| The first few minutes of a fire are the most critical for saving your
home when threatened by wildfire. Fire fighting personnel must be able
to immediately locate and safely travel to your home to have a chance to
protect it.
Street signs and house addresses must be clearly posted, and roads
must be able to accommodate busy traffic. At the same time that fire
engines and other emergency equipment are trying to drive into your
area, you must be able to escape in your car with your family and
valuable personal possessions.
Street Signs and
Addresses
Proper identification of your home is essential. Remember, during a
major wildfire, firefighters from throughout the state arrive to assist
local firefighters, and they will rely on clear street signs and
addresses to find your home.
Your street name and address should be printed in letters and numbers
that are at least four inches tall, on a contrasting color background.
They should be visible from all directions of travel for at least 150
feet. And the sign should be made of fire resistant materials.
Each of the streets and roads in your area should be labeled, and
each should have a different name or number. In addition, your home
should have its own house number, which should be in numerical order
along your street or road.
If your house is set back from the street or road, post your address
at the entrance of your driveway. In situations where more than one home
is accessed off a single driveway, all addresses should be posted at the
street and at each appropriate intersection along that driveway.
Access to Your House
Even if your street and house are clearly identified for firefighters,
precious time can be lost if firefighters have difficulty getting to
your house. Narrow roads, dead-end streets, steep driveways and weak
bridges can delay firefighters, or prevent them from arriving at all.
Remember, fire fighting equipment is much larger and heavier than your
family car or truck.
Road and street systems must be planned and designed to provide safe
emergency evacuation and fire department access. A minimum of two
primary access roads should be designed into every subdivision and
development.
All private and public streets should be designed and constructed to
provide two traffic lanes, each a minimum of nine feet in width, which
is just enough space for a fire engine and car to pass each other.
Curves and intersections should also be wide enough to allow large fire
equipment easy passage and the ability to turn.
Roads, driveways and bridges should be built to carry at least 40,000
lbs., which is the average weight of a fire engine. (By comparison, the
average family station wagon weighs about 4,000 lbs.) Also, streets and
driveways must not be too steep or have sharp curves, which can prevent
emergency equipment from arriving to protect your home.
If you have any question about emergency access to your home,
including construction widths, grades or strengths, contact your local
fire department.
Additional Fire Safe
Steps
Every dead-end street or long driveway should have a turnaround area
designed as either a "T" or a circle large enough to allow
fire equipment to turn around. Single-lane one-way roads and driveways
should have turnouts constructed within sight of each other or at
regular distances apart.
You can also improve your chances for safety by clearing away
flammable vegetation at least 10 feet from all roads and at least five
feet from driveways. If possible, cut back and prune vegetation even
more than these distances, and make sure that trees and shrubs are
widely spaced. Also, cut back any overhanging tree branches above the
road. This will provide yourself, evacuating neighbors and arriving
firefighters with even greater protection.
Each of these steps will give firefighters a chance to find and
protect your home. A delay of only a few minutes can mean the difference
between saving your home and losing it.
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Mt. Shasta Vista
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