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<v Speaker 1>Let's say good morning now to the Wildfire Division director

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<v Speaker 1>at the National Fire Protection Association, Michelle Steinberg. Good morning, Michelle,

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<v Speaker 1>Good morning Amy. So we're not really thinking about fires

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<v Speaker 1>right now because it's raining and people in the burn

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<v Speaker 1>areas are worried about mudd and debrief flows. But watching

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<v Speaker 1>the aftermath of the fires may be the perfect time

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<v Speaker 1>to start preparing for the next wildfire. And one of

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<v Speaker 1>the best ways to get ready for wildfire get your

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<v Speaker 1>home ready. So give us some tips and tricks on

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<v Speaker 1>what we should be thinking about and start doing now.

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<v Speaker 2>Thanks Amy. What we can be doing now is to

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<v Speaker 2>look around our home and look for anything that an

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<v Speaker 2>ember could catch. So we know that a lot of

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<v Speaker 2>the fire impact on homes is driven by wind driven

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<v Speaker 2>embers when they land on roofs, in gutters in the

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<v Speaker 2>near spaces to the home within that first five feet.

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<v Speaker 2>So what we can do right now is take a

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<v Speaker 2>look around to make sure or from the roof down

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<v Speaker 2>to the eaves, the siding down to the foundation and

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<v Speaker 2>then out into that five foot space, is there anything

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<v Speaker 2>that could ignite. So if there's a flammable mult for example,

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<v Speaker 2>if you've got loose shingles, maybe you've got a ripped screen.

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<v Speaker 2>These are some sort of DIY things that people can

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<v Speaker 2>do that actually are very effective at limiting the impact

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<v Speaker 2>of an ember should it reach the home.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, and you mentioned mulch, which I think is really

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<v Speaker 1>a good thing to mention because you don't think of

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<v Speaker 1>that as something that's flammable. You think of like a

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<v Speaker 1>brush or something leaning up against the house, or's just

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<v Speaker 1>stuff too close to the house and that's just down

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<v Speaker 1>on the ground.

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<v Speaker 2>But it's wood, right, So if you have something that's combustible,

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<v Speaker 2>and many mulches are that needs you can still use

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<v Speaker 2>multinneal landscape, but that really needs to be planned out.

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<v Speaker 2>You need to rake it away from that first five feet,

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<v Speaker 2>replaced maybe with some gravel or stone. Think about different designs.

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<v Speaker 2>There's lots of different options that people have for making

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<v Speaker 2>something that's pleasing and aesthetically beautiful but does not present

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<v Speaker 2>that hazard. But yeah, embers can get that into that moulton.

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<v Speaker 2>If it's right up against the siding of your home,

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<v Speaker 2>that can really be an issue because it will smolder

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<v Speaker 2>and then start to flame.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, and then we're speaking of the embers as well.

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<v Speaker 1>We were talking to you our home guy Dean Sharp,

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<v Speaker 1>who is a designer and contractor, and he was telling

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<v Speaker 1>us that a lot of the fires start not because

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<v Speaker 1>of embers landing on a roof, but the embers get

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<v Speaker 1>underneath and get into the attics through those through the vents.

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<v Speaker 2>Correct, So particularly gable end vents which are on the

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<v Speaker 2>side of the house, those can if a position with

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<v Speaker 2>the wind, you're going to get that straight line win.

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<v Speaker 2>So we want to make sure that any kind of

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<v Speaker 2>vent openings are screened with metal mash. Our recommendation is

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<v Speaker 2>one eighth inch or smaller. You still get allowed for ventilation,

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<v Speaker 2>but you want to minimize the likelihood embers are going

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<v Speaker 2>to get in there. The other thing I noticed, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>visiting in Los Angeles at the end of January, a

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<v Speaker 2>lot of the beautiful Spanish tower roofs. To make sure

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<v Speaker 2>that the end camps are sealed. Usually you think of

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<v Speaker 2>them as bird stops. Well, if a bird can get in,

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<v Speaker 2>an ember can definitely get in. So we want people

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<v Speaker 2>to make sure that those those openings are either sealed

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<v Speaker 2>or screened, and that you're paying attention to those little

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<v Speaker 2>entry ways.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, and Michelle Steinberg is with us with the National

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<v Speaker 1>Fire Protection Association. For those who did suffer some damage

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<v Speaker 1>in the wildfires, maybe their homes are still standing, they've

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<v Speaker 1>got repairs to do, or people who were near what

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<v Speaker 1>are some ways to rebuild in what your organization calls firewise.

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<v Speaker 2>Ways right so Farways is our program to organize communities

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<v Speaker 2>and help educate across the neighborhood. And the concepts are really,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, supported by science. So it's any place again

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<v Speaker 2>that an ember can enter or a smolder, that's where

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<v Speaker 2>you want to pay attention to the immediate house. But

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<v Speaker 2>in rebuilding, choosing the products that are noncombustible or rated

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<v Speaker 2>to be ignition resistant is critical and happily California has

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<v Speaker 2>excellent guidance in their building code around wildfire. It's some

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<v Speaker 2>of the best in the country. So those are they

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<v Speaker 2>actually list the different products that are considered to be

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<v Speaker 2>non combustible or ignition resistant, so they don't make it

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<v Speaker 2>difficult for you to find out what you need to

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<v Speaker 2>do in terms of choosing those different building materials and

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<v Speaker 2>the different techniques. But they're very basic and it gives

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<v Speaker 2>consumers a lot of choice on what they can use.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, and then Michelle, if you're not technically in a

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<v Speaker 1>wildfire zone. What can you say to convince people to

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<v Speaker 1>take percuestions anyway?

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<v Speaker 2>Well, you know, I live in New England and I

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<v Speaker 2>would walk around with friends of family and point out, gee,

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<v Speaker 2>it's great that they put some of that rock or

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<v Speaker 2>gravel near the foundation and oh look their foundation wall

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<v Speaker 2>goes up more than six inches where there's nothing flammable.

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<v Speaker 2>And people say, oh, why is that important? So I explain,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, even if there was a barbecue grill on

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<v Speaker 2>a windy day, if there was a cigarette into the mulch,

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<v Speaker 2>that's going to protect you from that exterior ignition. You

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<v Speaker 2>don't need to have a welfire to have a risk.

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<v Speaker 2>And so I've been able to educate people that way

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<v Speaker 2>that these are simple precautions that really everybody can follow

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<v Speaker 2>and reduce that likelihood of having flames outside the house

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<v Speaker 2>that could cause problems.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, Michelle Steinberg, the Wildlife Division or Wildfire Division director

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<v Speaker 1>with the National Fire Protection Association, thank you so much

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<v Speaker 1>for taking some time with wakeup Call this morning.

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<v Speaker 2>It's my pleasure. Amy, Thank you.

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<v Speaker 1>Take care