Firewise

Firewise Risk Assessment

Hazard Fuel Reduction

The Spokane region has long been an area where fire played a prominent role in the natural environment. It’s not a matter of if a wildfire will occur; it’s a matter of when.

For those living in forested areas, there are many steps they can take to protect their property from wildfire and reduce the loss of harvestable timber in forests. A Hazard Fuel Reduction project will reduce the unnatural build-up of fuel in the forest. Fuels can be natural fuels, forest vegetation or debris, activity fuels, debris left over from thinning projects, and small trees or brush that have the potential to carry a ground fire up into the canopy.

As a result of your Firewise Risk Assessment, a hazard Fuels Reduction may be recommended. Cost-share is available through the SCD and its agency partners.

If you are interested in having a Hazard Fuel Reduction project on your property, or if you have any questions, contact Garth Davis.

It is important that landowners in the Spokane area can prevent catastrophic wildfire damage to home and property by using Firewise principles. Spokane County residents are eligible to get a free Firewise Risk Assessment to evaluate your home’s risk.

A District Forester will visit your property for approximately one hour and will provide you with a list of practical ways to lessen your wildfire risk. The most important element to lowering your wildfire risk is the effective use of defensible space.

Defensible space is the area between your home and an oncoming wildfire where the vegetation has been modified to reduce the wildfire threat and to provide an opportunity for firefighters to effectively defend your home. The exact size of your defensible space varies by slope and type of vegetation and will be determined during the assessment.

To schedule a Firewise risk assessment of your home site, or if you have questions about protecting your home from a wildfire, contact Ben Peterson at ben-peterson@sccd.org or click here to fill out a request for visit form.

General tips for preventing wildfire damage:

  • Avoid the use of shake roofs
  • Remove all dead branches that are hanging over your roof
  • Clean dead leaves and needles from your roof and gutters
  • Keep all woodpiles at least 30′ away from all structures and clear all vegetation within 10′ of the woodpiles
  • Minimize the use of ornamental conifers in your landscaping; emphasize the use of low-growing plants, such as groundcover and bedding plants
  • For more tips visit our Home Ignition Zone page.