of trees, debris, tall grass and other flammable fuels to reduce the fire hazard in the urban wildland interface. Defensible space is the process of creating a zone around your home to reduce your exposure to fire and to provide a safe area for Fire Services to protect your home in the event of a wildland fire. The defensible space is divided into three areas. The first area is within ten feet of your home. In this zone trees should be pruned back from structures and chimneys. Trees should be pruned to establish space between them. Firewood, debris or dry fuels should be removed from this area. The second zone is from ten feet to thirty feet from your home. It is important to establish a "green zone" in this area where non flammable plantings with adequate water provide a barrier to fire approaching your home. The third zone is from thirty feet to one hundred feet from your home. The objective in this zone is to establish space between trees, remove dead trees, brush or dried grass and remove lower limbs to prevent a grass fire from moving into tree canopies. This material is defined as ladder fuels. Contact us for a free evaluation to create a defensible space near your home. Our Trained Professionals will survey your property and provide recommendations and a free estimate to reduce fire hazards.
