Tips to protect yourself from wildfires

June 24, 2011—As Northern New Mexico communities experience the fallout from Arizona and New Mexico fires, employees are increasingly thinking about how to reduce danger to their homes and workplaces from wildfires. One way to achieve this is by creating defensible space, a practice that becomes especially salient when employees are sheltering in place.

Tips for creating defensible space

• Clear all flammable vegetation from within 10 feet of propane tanks
• Use hard surfaces (concrete, stone, asphalt, brick, etc.) in your landscaping
• Trim tree branches within 10 feet of a chimney or stovepipe
• Remove all needles and leaves from beneath decks and within two feet of any structure; in open areas, restrict needles and leaves to a depth of two inches (to prevent soil erosion)
• Trim grass to four inches in height (where soil erosion is an issue, 18 inches are allowed)
• Eliminate tall shrubs, small trees, low-hanging branches (know as “ladder fuels”) that allow flames to climb upward and other debris beneath trees Space trees 20 to 30 feet apart
• Grass and other round fuels should not exceed four inches in height

More information is here.

Download a Defensible Space illustration:

Single house [199 KB]

Multiple houses [181 KB]

Take Steps to Protect your Home from Fire [147 KB]

Sheltering in place

Sometimes, sheltering in place is safer than evacuating. No matter where employees are—at their home or workplace—the basic steps of shelter-in-place generally remain the same.

In addition to creating a defensible space around their location, employees should:

• Determine in which room to shelter. The room should be above ground level and have few or no windows
• Keep the room stocked with food, water, and medical/first aid supplies
• Shut and lock all windows (tighter seal) and close exterior doors
• Turn off air conditioners, heaters, and fans
• Close vents to ventilation systems
• Make a list of the people sheltering and share it with someone outside the home or workplace
• Turn on a radio or TV and listen for further instructions
• Take cell phones to use during the emergency
• Perform regular fire safety, evacuation, and shelter-in-place drill