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Improving Your Hazard Rating.

- Photos of Managed and Unmanaged Vegetation

Topography, fuel and weather are the three factors that influence the spread of wildfire. Fuels in a wildfire setting are classified as vegetation and structural elements such as the roof, siding, deck, etc.

Statistics show efforts to modify these fuels can have a profound effect on a home's ability to survive a wildfire!

It's impossible to guarantee a home will survive a wildfire, but by incorporating fuel management techniques, hardening the structure and performing annual maintenance, a home's chances of survival are increased.

Preventive measures are the key to protecting a home during the crucial minutes it takes wildfire to pass.

Homes built adjacent to vegetated areas in steep terrain are susceptible to wildland fire. Colorado Springs is considered a high hazard wildland environment.

What Can You Do?

The following steps accompanied by regular maintenance will create a safer wildland environment and could save your home in the event of a wildfire.

Roofs are an extremely vulnerable part of a house during a wildfire. The city’s Class A roofing ordinance 02-174 dated January 1, 2003, outlines the types of roofing products that can be used. The ordinance states that after January 1, 2003, a Class A roof covering (excluding solid wood roofing products) shall be installed on all residential occupancies for new construction, re-roofing, and repairs greater than 25% of the total roof area. A minimum Class B roof covering shall be installed on all remaining occupancies (not to replace Class A where already required by Table 15-A; 1997 UBC) at the time a permitted roofing or re-roofing application is made within the limits of the City of Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Complete details of the ordinance can be obtained through the Office of the City Clerk or at www.springsgov.com.
Create defensible space around your home. This area should extend 30' feet from the structure, but not exceed beyond the property line. Defensible space incorporates vegetation management as detailed in the following steps.
Multiple large trees within the defensible space area should be trimmed so the tops are not touching. Tree clusters may be allowed if significant clear area is provided. Tree branches shall not extend over or under roof eaves and shall not be within fifteen (15) feet of a wood burning appliance chimney. Remove dead, diseased and weakened trees. Lower tree branches should be pruned to three times the height of any underlying shrubs or grass.
Remove pine needles, leaves and debris from the ground and in-between brush and trees. Roofs and gutters must also be kept clean from these materials.
Keep grass and weeds mowed to a maximum height of 4 inches. Fire spreads rapidly in dry grass and weeds. Promptly dispose of leaves, branches and other debris.
Do not use the area under decks for storage. Store firewood at least 15' away from the house and decks.
Ensure your address is clearly marked and visible from the street.
Install spark arresters over chimneys.
Incorporate fire/fuel breaks in your landscaping. These include stone or concrete patios, ponds, rock paths and sidewalks.
Plan and rehearse an escape plan. Be prepared to evacuate your home when directed by fire or police officials.

Special attention needs to be taken when making improvements and changing roof types to ensure adherence to local zoning codes, ordinances and community covenants. Normal maintenance and treatment of your yard's landscape cover may be conducted without any city approvals, vegetation within 10' of the home may be removed without City review if necessary to comply with fire safety procedures.

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What Is Defensible Space?

As the number of people living in and adjacent to the wildland urban interface grows, the likelihood of homes being threatened by wildfire also grows. A critical factor in determining whether or not a home will survive a wildfire is the type, amount, and maintenance of vegetation surrounding the house. In the 1980's the term "defensible space" was coined to describe vegetation management practices aimed at reducing the wildfire threat to homes.

Defensible space refers to that 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, defensible space is simply a homeowner's properly maintained yard.

What is the relationship between vegetation and wildfire threat?
Many people do not view the plants growing on their property as a threat. In terms of wildfire, what is growing adjacent to a home can have considerable influence upon its survivability. All vegetation including naturally occurring native plants and ornamental plants are potential wildfire fuel. If vegetation is properly modified and maintained, a wildfire can be slowed, the length of flames shortened, and the amount of heat reduced. All of which assist firefighters in defending the home.

The Fire Department is supposed to protect my house, so why bother with defensible space?
Some individuals incorrectly assume that a fire engine will be parked in their driveway and firefighters will be actively defending their homes if a wildfire approaches. During a major wildfire, it is unlikely there will be enough firefighting resources available to defend every home. In these instances, firefighters, will face a difficult task of selecting homes they can safely and effectively protect. Even with adequate resources, some wildfires may be so intense that there may be little firefighters can do. The key is to proactively reduce fuel (vegetation) long before a wildfire occurs. By performing regular vegetation maintenance you are increasing your home's ability to survive a wildfire.

Does defensible space mean clear cutting?
No, Unfortunately, many people have a misconception that vegetation management involves clear cutting. Many homes have attractive, well-vegetated properties that also serve as effective defensible space.

Does creating defensible space require any special skills or equipment?
No. For the most part, common gardening and yard tools are all that is needed. A chipper, compost bin, or large trash dumpster may be useful in disposing of tree limbs.

How big is an effective defensible space?
Defensible space size is usually expressed as the distance from the house in which vegetation is managed to reduce the wildfire threat. The necessary distance for an effective defensible space is not the same for everyone, but varies by slope and type of wildland vegetation growing near the house.

Does defensible space make a difference?
Yes. Visits to the recent wildland fires in Colorado and New Mexico confirm that homes that have incorporated FireWise concepts are more likely to survive a wildfire. Structure survivability features work hand in glove with defensible space to enhance the homes "stand alone" potential. Construction materials that help "harden the structure" include stucco, brick and fire resistant siding, double pane windows and non-combustible roofing materials. These conditions give firefighters the opportunity to effectively and safely defend the home.

Does having a defensible space guarantee my home will survive a wildfire?
No. Under extreme conditions, all homes have the potential to burn. Having defensible space will significantly improve the odds of your home surviving a wildfire.

Why doesn't everyone living in a high hazard wildfire area create defensible space?
Specific reasons for not creating defensible space are varied. Some individuals believe "it won't happen to me." Others think costs, time, effort and loss of privacy outweigh the benefits. Some have failed to implement defensible space practices because of lack of knowledge or misconceptions.

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Wildland-Urban Interface Vegetation

The following examples provide a visual representation of vegetation found in the Colorado Springs wildland-urban interface.

Homeowners increase their chances of surviving a wildfire by reducing the amount of vegetation on their parcel. FireWise landscaping does not mean clear cutting! It simply means, some extreme gardening needs to be performed and dead leaves, pine needles, and other dead debris and ground litter removed from the residence. Lawns and weeds need to be kept mowed; vegetation thinned and branches of trees raised off the ground.

Once FireWise landscaping techniques are performed they need to be maintained on a regular basis.

Good Vegetation Management:	Unmanaged Vegetation:
Ladder fuels (material on or near the ground that carry fire to the surface and crowns) have been reduced and vegetation properly thinned	Dense and unmaintained vegetation
Maintained scrub oak will have a canopy (similar to a treetop) and resemble more of a tree than a shrub	Scrub oak and ladder fuels on a slope leading to a residence
Pruned scrub oak continues their importance to area wildlife	Thick stands of scrub oak
Appropriately trimmed and thinned ponderosa pine and young stands of scrub oak	Ladder fuels and thick vegetation in a chimney behind area homes

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Ladder Fuels

Vegetation is often present at varying heights, similar to the rungs of a ladder. Under these conditions, flames from fuels burning at ground level, such as a thick layer of pine needles, can be carried to shrubs which can ignite still higher fuel like tree branches. Vegetation that allows a fire to move from lower growing plants to taller ones is referred to as "ladder fuel". The ladder fuel problem can be corrected by providing a separation between the vegetation layers.

Within the defensible space area, a vertical separation of three times the height of the lower fuel layer is recommended.

For example, if a shrub growing adjacent to a large pine tree is three feet tall, the recommended separation distance would be 9 feet (3 ft. shrub height x 3 = 9 feet). This could be accomplished be removing the lower tree branches, reducing the height of the shrub, or both.

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