Focus on the Home Ignition Zone
The Home Ignition Zone includes your home and the area around it. Reducing flammable material in this area gives your home a better chance of surviving a wildfire.
Make Your Address Easy to Find
Emergency responders need to find your home quickly, including at night, in smoke, or during winter weather.
- Post your address at the end of your driveway.
- Post your address on your home.
- Use reflective numbers that are visible in low light.
- Keep address signs clear of snow, brush, and parked vehicles.
Ignition Zones Around the Home
Start with the area closest to your home and work outward. Most Home Ignition Zone projects are inexpensive, and many can be completed by homeowners over time.
Image Source: Santa Clara County FireSafe Council. "Home Ignition Zone." JPEG
Wildfire Prevention Checklist
Start with the home
- Clean leaves, needles, and debris from roofs and gutters.
- Remove flammable items from decks, porches, and under stairs.
- Keep the first 3 to 5 feet around the foundation as fire-resistant as possible.
- Use noncombustible materials near the home when practical.
Work outward
- Limb trees near structures and along driveways.
- Remove dead limbs, dry grasses, and accumulated vegetation.
- Store firewood away from structures.
- Keep propane tanks clear of vegetation and away from combustible materials.
Zone Guides
Use the zone guides below for more detailed recommendations based on distance from your home.
10 Things to do to before Wildfire Season to prepare your home
List of actions that you can do to reduce the risk of wildfire to your structures.
Printable Homeowner Guide
The printable guide provides additional Home Ignition Zone information for homeowners who want a copy to review or share.
Work With Your Neighborhood
Your Home Ignition Zone may overlap with neighboring properties, open spaces, or subdivision common areas. Working together can reduce wildfire risk across the neighborhood.
Consider talking with neighbors, homeowners associations, or community groups about wildfire prevention and Firewise practices.
More Wildfire Prevention Resources
These outside resources can help homeowners, neighborhoods, and community groups learn more about wildfire prevention, defensible space, and fire-adapted communities.
Questions?
Your local fire department, County Fire Warden, Office of Emergency Services, DNRC, USFS, and local Fire Safe Council may be able to answer questions about wildfire prevention and home preparedness. You can also check the Facebook page for the Office of Emergency Services.