Protect your home and your peace of mind with some simple maintenance tips that can reduce the risk of wildfires affecting your home.  Here’s a list of the top things you should do to protect your home: 

Clean your roofs and gutters – Clean gutters of dead leaves, pine needles, branches, and other natural debris that can easily catch fire. Regularly cleaning your roofs and gutters, at least twice a year, will lower the risk of fire spreading to your house. Inspect these areas of your home at least twice a week to reduce your risk of fire damage. 

Replace missing or loose shingles – When you clean your gutters, take the time to look for loose or missing roof shingles. Replacing and repairing the shingles/roof tiles on your home prevents embers from easily entering your home and starting a fire. It’s also recommended that you install a Class A fire-rated roof, you can check the manufacturer instructions or consult the documentation of your roof’s construction to find out what its fire rating is.  

Repair damaged windows & window screens – Make sure that windows and window screens remain intact to prevent embers, debris, and combustible materials from accumulating inside of the home.  

Enclose eaves, fasciae, soffits, and vents - Keep openings on the exterior of the home closed and sealed to keep embers out when a fire is near.  

Fire-resistant decks, porches, and patios – Most porches are made of combustible materials, but you can treat wood decks with fire-retardant wood stain. You should also regularly clean out debris between deck boards and avoid storing combustible materials like firewood under or around your porch. Enclosing the underside of a deck is another easy way to reduce the risk of fire catching below.  

Fencing  – Installing fences that are detached from your home lessens the risk of fire passing from the fence to your home. If you have the option, new fences should be made of noncombustible or ignition-resistant materials (metal, heavy timber, masonry, or a fire-retardant pressure treated wood). 

Firewood storage - It is ideal to store your firewood piles at least 20 feet away from the home. Make sure your piles are covered and keep fire-accelerators and fuel far from the firewood.  

Of course, another important thing you can do to protect yourself is make sure your home owner’s policy doesn’t have any gaps in coverage . If you need to make sure that your policies protect what matters most to you, we’re always just a phone call away! Call or text us today at 360-514-9550 for any questions about staying protected from wildfires.