HOME HARDENING

Home hardening options – ways to make your home more fire resistant – vary widely in both time commitment and cost but even the most minor tasks can greatly improve odds of a structure surviving wildfire.

Some low-cost, easy options include:

• Installing non-combustible gutter covers to keep pine needles and other vegetation from accumulating
• Caulk and plug gaps around rafters, between siding boards and trim
• Be sure weather stripping at all doors is still closing off the opening entirely and be sure replacement stripping is a fire resistant/rated product
• Inspect attic, soffit and foundation venting to be sure a Vulcan (brand) vent (or equal) is in place
• Regularly clean gutters and remove accumulations of pine needles from the roof
• Keep the Zone Zero space cleaned up, do not store anything below deck areas and re-visit general defensible space conditions around the entire property on an annual basis

Modifications requiring a greater commitment financially include changes to exterior siding and roofing materials and for older homes, full window replacement.

Contact the Architecture Review office for a conversation, on-site consultation or to assist with providing further specifics and/or contacts in your home hardening efforts. Additional information may be found here:

• Harden Your Home, TFPD
• Home Hardening, CAL FIRE
  
  

DEFENSIBLE SPACE

The MCCA, in partnership with the Truckee Fire District and Cal Fire, reminds homeowners to maintain their properties in compliance with key regulations – Public Resource Code (PRC) 4291 and California Code of Regulations (CCR) 1299. These regulations play a critical role in protecting homes and surrounding areas from the threat of wildfire.

What is Defensible Space?

The purpose of the guidelines found in PRC 4291 and CCR 1299 is to offer homeowners specific fuel modification measures that create a defensible space around their homes. This defensible space is essential for providing firefighters with a safer environment to protect homes from encroaching wildfires. It also helps to reduce the risk of a structure fire spreading into the surrounding wildlands. Your home and the vegetation around it are potential fuel sources for a wildfire. As a homeowner, you play a crucial role in safeguarding your property and preventing fire destruction.

Key Information for Homeowners

All new homes in the Martis Camp community undergo an inspection by the Truckee Fire Department before they are approved for occupancy. However, homeowners are responsible for maintaining defensible space on their properties each year. Regularly updating your property to comply with defensible space guidelines is essential to ensuring the safety of your home and the surrounding environment.

Before beginning any work related to defensible space, please contact both the Truckee Fire Department and Martis Camp Architecture Review to schedule a joint inspection. This allows the fire department and the Architecture Review team to work together, marking trees and vegetation for removal as needed.

Helpful Resources

For more information about Truckee’s Defensible Space Program and the Fuels Management Program, visit the following websites:

• TFPD Defensible Space
• TFPD Defensible Space Inspection Form
• Cal Fire Ready for Wildfire

We appreciate your ongoing commitment to maintaining a safe and fire-resilient community, and working together to protect our homes, families and environment from the threat of wildfire.

ZONE 0

Zone 0 (Zone Zero) is the area immediately surrounding a structure that plays a critical role in fire prevention and creating defensible space. It is the first line of defense against wildfires and is designed to reduce the risk of a structure being ignited by direct flame, radiant heat, or flying embers. Zone 0 typically extends from the exterior walls of a home or building outward to a designated distance – usually within 5 feet – and focuses on eliminating any fire hazards in this high-risk zone.

The primary goal of Zone 0 is to ensure that the area closest to the structure is free of combustible materials that can easily catch fire. By creating a fire-safe perimeter around the home, Zone 0 helps protect the structure from both direct flame contact and radiant heat, which can ignite a building even if flames do not reach it directly.

Key Components of Zone 0

• Removal of Combustible Materials: Zone 0 requires the clearing of any dead vegetation, dry leaves, pine needles, grass, and other materials that can serve as fuel during a fire. This includes trimming tree branches that hang low to the ground and removing any other combustible debris that could catch fire easily.
• Fire-Resistant Landscaping: In Zone 0, homeowners are encouraged to use non-combustible materials such as gravel, stone, and fire-resistant plants. Landscaping that incorporates fire-resistant plants and hardscaping can significantly reduce the risk of ignition.
• Clearance Between Vegetation and Structure: There should be at least a 5-foot buffer zone between any vegetation and the structure itself. This space prevents the transfer of fire from plants to the building and minimizes the risk of ember ignition.
• Fireproofing of Structures: Although primarily focused on the land around a structure, Zone 0 also encourages fireproofing of the building itself, such as using fire-resistant roofing materials and covering vents with ember-resistant screens.
• Proper Storage: Fire hazards such as firewood, propane tanks, and other combustible materials should be stored a safe distance from the home, typically at least 30 feet away. This prevents these materials from igniting and contributing to the spread of fire.

Zone 0 is an essential part of fire prevention, acting as the first line of defense against wildfires. By clearing combustible materials, using fire-resistant landscaping, and ensuring proper storage of hazardous materials, homeowners can significantly reduce the risk of their property catching fire. Enforcing Zone 0 requirements ensures a community-wide effort to protect lives, structures, and the environment from the destructive impact of wildfires.

Zone 0, Zone 1 & Zone 2 Specifications

Zone 0: Extends 5 feet horizontally and vertically from any structure.

• No combustible bark or mulch around structure.
• Remove all dead and dying weeds, grass, plants, shrubs, trees, branches and “vegetative debris”-leaves, needles, cones, bark, etc.
• Remove dead or dry leaves and pine needles from roof and gutters.
• Remove all branches within 10 feet of any chimney, stovepipe and roof.
• Remove or prune flammable plants and shrubs near windows.
• Limit combustible items (outdoor furniture, planters, etc.) on decks.
• Relocate firewood and lumber to Zone 2.
• Consider relocating garbage and recycling containers, boats, RVs, vehicles and other combustible items outside this zone.

Zone 1: Extends from 5 to 30 feet from any structure.

• Remove dead plants, grass and weeds and vegetative debris.
• Trim tree branches to a minimum of 6 feet from the ground.
• Cut or mow annual grass down to a maximum height of 4 inches.
• Remove vegetation and items that could catch fire from around and under decks, balconies and stairs.
• Create a separation between trees, shrubs and items that could catch fire, such as patio furniture, wood piles, swing sets, etc.

Zone 2: Extends from 30 feet to no less than 100 feet from any structure.

• Cut or mow annual grass down to a maximum height of 4 inches.
• Create spacing between shrubs and trees.
• Reduce “duff” – fallen leaves, needles, twigs, bark, cones and small branches to a maximum depth of 3 inches.
• All exposed wood piles must have a minimum of 10 feet of clearance, down to bare mineral soil, in all directions.