Defending Your Home From Wildfire | SERVPRO® of Henderson/Boulder City

9/7/2021 (Permalink)

If your home is damaged by fire or any other reason, SERVPRO of Henderson/Boulder City is ready and able to repair any damage.

Defending Your Home From Wildfire | SERVPRO® of Henderson/Boulder City - SERVPRO OF HENDERSON/BOULDER CITY Blog

Wildfires are a devastating thought for Nevada homeowners, and more of a potentially reality here than we’d like to think about. Property damage due to wildfire happens more often than most people may realize.

And with their intensity and rate of acceleration, it’s a wonder firefighters are ever able to get them under containment.

But there are things you as a homeowner can do to prevent and slow the spread of wildfires, aside from simply being more careful, which is the best method of prevention.

We’re talking today about “defensible space.”

What Is Defensible Space?

It’s not a NASA protection initiative. “Defensible space” is a buffer zone (technically it’s three) with which you can surround your home to protect it from an oncoming fire. You can slow the spread with the right combination of planting and pruning practices, use of concrete or gravel, and removal of easy fuel sources like brush and decayed trees.

Think of it as an obstacle of protection (aka defense), designed to starve a fire as it approaches your home. It also gives firefighters their best chance of stopping a wildfire before it gets to your structure.

Defensible space isn’t required by law in Clark County like it is in some parts of Nevada, but around 80% of homes and businesses already employ the method here, which is one of the factors that has led to our area being considered a lower hazard risk.

Why Defensible Space Matters

Wildfires can and do happen everywhere in the United States. There were over 59,000 wildfires across the country in 2020.

Even without California’s 10,000+ fires, the average number of wildfires per state in 2020 was still almost 1,000. Moreover, the first half of 2021 saw a 25% increase in wildfire occurrence compared to the previous year.

Here in Nevada, we suffered 770 wildfires in 2020, which burned nearly 260,000 acres of land.

Anything you can do to protect your home against wildfires, you should do; defensible space is one more way you can make damage from fire less likely.

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