Defensible Space & Why It's Important | SERVPRO® of Anniston, Gadsden and Marshall County

7/22/2021 (Permalink)

If your home is damaged by fire or any other reason, SERVPRO of Anniston, Gadsden and Marshall is ready and able to repair any damage.

When you think of house fires, wildfires probably don’t come to mind as a potential cause. But the reality is: They’re more common than you think, even here in our area.

According to the National Park Service, wildfires are started by humans 85% of the time. Some accidentally from carelessness and other time deliberately by arsonists.

We can help control the number of fires caused carelessly by humans simply by being more careful when we’re around fire. But there’s more that you can do when it comes to protecting your property.

Understanding Defensible Space

While defensible space can be thought of as a military term, it is also used to define space around your home where combustible materials have been removed to create a fire break.

By adding flame-resistant hardscape around your home and utilizing responsible planting and pruning practices, you can reduce the risk of house fire posed by the wildfire.

By removing combustibles from around your home, you are creating a barrier between the wildfire and your house. This space also give firefighters a chance to slow or stop the wildfire before it damages your home.

Required by law in some states, it’s simply good practice in Alabama.

The Rising Risk of Wildfires

We often think of wildfires as a Rocky Mountain or Pacific Coast problem, but wildfires happen everywhere. In 2020, there were over 59,000 wildfires across the United States in 2020.

California has the distinction of having the most wildfires. They account for over 17% of the wildfires in the United States. But even if we take California fires out of the equation, the average number of wildfires per state in 2020 was still right under 1,000!

Here in Alabama in 2020, we experienced 836 wildfires, burning more than 20,500 acres of land. That’s a lot of destruction.

You can help prevent damage by taking prudent precautions to slow or stop wildfires. Creating defensible space is a great place to start.

If your home is damaged by fire of any sort, wild or not, SERVPRO is ready and able to repair the damage caused. Get in touch today to get the pros on your team.