The Facts About Defensible Space | SERVPRO® of Beaver County

12/14/2021 (Permalink)

If your home is damaged by fire or any other reason, SERVPRO of Beaver County is ready and able to repair any damage.

Wildfires happen more than most people think, and they often cause property damage. These potent fires can progress quickly because of the combustible materials our world is made up of.

It’s important to take steps to lower the risk of wildfires and protect your home and property. The first key step is to simply be more careful.

But implementing a defensible space around your property is another way you can limit your risk.

Fire Control Using Defensible Space

“Defensible space” is a natural landscaped area that is maintained to reduce fire danger by creating a buffer.

Wildfires spread when they come across items that serve as fuel, such as downed tree branches and dead leaves. That is why it’s important to use responsible planting and pruning practices and to implement landscaping elements such as flame-resistant gravel.

Defensible space creates an invisible barrier of protection, designed to protect your home from wildfires. By creating this barrier, you help slow or stop the spread of fire as it draws nearer. This also gives firefighters their best chance of stopping a wildfire before it reaches your home.

Because defensible space is such an effective means of fire prevention, it’s recommended or even mandated in many cities, counties and states.

Wildfires Gone Wild

When you think about wildfires, the West Coast may come to mind. But in reality, wildfires can happy anywhere. There were over 59,000 wildfires across the United States in 2020.

And while California did account for 10,000+ of that number, the average number of wildfires per state in 2020 was right under 1,000. Here in Pennsylvania, we had 1,488 wildfires last year, burning 2,997 acres of land.

Because wildfires are becoming more common, it is essential that we do everything we can to help prevent them. Defensible space is one way that we can do our part.

If your home is damaged by fire of any sort, wild or not, SERVPRO is ready and able to repair the damage caused. Get in touch today to get the pros on your team.