Defensible Space and the Fight to Protect Your Home | SERVPRO® of Cedar Mill/Oak Hills

7/9/2021 (Permalink)

When fires do damage, we go to work to make things right. Contact SERVPRO of Cedar Mill/Oak Hills to start the restoration process.

Watching your home go up in flames would be horrific! Wildfires are a more common cause of property damage than many people realize. They spread at incredible rates and with so many combustible materials around us, we are lucky to get them stopped.

Thankfully, there are a few things that we can do to fight against the spread of wildfires. The most obvious help would come from being more careful. But there are some other actions you can take.

Let’s talk about “defensible space.”

Defensible Space—What Is This?

Defensible space is the buffer area you can create around your home by removing wildfire “fuel.”

Things like dead trees and leaves should be removed, and you should add things such as flame-resistant gravel. You should also use responsible planting and pruning practices.

You can think of defensible space as a barrier of protection, designed to protect your home in the event of a wildfire. Defensible space helps by slowing or stopping the spread of fire as it draws nearer.

It also gives firefighters their best chance of stopping a wildfire before it breaches your home’s perimeter.

Defensible space is required by law in some states, and for us here in Cedar Mill/Oak Hills/Beaverton area, we’re required to reduce excess vegetation around our homes.

Why Does Defensible Space Matter?

When you think of wildfires, you typically think of California, but sadly (and often) wildfires can happen anywhere. There were over 59,000 wildfires across the United States in 2020.

California had a devastating 10,000+ fires, but even not including them, the average number of wildfires per state in 2020 was around 1,000. For 2021, the first six months have already seen about 25% more fires than 2020 did in the same period.

Many people in our area remember the Labor Day fires which burned over 900,000 acres and covered the Willamette Valley in a non-stop smoke haze for more than a week.

Clearly, the more precautions we take to help prevent or manage wildfires, the better everyone will be. Defensible space is one way we can do our part.

If your home is damaged by fire of any sort, wild or not, SERVPRO is ready and able to repair the damage. Get in touch today to get the pros on your team.