Create Survivable Space

Take Responsibility of Your Wildfire Risk!

There is a distinct difference between defensible space and survivable space. 

Defensible space assumes that emergency service personnel or someone else will be there to defend your home.  Reality paints a much different picture; in an emergency, firefighting resources quickly become limited. You cannot assume that a fire engine will be tasked to save your home.  Survivable space is an essential wildfire mitigation tool that creates a buffer between your property and the vegetation that surrounds it, for when firefighters are not their to protect your home in the event of a wildfire. Not only will these mitigation efforts slow the spread of wildfire, and may protect firefighters who arrive on scene. 

A fire cannot spread without a fuel source. Grasses, shrubs, and trees become natural tinder if left unchecked around homes and structures. Removing dead vegetation, properly spacing plants and trees, and keeping vegetation lean, clean, and green are effective strategies to reducing a fire’s fuel supply.

You can specifically landscape your property with fire-resistant plants and materials.  Plan to take a tour of the Firewise Garden located at the Idaho Botanical Gardens, or one of the Firewise landscaping demonstration sites at Fire Station #1, located at 707 Reserve Street, and Fire Station #12, located at 3240 State Highway 21. 

Read more about how to create survivable space around your property.