We live in the country.  A call to the sheriff leaves us with a 45 minute wait before he or she shows up.  Always remember, we are 30 minutes from any professional assistance in Payson.

Here’s a sobering thought.  If your house catches fire it will burn to the ground before anyone shows up to help.  About all the fire folks are there to do is keep a fire from spreading to more homes.

Fires grow exponentially.  It will double in size every few seconds once they start, depending on the fuel.  The sooner you stop it, the more likely you can save your home, and possibly a life.

Always, always remember that if a fire seems bigger than you can fight, grab any other people in the house and get out.  It can be re-built, lost lives can not.  And get everyone out before calling 911!!

Here are some thoughts about how to make your home as safe as possible.

1. *Have a fire extinguisher in every room.  Have the special cooking fire extinguisher within 5 feet of your stove.  They are cheap enough and they need to be there to grab and use at a moments notice.  Instruct the whole family on how to use them.  If you have visitors, take a moment to show them where they are and how they work.  it does not hurt to give them the impression that the security of 4 minute fire department response times do not happen in the country.
   

2. *Curtains are fire hazards.  Use metal blinds on your windows.
   

3. *Some doors in your home, if built to code, are self shutting.  Make sure they still close automatically.
   

4. *Have a ‘whole house’ surge suppressor installed on your power box.  This helps keep lightning surges from melting down electronics and possibly starting a fire.
   

1. *Enclose your Propane tank so it is safe from a spreading fire.  You owe this to any fire personnel who come to fight a fire on your property.  Imagine the damage one of these little bombs could cause, especially to a person.
   

2. *Keep ammunition in a metal ammo can and don’t store it with a lot of flammable material around it, like rags, cardboard, or wood.  And if you have an excessive amount of gun powder or ammunition, post that on the house to warn fire fighters of the danger.  That’s not just the smart thing to do, it’s the law.  I expect you would open yourself to legal action if someone died or was injured because you didn’t post a notice.
   

3. *Clear around your home.  They call a home that is cleared a defendable home.  That means, you did everything you could to keep a fire from spreading and have a fire break around your home big enough for fire fighters to have a chance to save it.  it should be 15-20 feet out from all sides of the house.  Look at the scrub oak and manzanita around your house and imagine it as the ball of fire it could be.  Could it hit the house, or put flames up under the eaves or deck?  Speaking of deck, is there grass under your deck?
   

4. *For those trees and bushes outside the defense parameter you should trim them up as high as possible but at least 5 feet up.  Some of our scrubs actually start to look pretty good when trimmed for a few years.  They get taller and fuller.  But, having them trimmed up high like that means a grass fire probably won’t spread to the trees, and that is a really big deal.
   

So, there you have some ideas that are nothing more than common sense.  Just remember, when you live where we do, you only have one person you can count on 100% of the time, and that’s yourself.  Don’t be lulled into thinking any county or fire district is going to come running and save your home.  Ain’t gonna’ happen!

If you’d like to see the above in real life, just give me a call and we can arrange a time to look it over - 480-510-1721

Have a safe home - Dave