Homeowners Responsibility Is Key To Fire Safety!

Homeowners Responsibility Is Key To Fire Safety Whether It Be Outside The Home, Or Inside The Home.

*Keep in mind, here in southern California, it's really fire season year-round. Take the time to protect your home, your investment - but most important your family! The following information will help...help our firefighters help you!

Outside, wildland fire safety begins with creating and maintaining clearance around your home; cutting weeds and dry grass before 10 a.m. when the humidity is higher and temperatures cooler to reduce the chance of fire; and following proper guidelines for burning debris on your property, or when enjoying a campfire.

Inside, basic fire safety begins with checking the battery in your smoke detector; practicing fire drills with your family; ensuring that your burglar bars have quick release mechanisms; and keeping working fire extinguishers available. After reading the information on this site, contact your nearest CDF Office to find out more about fire safety in your area.

Public Resources Code 4291 Any person that owns, leases, controls, operates, or maintains any building or structure in, upon, or adjoining any mountainous area or forest-covered lands, brush-covered lands, or grass-covered lands, or any land which is covered with flammable material, shall at all times do all of the following:

1. Maintain around and adjacent to such building or structure a firebreak made by removing and clearing away, for a distance of not less than 30 feet on each side thereof or to the property line, whichever is nearer, all flammable vegetation or other combustible growth. This subdivision does not apply to single specimens of trees, ornamental shrubbery, or similar plants which are used as ground cover, if they do not form a means of rapidly transmitting fire from the native growth to any building or structure.

2. Maintain around and adjacent to any such building or structure additional fire protection or firebreak made by removing all brush, flammable vegetation, or combustible growth which is located from 30 feet to 100 feet from such building or structure or to the property line, whichever is nearer, as may be required by the director if he finds that, because of extra hazardous conditions, a firebreak of only 30 feet around such building or structure is not sufficient to provide reasonable fire safety. Grass and other vegetation located more than 30 feet from such building or structure and less than 18 inches in height above the ground may be maintained where necessary to stabilize the soil and prevent erosion.

3. Remove that portion of any tree which extends within 10 feet of the outlet of any chimney or stovepipe.

4. Maintain any tree adjacent to or overhanging any building free of dead or dying wood.

5. Maintain the roof of any structure free of leaves, needles, or other dead vegetative growth.

6. Provide and maintain at all times a screen over the outlet of every chimney or stovepipe that is attached to any fireplace, stove, or other device that burns any solid or liquid fuel. The screen shall be constructed of nonflammable material with openings of not more than one-half inch in size.

7. Except as provided in Section 18930 of the Health and Safety Code, the director may adopt regulations exempting structures with exteriors constructed entirely of nonflammable materials, or conditioned upon the contents and composition of same, he may vary the requirements respecting the removing or clearing away of flammable vegetation or other combustible growth with respect to the area surrounding said structures. No such exemption or variance shall apply unless and until the occupant thereof, or if there be no occupant, then the owner thereof, files with the department, in such form as the director shall prescribe, a written consent to the inspection of the interior and contents of such structure to ascertain whether the provisions hereof and the regulations adopted hereunder are complied with at all time.

8. In general emergencies when emergency crews respond to a 9-1-1 call - "will they be able to locate your home quickly?" Are the numbers on your house or mailbox leading to your home large and easy to read - day or night??? Are tree branches or over grown brush covering the numbers or even the street sign of your street. If so, please correct the problem immediately. Our response time will be faster to your emergency.

Got to www.fire.ca.gov for additional information on Fire Safety, Fires and requirements. Also Career information!