Are you prepared for wildfire season? Now is the time to start your defensible space and evacuation preparedness!

Defensible space acts as a barrier to slow or stop the spread of wildfire to your home. Defensible space extends outward in a 100-foot zone (or to the property line) from the home. In these zones, combustible materials and fuels for wildfire are managed or removed to protect structures and the home. Residents living in the high fire area of western Yolo County should begin preparing their defensible space now and continue fuels management and maintenance throughout the spring, summer, and fall seasons.

Defensible space is divided into three zones: Zone 0, Zone 1, and Zone 2. Zone 0, the first five feet extending from the home, is the most important zone where all combustible materials, should be removed including tree limbs overhanging structures, patio furniture, wood piles, flower boxes, and mulch. To learn more about each of the defensible space zones, the Yolo County Fire Safe Council developed a short video to showcase the importance of defensible space in Yolo County at https://tinyurl.com/yolo-d-space or visit our webpage at https://yolofiresafe.org/get-prepared/defensible-space/

Other ways to prepare for wildfire season are:

Plan evacuation routes and prepare a go bag for every person in the household, including pets. To learn more about go-bags, visit https://yolofiresafe.org/get-prepared/evacuation-preparedness/

Installing fire resistant landscaping, especially in place of dead or weedy vegetation.

Gathering family keepsakes and important documents like photos, medical records and prescriptions; consider scanning them and saving onto a USB or to the cloud.

Do you need assistance in preparing your property for wildfire? The RCD coordinates the Yolo County Fire Safe Council which offers two FREE wildfire preparedness programs to properties in the high fire areas of western Yolo County.

The Neighborhood Chipper Program helps landowners with fuels management from defensible space and fuels reduction. After defensible space work is done, the Chipper will visit the property and chip debris into mulch that can be used for landscaping or incorporated into compost.

The Reflective Address Sign Program provides high quality, reflective signs — approved by local fire chiefs and CAL FIRE— to mark your home in all visibility conditions including smoke from wildfire.

Reflective address signs help emergency officials locate your home regardless of visibility to respond to emergencies or protect your home from wildfire. To learn more, visit www.yolofiresafe.org/our-programs. For questions, please reach out to Alli Permann, Outreach Coordinator, at permann@yolorcd.org.

For larger or more technical fuels management projects, the RCD offers technical assistance and project implementation funding for fuels management in the high fire areas of Yolo County. We can help with fuels management planning with expertise in prescribed grazing, prescribed fire, mechanical removal and chipping, and invasive weed management. To schedule a site visit or to learn more about our programming, reach out to Tanya Meyer, Senior Program Manager, at meyer@yolorcd.org or call our office at (530) 661-1688 x 2.