PROTECT YOUR HOME

There are measures you can take to safeguard your home from wildland fire. While you may not be able to accomplish all the measures listed below, each will increase your home’s, and possibly your family’s, safety and survival during a wildland fire.

 

FREE WILDFIRE RISK ASSESSMENT

Local residents and second homeowners can request a professional evaluation of the external conditions of their home and property to determine their susceptibility to wildfire. With a thorough assessment and proper mitigation efforts, your home’s chances of wildfire survival increase dramatically.

Request your home assessment here:

  • Aspen Fire

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  • Roaring Fork Fire Rescue logo

    Roaring Fork Fire Rescue

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  • Carbondale Fire Logo

    Carbondale & Rural Fire Protection District

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Once your application is processed:    

  • You'll be scheduled for an in-depth, on-site assessment by a fire professional. ​

  • The on-site exterior assessment takes about 2 hours to complete.

  • A fire professional will prepare a detailed follow up report with customized, voluntary recommendations designed to measurably reduce the wildfire risk to your home.

  • You can expect to receive this within 15 days of completing your on-site evaluation.  

DEFENSIBLE SPACE 

Defensible space is the required space between a structure and surrounding wildland area that can help slow or halt the spread of wildfire to that structure. It protects the home from igniting due to direct flame or radiant heat. Defensible space is essential for structure survivability during wildland fire conditions.

 

house showing different zones of defensible space
house with markers for where it's safe to have trees and other plants

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ZONE ONE

Zone One extends 30 feet out from buildings, structures, decks.

  • Remove all dead or dying vegetation.

  • Trim tree canopies regularly to keep their branches a minimum of ten feet from structures and other trees.

  • Remove leaf litter (dry leaves/pine needles) from yard, roof, and rain gutters.

  • Relocate woodpiles or other combustible materials into Zone Two.

  • Remove combustible material and vegetation from around and under decks.

  • Remove or prune vegetation near windows.

  • Remove “ladder fuels” (low-level vegetation that allows the fire to spread from the ground to the tree canopy). Create a separation between low-level vegetation and tree branches. Reduce the height of low-level vegetation and/or trim low tree branches.

ZONE TWO

Zone Two extends 30-100 feet out from buildings, structures, and decks.

You can minimize the chance of fire jumping from plant to plant by removing dead material and removing and/or thinning vegetation. The minimum spacing between vegetation is three times the dimension of the plant.

  • Remove “ladder fuels.”

  • Cut or mow annual grass down to a maximum height of four inches.

  • Trim tree canopies regularly to keep their branches a minimum of ten feet from other trees.

ZONE THREE

This zone extends from the edge of zone two to the property line and is an area of traditional forest management to enhance the overall health of the forest and benefit wildlife).

HARDEN YOUR HOME

What is a Hardened Home?

Construction materials and the quality of the defensible space surrounding it are what gives a home the best chance to survive a wildland fire. Embers from a wildland fire will find the weak link in your home’s fire protection scheme and gain the upper hand because of a small, overlooked or seemingly inconsequential factor. However, there are measures you can take to safeguard your home from wildland fire. While you may not be able to accomplish all the measures listed below, each will increase your home’s, and possibly your family’s, safety and survival during a wildland fire.

  • Roofs

    Roofs are the most vulnerable surface where embers land because they can lodge and start a fire. Roof valleys, open ends of barrel tiles and rain gutters are all points of entry.

  • Eaves

    Embers can gather under open eaves and ignite exposed wood or other combustible material.

  • Vents

    Embers can enter the attic or other concealed spaces and ignite combustible materials. Vents in eaves and cornices are particularly vulnerable, as are any unscreened vents.

  • Walls

    Combustible siding or other combustible or overlapping materials provide surfaces or crevices for embers to nestle and ignite.

  • Windows and Doors

    Embers can enter gaps in doors, including garage doors. Plants or combustible storage near windows can be ignited from embers and generate heat that can break windows and/or melt combustible frames.

  • Balconies and Decks

    Embers can collect in or on combustible surfaces or the undersides of decks and balconies, ignite the material and enter the home through walls or windows.

To harden your home even further, consider protecting your home with a residential fire sprinkler system. In addition to extinguishing a fire started by an ember that enters your home, it also protects you and your family year-round from any fire that may start in your home.