Rogue Valley Fire Prevention

The Driveway

In order for firefighters to help protect your home, they must be able to maneuver their vehicles along your driveway.  To ensure firefighter safety and the safety of your home in the WUI, it is important you driveway exhibits certain characteristics (technically, any driveway over 150 feet in length MUST exhibit these characteristics).  The driveway is the obvious route to your home, and when properly kept up, it will help slow the rate of spread and intensity of a wildland fire (as well as providing for a safer environment for firefighter operations).  Driveways should:

  • Have clearance of 12 (horizontal) by 13 ½ (vertical) feet to allow for maneuverability of fire engines and crews.
  • The fuel break around the drive should extend 10 feet from each side of the driveway’s centerline, creating an area that is at least 20 feet wide (including the driving surface).
  • The ground cover must be substantially nonflammable.
  • Healthy trees and shrubs must be thinned and pruned to minimize a wildfire’s spread.
  • The plants must be substantially free of dead material.

It is also very important to make sure you have a highly visible sign marking your property.  The sign should be non-flammable, have numbers at least four inches high, and be made with a contrasting background for easy visibility.  Signs should be posted at any and all intersections and roads leading up to your home.  Make sure no vegetation obscures your sign from sight.

Illustration: Ian Keusink

For more info on fire safety & your home, visit: Firewise