Protecting Your Home from Wildfires: Defensive Design

Recent wildfires in California and elsewhere have devastated communities, with thousands of homes lost to the flames. As fires continue to rage season after season, homeowners are increasingly looking for ways to protect their properties.

Defensive Design

One size does not fit all. Unfortunately, land developments in North America sometimes make incorrect assumptions about designing for local context. The Climate Institute asserts that “rapid development of neighbourhoods may not adequately account for future climate risks,” potentially exposing homeowners to increased damage from extreme weather events. But whatever kind of home or neighbourhood you find yourself in,  there are many angles to consider in securing a property against fire risks. 

Defensively designed homes incorporate various fire safety features to resist wildfire damage. Areas to consider include: 

• A focus on fire-resistant roofing and siding, like steel roofing or corrugated siding 

• A non-combustible fence as a first line of defense

• Water features and irrigation

• Clear areas around the home

• Fire-resistant hardscaping, like rock gardens

• Pathways and driveways to break up fire spread. 

https://www.pacificgardendesign.com/pacific-garden-design-blog/2017/1/12/water-features

The Right Fence Material

Traditional wooden fences, while aesthetically pleasing, can act as a conduit for fire, leading flames directly to your home. Building and home safety institutes typically recommend using non-combustible fencing materials, especially where the fence attaches to the building. Fences that have large gaps like chain-link, or fences that can melt or combust, like vinyl fences, simply won’t hold up against flames. Consider these fire-resistant fence solutions:

Metal Fences

Metal fences, like corrugated fencing, make good fire barriers because they are capable of withstanding high heat and may help keep the fire from spreading. Even if a wood and metal fence - such as a metal fence panel with wood posts is used - it’s better to have individual posts combust than for the entire fence line to be set ablaze. More than just a pretty face, this type of fencing not only has curb appeal but can potentially curb an advance.

Concrete Fences

Precast concrete fences are a fence style that offers excellent fire resistance. They don't combust, can withstand high temperatures without compromising structural integrity, and may even help contain the fire. 

Stone Walls

Homes surrounded by stone or concrete walls have shown better survival rates during wildfires. 

These structures act as heat shields, compartmentalizing the fire and preventing it from rapidly spreading to buildings.

Black Aluminum Fence (Wood Grain Imitation) 

Benefits of Fire-Resistant Fencing

• Prevents Fire Spread: Non-combustible fences don't contribute to the fire's fuel, potentially stopping its advance.

• Buys Time: In an emergency, a fire-resistant fence could provide crucial extra minutes for evacuation.

• Long-lasting: Unlike wooden fences that may need frequent replacement, fire-resistant options like aluminum or steel fencing often prove more durable and cost-effective in the long run.

Beyond Fencing: Creating Defensible Spaces

While choosing the right fence is crucial, it's part of a larger strategy of creating defensible space around your home. Fire-resistant architecture incorporates elements that reduce the risk of wildfire damage to your property. Consider the following:

Roofing 

Steel roofing provides excellent wildfire protection for homes due to its inherent fire-resistant properties.  Steel roofs typically carry a Class A fire rating, the highest level of fire resistance, ensuring they can withstand severe exposure without igniting. This may also lead to lower home insurance premiums. Here's how they protect homes:

• Non-Combustibility: Steel is non-flammable and does not ignite when exposed to high temperatures, embers, or sparks, effectively preventing fires from starting on the roof and spreading to the rest of the house. Steel roofs can endure extremely high temperatures without warping, breaking, or failing structurally, acting as a reliable barrier against fire and protecting the underlying structure.
  

• Resistance to Flying Embers: Wildfires often spread through embers that ignite flammable materials on roofs. The smooth, seamless surface of steel roofs resists ember ignition, reducing the risk of structural fires. This smoothness makes steel roofs  easy to clean and therefore less likely to contain flammable material like leaves, needles or cones that get stuck on traditional roofs.
  

• Seamless Installation: Properly installed steel roofs feature interlocking panels and tight seams that minimize gaps where embers or flames could penetrate, unlike shingles or tiles that may have more openings.
  

• Heat Deflection: Some steel roofs come with reflective coatings that deflect heat, helping to reduce surface temperatures and the likelihood of ignition from radiant heat.
  

• Long-Term Protection: Resistant to weathering and deterioration, steel roofs maintain their fire-resistant properties over time, providing consistent protection in wildfire-prone areas.
  

• Structural Integrity: Unlike some materials that may collapse under fire, steel roofs maintain their structural integrity, offering continued protection to the building and its occupants. In case of internal fires, they may even help contain damage by preventing roof cave-ins.

Combining steel roofs with other fire-resistant materials and landscaping strategies further enhances wildfire defense, making them a reliable choice for homes in high-risk areas.

Hardscaping elements

Create ember-resistant zones with non-combustible landscaping materials around the house. Maintaining a clear perimeter of at least 6 feet (2 metres) around the house is advised. It can be wise to use rock gardens and vegetable gardens to break up fuel continuity, utilizing proper plant placement to keep fire-prone vegetation away from structures.

• Non-combustible materials: Use gravel, stones, boulders, and cement/stone retaining walls

• Water features: Swimming pools and other water elements can act as firebreaks

• Pathways and driveways: Cement walkways and driveways create fire-resistant zones

• Retaining walls: Masonry, concrete, or rammed earth walls can disrupt airflow and deflect heat

• Clear, clean space: Ensuring a clear area within 30 feet (10 metres) of the house through regular yard maintenance.

Yard Maintenance

• Keep grass mowed to less than 4 inches (10 centimetres) in height.
• Regularly remove dead vegetation and woody debris.
• Ensure proper irrigation to maintain plant moisture levels.

By incorporating these fire-resistant landscaping elements, you can significantly reduce the risk of wildfire damage to your property while maintaining an attractive and functional outdoor space.

The Future of Home Protection

Wildfires appear to be happening with increased severity. The demand for innovative home protection solutions is growing. Companies are developing advanced wildfire defense systems, including automated sprinklers that activate when fires approach. 

While these technologies are promising, many of the strategies we have talked about here are pretty simple and common-sense; keep the area around your house clean and clear, incorporate non-combustible elements as part of the landscaping, consider a fencing project to be your first and best line of defense, and chat with neighbours about their plans too.

In the face of nature’s unpredictable power, we have the capacity to blend ingenuity with humility. Let us hope that the defensive design strategies we have discussed here will not need to be tested at the breaking point. But for wisdom’s take, in protecting your home, these details matter. By choosing building materials like fire-resistant fences, non-combustible roofing, and flame-retardant siding, as well as implementing a few or many defensive design strategies like those we have discussed, you can significantly improve your home's chances of surviving a wildfire.