Builders should plan ahead for wildfire danger

This spring's Picnic Rock Fire is a reminder to landowners planning to build their dream homes among the trees to think carefully about the materials they use.

"That dream home someone is planning to build may be vulnerable to a wildfire because of its design, construction and location," said Jim Hubbard, director of the Colorado State Forest Service. "It may, in fact, become more fuel for the fire."

When preparing to build, buy or remodel, know what to look for in a FireWise home. A few modifications to construction plans can reduce the chance of a home catching fire or may help it resist further damage if it does catch fire.

Following are some guidelines to consider when building a new house or some other type of structure:

• Choose a site located away from heavily vegetated areas.
• Build on the most level portion of the property.
• Avoid ridge tops, canyons and areas between high points on a ridge. These are hazardous locations for houses and firefighters because they become natural chimneys that increase the intensity of the fire.
• Set the structure a minimum of 30 feet back from ridges or cliffs and increase the distance if the structure is more than one story high.
• Use fire-resistive or noncombustible construction materials combined with design techniques to prevent or slow the penetration of fire beyond the exterior of the structure. Whenever possible, use brick, rock or stucco, which resist fire much better than wood.
• Use Class A or B roofing materials, such as asphalt shingles, slate or clay tiles or metal. The roof is the largest surface area of a structure and is particularly vulnerable to wind-blown sparks or firebrands.
• Use a minimum of a Class III flame-spread rated siding material; stone, brick and stucco are best. Construct walls of fire-resistive materials from the ground to the roof overhang.
• Limit the length of eaves and box or enclose them with fire-resistive materials. Eaves that extend beyond exterior walls are susceptible to flame exposure.
• Enclose foundations with concrete block, cement walls or other fire-resistive building materials.
• Minimize the size and number of windows on the downhill side of the house or the side that most likely would be exposed to a wildfire. Windows often are overlooked as fire hazards, but heat from a wildfire may be hot enough to penetrate windows and ignite furnishings inside a house.
• Consider size and materials for windows and sliding glass doors. Multi-paned glass provides insulation from trapped air and provides more protection from radiant heat than single-paned glass. It also reduces potential breakage from wind-blown debris.
• Cover exterior attic, soffit and underfloor vents with metal wire mesh no larger than 1/8-inch to prevent sparks from entering a structure through vents.
• Install eave and soffit vents closer to the roofline than the walls.
• Design decks so that they are not located at the top of a hill directly in the line of a fire moving up-slope.
• Enclose the undersides of balconies and decks on slopes with fire-resistive materials. If not enclosed, these areas can trap flames and burning embers that can ignite a structure.
• Use weed-barrier fabric under decks and balconies to keep them free of vegetation.
• Cover chimneys and stovepipes with a nonflammable mesh screen no larger than 1/2-inch.

Following these guidelines will help protect lives and property and may keep a home from serving as fuel that spreads a fire into adjacent forested land--land that may be tinder-dry, drought-stressed and ready to burn.

For more information about FireWise construction design and materials, visit www.firewise.org or www.colostate.edu/Depts/CSFS.