The first zone is the structure zone - the area within 5 feet of the structure. If a wildfire is allowed to reach this zone, the home will likely be lost. Fire can reach this zone by traveling on the ground through flammable materials such as tall grass, wooden walkways and fences, or by flying embers from a nearby fire that catch fire in materials within this zone.
The next zone makes up the defensible space and is the area within 30 feet of the structure. Any decks or outbuildings inside this zone are considered part of the structure and extend the zone 30 feet beyond them. This is the zone that, if properly landscaped, can prevent a wildfire from reaching the structure zone.
The third zone is the wild land or fuel reduction zone. This extends 100 feet beyond structures and is generally where the woods or other wild areas are. This is the area where excess fuel such as downed trees, heavy brush and dense conifer plantations should be reduced.
For additional information, please contact Whatcom County District #14 at
(360) 599-2823.
— Firefighter Daniel
Also see previous safety tips: January 2005 | December 2004
Updated: April 2, 2005
This month's safety tip is brought to you by Firefighter Daniel, our Web site's Public Safety Representative. Daniel is one of
WCFD #14's firefighters and lives in the Sumas area. Daniel has been a member of our fire district for 4 years.