Tip 1 = Clear your 0-5 ft zone, no combustible material

Make sure there is nothing that is combustible within 5 ft of a building. This is known as the 0-5 ft non-combustible zone. This includes the entire footprint of an attached deck.

Remove all vegetation or combustible materials that are within 5 feet of windows, doors, and siding, and use non-combustible material like dirt, gravel, or stones to the 0-5 ft and avoid combustible material such as wood mulch.

Tip 2 = When retrofitting, upgrade to non-combustible building material

It is important to understand what a non-combustible or ignition-resistant building material is. Manufacturers will provide testing and certificates and it's best to verify these against Fire Authorities publications. IBHS defines ignition-resistant building materials as; a type of building material that resists ignition or sustained flaming combustion sufficiently so as to reduce losses from wildland-urban interface conflagrations under worst-case weather and fuel conditions with wildfire exposure of burning embers and small flames.

Ignition-resistant building materials must comply with one of the following:

Extended ASTM E84 (UL 723) test or ASTM E2768
Noncombustible material

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Tip 3 = Install a high quality, tested, and approved, 1/16” aperture mesh on vents, gutters, decks, etc.

While ⅛ inch aperture mesh is the minimum standard size recommended by most building codes to protect from embers, our testing shows that a smaller aperture of 1/16 inch aperture can stop significantly more dangerous embers from reaching the interior of the structure while still maintaining the necessary airflow required for vent functionality.

Tip 4 = Use non-combustible fencing within 5 ft of the house

In line with the 0-5 ft non-combustible zone, any fencing that is within 5 ft of the building should also be made of non-combustible material, such as stone, masonry, or concrete.

Tip 5 = The more structures in a community that are protected, the better the chance of survival - we are stronger together

Often, the ignition source in a wildfire is the building next door, and if they are not prepared, then this may impact your building. Encouraging your street, neighborhood, and community to join you in creating defensible space around their buildings, too, will give your building, and your neighborhood a better chance at surviving the threat of Wildfire.

Wildfire Defense Mesh offers community discounts - contact us to find out more.