How to Protect Your Property From Wildfires
Free Residential Chipper Service
A free chipping program to help residents create defensible space around occupied homes and reduce vegetation along access routes is being offered through Sonoma County Fire and Emergency Services. County crews will come to homes and chip for three hours for free. Your eligible chipping material must be piled and ready to go before you submit your application for the program. The chipper can handle material up to 7 inches in diameter and up to 10 feet long. Crews should be able to chip a pile of up to 100 feet long in three hours.
For more information, including how to apply, click here: Free chipping program
How to Protect Your Property From Wildfires
The Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety’s publication, “Protect Your Home From Wildfire: CALIFORNIA EDITION,” provides extensive information on how to make new homes less vulnerable to the risk of wildfires. The guide can be found here.
Living With Fire in Sonoma County
Another resource for property owners, Living with Fire in Sonoma County, is available at FireSafeSonoma.org
CALFIRE Offers Ways to ‘Harden’ Your Home
Flying embers can destroy homes up to a mile from a wildfire. “Harden” your home now before a fire starts by using ember-resistant building materials. CALFIRE has a guide to help you harden your home and make it more fire resistant.
Wildfire Assessment
Take this Homeowner Wildfire Assessment developed by UC Berkeley’s Center for Fire Research and Outreach to see how your house stacks up.
Native Plant Society Offers Free Fire Recovery Guide
The California Native Plant Society has put together a Fire Recovery Guide that addresses many questions facing property owners, whether they lost their home in the fires or want to make their home safer. The guide is an easy-to-use booklet, created in response to the October 2017 wildfires. The Guide is a collaborative effort between CNPS, North Bay partner organizations, and some of the best fire experts in the state.
Sections include:
- Dos and Don’ts
- Care and Recovery
- Erosion Control
- Fire Preparedness
- Seeding
- Helpful decision trees, and more