When doing your spring yard cleanup, it is a good time to think about fireproofing your home.
Spring can be an especially dangerous time for wildfires and grass fires due to dry conditions.
Rob Nichol, chief of the Saint John Fire Department, said a number of simple things can help minimize the risk for fire around your home.
“You look at what Halifax saw last year, and we have a very similar interface in our city as well, where we have the wildland and then the urban interface, which is where our human development meets nature,” Nichol said in an interview.
“There’s lots of potential there if there were to be a wildfire, where it could certainly spread into some of our communities, as we saw in Halifax as well. It’s the same risk, and we just need to do everything we can to prevent that.”
You should remove any dry leaves, twigs, needles, and branches from your yard, under your deck, balconies, patios, and gutters.
It is also recommended that you keep grass shorter than 10 centimetres to prevent it from burning as intensely.
Nichol said preventative measures taken within 10 metres of your home will have the biggest impact on fire safety.
“Anything we can do to minimize fuel load around the home is something that minimizes the fire risk,” said Nichol.
An estimated 90 per cent of homes damaged or destroyed by wildland fire are ignited by embers, he said, and embers can travel up to two kilometres.
Homeowners should maintain a 1.5-metre non-combustible surface around their home and any attachments, like decks.
Use gravel mulch and decorative crushed rock mulch rather than bark or pine needle mulches within 10 metres of your home.
In addition, any firewood piles should be stored at least 10 metres away from your home.
You can find more tips by visiting FireSmart Canada.
