Preventing Fire Damage: Four Key Points

6/26/2016 (Permalink)

Knowing the Location of Your Local Fire House Can Be Helpful

Some Planned Out Steps to Save Lives and Control Damage

Preparation and defense are the key points to preventing fire damage to your home or business. Unless you live on the 2100 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd, you have to do it. Oh, in case you did not know, the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department's address is 2101.

Our Regional Fire Chiefs recently provided four key points to protecting lives and property in the Lake Tahoe Basin. At SERVPRO, we believe they are excellent ideas and need to be followed by every business owner, homeowner, renter or vacationer hoping to prevent fire damage around the Lake Tahoe area.

1) Remove leaves, pine needles and other dead vegetation from next to and around all structures. Included in that is climbing a ladder and getting everything cleaned off of the roof and out of the rain gutters. This creates a defensible space so that embers and sparks cannot find easy fuel to spread the fire.

2) Trim back all branches lower than 10 feet on all surrounding trees. For a spreading fire, this is the 'low-hanging fruit' that feeds it. Take it away so the fire starves and dies.

3) Move and restack your firewood to a point at least 30 feet from your home. Yes, the nights are still cool, but what you have next to your home right now is a pile of wood that is cut and shaped to burn! Get it away from the house.

4) Sit down with your families and employees to develop an evacuation plan. Have a gathering point so you know everyone is safe. This is also critical so you can tell the Fire Department they do not have to risk their lives looking for someone who is not there.

Here at SERVPRO of Carson City/Douglas County/South Lake Tahoe, we have one more: When the alert sounds on your TV or radio, get out! Memories are important, but not even great-grandma's favorite tchotchke she brought from the old country is worth dying for. If you are concerned about potential threats, please contact us at 1-775-588-2355 to have a free assessment performed.