There may be a certain time of the year where we always hear about a “fire season” – and it is usually the spring and summer months. But mitigating risks and eliminating fire hazards is a year-round proposition, and it’s something that we are often neglectful in discussing in the name of public service.

Even as we are officially entering Christmas season – and of course making sure our Christmas trees don’t become kindling in other types of fire season – we should always be mindful of those risks of wildfire. There is a reason they are called wildfires, and it’s not necessarily because they are started in the wilderness. They are wildfires because they are rarely contained nor predicted, nor are they predictable. And when you don’t know what the enemy is doing, it makes it harder to fight that enemy.

[Image courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Flickr, via a Creative Commons license]

[Image courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Flickr, via a Creative Commons license]

While wildfires can be nature’s way of refreshing the land, we never want to see man-made wildfires get started. But any wildfire can be dangerous, and contrary to popular opinion, there is a peak time for wildfire risk, but there is always a wildfire season. Wildfires can happen at any time, and it is always a good idea to make sure your home, your property and your neighborhood are as fire-proofed as possible during all times of the year.

And while in some warner, drier climes the wildfire peak is in the spring and summer, there are parts of North America where grass, shurbs and trees go dormant or die in extreme cold, and dry grass or shrubs can be very simple kindling for a wildfire from a disposed cigarette, an abandoned campfire, a spark or just a lightning strike. Anywhere there is dead grass or brush is always a risky location that promotes a wildfire hazard.

And if you are in a part of the country where your grass or shrubs become potential kindling during this time of year, this would be a good time to acquaint yourself with the Wildfire Safety Toolkit provided by the NFPA and its Firewise Communities Program.

The online toolkit provides resources for homeowners and property owners to protect their assets from wildfire by providing information about wildfire risks and adding advice about fire-proofing your entire property to minimize the risk of wildfire damage.

Some of the advice can be applied throughout the year, not just as wildfire season dawns. Think about some of these regular cleaning and sprucing-up steps:

  • Rake leaves, dead grass and dead/broken branches from patios, walkways, roofs and gutters, as dry and dead wood and brush can easily ignite.
  • Check your roof for any loose or damaged shingles and get them repaired or replaced. Embers that get airborne may slip in through a crack in your roof and ignite the wood or the insulation in your attic.
  • Remove any other flammable substances such as old chemicals, aerosols, propane tanks, etc., that you do not use. Make sure they are all at least 30 feet away from your property line – and ideally, away from neighbors’ property as well.
  • Whever possible, avoid using mulch and instead use rock, gravel or stone to fill in the garden.
  • Prune back any low-hanging branches. Branches on trees should be more than a man’s height off the gound (so 7-10 feet) to avoid contact with any possible flames running along the ground that could ignite branches and then ignite an entire tree.

The toolkit has other resources and advice to help homeowners and property owners keep their property free from fire hazards. If everyone can take an active, 12-month watch of these kinds of wildfire risks, the wildfires themselves will decrease in frequency and intensity and potentially save hundred of lives and as much as billions of dollars in property every year.