Thursday, August 06, 2015
Defensible space: How NOT to do it ///EDIT/// and how to do it RIGHT.
Fire experts constantly and CORRECTLY tell us that we need to keep a 'defensible space' around houses, especially when we build houses in the middle of forests. We shouldn't be building houses in the middle of forests ANYWAY, but since we're stupid enough to do it, at least we should give the firemen a sporting chance.
The first picture in this item at Spokane News is a textbook illustration of how NOT to create a defensible space. A house was cut into the forest, then allowed dry weeds to grow house-high, forming a perfect fire-carrier from forest to house. The fire is doing what comes naturally (note the flare on left), and the firemen are desperately trying to contain it.
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Update a few days later: THIS PICTURE shows the exact opposite. A dramatic aerial view of a green island amid a black burned sea. This is what happens when you DO create defensible space.
Labels: defensible spaces
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