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paulz
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# Posted: 12 Oct 2017 11:14am
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You've no doubt heard about the disaster going on, entire city blocks wiped out, many of them. My house is about 10 miles from the nearest fire but out of the path so far, 50% likelihood at present. My cabin is another 20 miles west near the coast and will be our evac location. Never thought I'd need it for that. Actually if I had to lose one it would be the house, provided I could get all my crap out.
Also never paid too much attention to fire danger. That will change. Good reminder for all of us on the cabin forum.
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rockies
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# Posted: 12 Oct 2017 06:28pm
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I've posted many threads on fire prevention, designing for fire prevention and products in the Useful Info section.
I'm always struck by the number of people who think "It could never happen to me". It's also quite revealing to see how quickly the latest "catastrophic disaster" falls out of the news cycle. Heard anything about Houston lately? Or Key West?
One small news statement after hurricane Harvey reported that "thousands of people cancelled or let lapse their hurricane insurance because "The fear of it happening had lessened".
"The last terrible hurricane was 16 years ago! Why do I need hurricane insurance?"
If you have a wood roof on your cabin, rip it off and install a metal one. Install tracks (or hooks) above your doors and windows so you can hang fire barriers in front of them (have them sized and ready - you won't have time to rush off and buy plywood).
Cover your wood siding and wood decks with a product like Flamestop II. Keep a perimeter around your cabin free of fuel (wood piles, propane tanks, dry brush).
There's lots you can do.
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KinAlberta
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# Posted: 14 Oct 2017 03:46pm - Edited by: KinAlberta
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A few years back, I heard a former chairman or president of BP saying on the radio that tens of thousands of wells had been drilled off the east coast without problem, so they never imagined the disaster they were experiencing.
I couldn’t believe my ears. As odds are increasing for near certain likelihoods/events. People are mentally doing the exact opposite, they are reducing their expectations of and preparations for that event.
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 14 Oct 2017 04:55pm - Edited by: toyota_mdt_tech
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Paulz, I almost lost my cabin in a huge fire(s) we had in my state, summer of 2015. I had a thread on it. Talk about lucky. As you can see in the last picture (that dot is my 40 acres), it should of consumed the place. But a monsoon downpour of rain came in and lasted for several hours, stopped it dead in its tracks. It was coming in at the south, dodged the advance from the north a week earlier. I would be doing prep work right now, get vehicles out of there, cut all shrubs from siding, move anything from the sides.
Funny, anytime I build, i think "fire" prevention, ie gable vents great way in for sparks, porch? Seal it will a special fire resistant coating, and metal roofs a must. Hardi soffit board for under the eves, if exposed rafter tails, use roof flashing to cover entire fascia board, including the bottom. They make metal just for this. Any molding or trim on the outside? Cut the tops of them at an angle to sparks roll off. T1-11? Seal the grooves next to trim.... and on and on... I brought in 100 yards of gravel, did a major logging operation jsut ahead of the fires, then in spring, in came all the gravel. I have lots more to do, but the cabin itself is pretty well protected.
Paulz, I wish you the best. I am certain we have plenty more cabineers in the paths of those fires. Keep us posted, pray for rain or even a wind direction change to blow it back into itself.
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KinAlberta
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# Posted: 15 Oct 2017 10:07pm - Edited by: KinAlberta
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The basics of defensible space and the “home ignition zone†- Firewise
http://www.firewise.org/wildfire-preparedness/be-firewise/home-and-landscape/defensib le-space.aspx
Excerpt:
“In fact, all the research around home destruction and home survival in wildfires point to embers and small flames as the main way that the majority of homes ignite in wildfires. For that reason, NFPA recommends methods to prepare homes to withstand ember attack and minimize the likelihood of flames or surface fire touching the home or any attachments (fences, decks, porches) as the first place for homeowners to start working to prepare their properties. ...â€
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