As the weather turns hotter and vegetation dries out, the Piedmont Fire Department urges residents to prepare their yards for fire season by trimming trees and shrubs, clearing flammable materials, and removing dead vegetation around their property. Even if you took these steps earlier this summer, it’s a good idea to do another round of clearing as fall nears.
The East Bay hills have seen significant wildfires in September and October multiple times in the last 150 years. Those events, and recent wildfires across California, have taught us that our communities are best protected when everyone takes steps to manage the vegetation around their homes, which helps to reduce the spread and severity of fires when they start.
Prepare your yard: prune plants and clear debris
You can do your part and increase your own home’s chance of surviving a wildfire by taking a few simple protective measures in your yard every year. Make time in the next few weeks to prepare your property:
- Create space between plants and your home: Remove branches that hang over your roof or are within 10 feet of your chimney. Prune plants away from buildings. This buffer area will help protect your house and give firefighters an area to work in to defend your home during a fire.
- Create space between plants: Trim trees so the lowest branches are at least 6 feet from the ground, or three times the height of any shrubs beneath the tree. This helps prevent fire from moving from the ground to the treetops, where it can spread more quickly.
- Clear debris and flammable materials: Remove all dead plants, grass, and weeds around your yard. Clear leaves and pine needles from roofs, gutters, and the ground. Remove flammable materials, such as paint or propane containers from under decks and away from buildings.
- Trim plants of any dead or dying material: It’s important to keep all plants in your yard watered and well maintained. Remove any dead or dying vegetation. If you have eucalyptus trees in your yard, remove any shedding bark or leaves.
Download a checklist for preparing your yard at piedmont.ca.gov/YardChecklist.
Find more information and links to additional resources on preparing your property for fire season at piedmont.ca.gov/vegetation. If you need help identifying what needs to be done on your property, call the Fire Department at (510) 420-3030 to request an inspection.