September is a good time to start thinking about fire safety around your home. With Autumn approaching, falling leaves and branches will become more of a nuisance and many of us choose to burn them as a way of disposal.
Before you ignite leaves and brush on your property, make sure you know the regulations for your area. Some towns do not allow open burning while counties often require burning permits before you lite the fire.
Many houses and storage buildings are built along the woods edge or within wooded areas. Special hazards exist for these structures in the form of falling debris or embers from nearby open burning.
If you choose to burn leaves or brush, have a water hose or some other water supply capable of extinguishing a fire if the entire pile were to ignite all at once.
Create a safe and defensible space around the area where the burning is going to take place by clearing any dead grasses, leaves and other combustibles. The cleared space should be at least as big as the pile you plan to burn. If you are burning on a hill side, clear the area above the planned fire to reduce the possibilities of an escaped fire.
Click on the link below from NFPA and Firewise.org for more information about protecting your home from outside fire.