How can you protect my home from wildfires?

There are dangerous areas that can be vulnerable to wildfires and homeowners who live in those areas must protect themselves from the dangers the firers might present.

In order for a homeowner to protect himself from wildfires, he should prepare a defensible space located at least 30 feet from your home by clearing away the flammable vegetation and other combustible materials; replace native plants with fire-safe plants that grow best in his region; make sure space trees and shrubs are at least 10 feet from chimneys and roofs; cover the chimney with a non-flammable screen of one-half-inch or smaller mesh; remove dead vegetation, leaves, and other debris from roofs and gutters; stack firewood far away from anything combustible, including fences and outbuildings; inventory all of his belongings and store the list in a safe place away from his home in the event fire strikes and prepare a family evacuation plan.

If homeowners want to rebuild following wildfires, the Insurance Information Institute-a non-profit consumer group sponsored by the insurance industry – will help homeowners avoid becoming victims of fraud.  Instead of rushing to sign a contract with a company, you should collect business cars and get written estimates for the proposed job to compare companies and review your options.

Since your insurer will reimburse you for the costs, you should remember to keep repair receipts. Be careful of the common fraud scheme in which a “contractor” convinces you to shell out a large deposit before beginning work. Many areas require contractors to be licensed. 

In case anything happens, the best defense against unscrupulous home repair contractors is an aggressive resistance. That’s why you should not make any sudden decisions. Don’t forget to check the contractor’s background, references, and prior work. Don’t sign a contract until you have read it carefully and agreed to all its provisions because your home needs to be properly protected and your money should not be robbed from you.

Rural homeowners should do everything possible in order to limit their fire exposure. That should include cleaning a natural firebreak between the home, outbuildings and trees, bushes and uncut fields. All homeowners should prepare an inventory of appliances, furnishings and possessions that might be claimed if the structure were destroyed or damaged.

Any homeowner living in a dangerous place should prepare a family-priority list of irreplaceable items and rely on this list should disaster ever threaten. The main concern in rural areas may be an unfounded fear that man-caused wildfires might not be covered because they fall under arson exclusion. 

Fire is one of the “basic perils” listed in homeowner insurance; therefore, all fires should be covered.