What can you do to prevent a wildfire?
The most important thing you can do is to prevent before a fire occurs. Here are some measures that apply to buildings that are located on the border between nature and buildings. The measures can reduce the chance of so-called marginal zone fires and the consequence/severity of such a fire.
Recommended measures
- Have a "fireproof zone" of about five meters around the house to protect against wildfires.
- Buildings that stand on slopes increase the risk of fire. Have deciduous trees instead of conifers on the plot, avoid junipers and larger ornamental shrubs such as thuja and cypress near buildings.
- Remove accumulated debris, such as pine needles, leaves, and bark, from the building and surrounding area (including patios, gutters, and roofs).
- Keep the lawn or vegetation around the building low and vibrant.
- Remove dead grass around buildings in the fall before the snow comes. This significantly reduces the severity of a spring fire.
- Safe storage is important: Store materials and objects (such as lawn mowers, wood stacks, furniture, toys, etc.) well away from buildings.
- Reduce the number and size of places and cavities where embers can get stuck and smolder. Look in particular at roofs, cornices and ventilation openings. Seal or secure cavities and ventilation openings, e.g. using spark-proof mesh.
To reduce the consequences of a marginal zone fire, there are also some recommendations for additional measures that can be taken. These recommendations are costly and not always necessarily as relevant to Norwegian conditions and building traditions. However, we include the measures, for information.
- Fireproof patios: If you have a patio, deck, or porch, use building materials that are non-combustible or low flammable.
- Fireproof cladding: Use cladding materials such as cement fiberboard, metal, or fire-treated wood for better protection against fire. It is particularly important that the area closest to the ground is well protected.
- Fireproof roof: Use fireproof roofing such as metal or roof tiles to protect against fire.
- Fireproof windows and doors: In the event of large forest fires, fireproof windows and doors will be able to prevent the fire from spreading into the house.
- Avoid flammable fences or hedges being in contact with the building, to avoid fire spreading routes to the home.