Preparing Your Home & Fire-Resistant Building

The best things you can do to prepare your home for wildfire include using fire-resistant roofing and building materials when constructing new buildings and updating structures and maintaining an ignition free zone and defensible space in the area immediately surrounding your home. Embers that come into contact with flammable material is one of the most common reasons why homes are destroyed during wildfires. Embers can be carried more than a mile ahead of a fire and thousands of embers can rain down on a single house during a fire. Wood shake roofs are particularly vulnerable to ember ignition and should be avoided and replaced as needed.

To maintain an ignition free zone, remove all flammable plant debris such as pine needles, cones, dead leaves, and twigs from roofs, gutters, decks, and landscaped areas within 5’ of your home and structures to reduce the risk of ignition.

Fire-Resistant Roof Construction

“Use fire-rated shingles such as asphalt, metal, slate, clay tile, or concrete products. A fire-resistant sub-roof adds protection.”

Additional Resources for Preparing Your Home

• The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) website offers free resources about preparing your home for wildfire (PDF) and general information about wildfire threats and safety.
• Project Wildfire Homeowner Resources provides information on the 3 main ways homes ignite during a wildfire: ember ignition, radiant heat and direct flame contact.
• The Firewise Construction Checklist (PDF) is a detailed checklist of wildfire construction best practices and recommended materials.
• NFPA Roofing Materials Research Fact Sheet (PDF)