Lake Tahoe Fire Prevention

April 16, 2021

LAKE TAHOE WILDFIRE HOME SAFETY & PREVENTION

We would like to point out a few things to help with Lake Tahoe Fire Prevention.  We love our home and want it to stay fire free during the fire season.  Places such as the western United States are known for their wildfires and year after year these locations are in the news. Wildfires have been making headlines even more so in recent years. And yet, for those of us who live in these places, like California, where annual wildfires are just another season, it’s still relatively easy to get comfortable because the fires usually only burn in the same area infrequently. Sometimes it may be a few decades before a wildfire poses a real threat to the same area.

This being said, it’s important to be aware of some basic wildfire safety & prevention points.

• Be aware of at least two different ways out of your neighborhood. Know the evacuation route and plan a place where you will go. Make sure everyone in your family knows your meeting place ahead of time. Let your family and friends who do not live in your area know your meeting place.
• Keep your car fueled and keep an emergency supply bag in your car. Back your car into the garage or park it in an open space facing the direction of escape.
• If you are told to evacuate, do so immediately. For a number of us, it’s tempting to wait until the last minute to see if the fire might be contained. But if you delay, the roads may have heavy traffic placing you in a position of greater danger than if you had left earlier. Furthermore, blowing embers and debris from the fire may make it hard to see and they can become more of a hazard the longer you wait.
• Create a safety zone of up to 100 feet around your home. This could include removing dead brush, fallen trees, pine needles, dry leaves, or anything that you can remove that is burnable.
• Keep woodpiles at least 30 feet from your home. It does mean some extra steps to bring wood into the house when needed, but that stack of wood is a real danger the closer it’s stored to your home.
• Stay informed. Listen to the TV/radio broadcasts for current weather and emergency instructions. Sign up to receive local emergency alerts and warnings on both your home phone and cellphone.

Learn more about fire prevention in your neighborhood with Firefighters on Your Side.