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Tag: wildfire preparations

How Colorado businesses can better prepare for wildfire season

Every August, more than 9,000 wildfires burn in the U.S., on average, causing nearly two million acres of damage, which includes residential and business structures. 

Looking at historical data of the 20 largest wildfires in Colorado’s history, nine of those have occurred since 2018, 15 of those have occurred since 2012 and all 20 have occurred since 2001. Even more alarming, the three largest fires all occurred in 2020.  

“We’re having fire years, not fire seasons anymore,” said Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control Director Mike Morgan.

Ahead of the wildfire season, Society Insurance, which provides coverage to the hospitality industry in Colorado and beyond, has put together prevention tips and controls a business owner can implement to better protect their establishment from wildfires.

Identify and Proactively Address Your Defensible Zones

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) defines a defensible space as an area around a building in which vegetation, debris and other types of combustible fuels have been treated, cleared or reduced to slow the spread of fire to and from the building. The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) recommends a defensible space of up to 200 feet from a structure, which encompasses three zones. Each zone has different maintenance needs:

  • Zone 3: 100+ feet (to property line) – Remove dead trees & plants. Keep trees spaced. 
  • Zone 2: 30-100 feet – Remove dead vegetation. Remove hanging branches at least 6 feet off the ground. Trim tall grasses/plants that would allow fire to travel up trees.
  • Zone 1: 0-30 feet – Use gravel, rock or mulch. Relocate firewood piles. Plant high-moisture content annuals and perennials.

Understand Your Severity Zone 

Depending on which severity zone a business is in will ultimately dictate what preparations they need to do to protect their property. As you can expect, preparing for a potential wildfire is even more critical if your property is classified as being in a high or extreme severity zone.                                                                                                                                                                                                         

A severity zone is classified as moderate, high or extreme. These classifications can be based on:

  • Fire history in the area
  • Vegetation/landscaping
  • Slope
  • Other terrain features

Search where you operate in Colorado to view the risk using this tool from the United States Department of Agriculture. You should also consider contacting  your local insurance agent to discuss in more detail.

Examine–and Possibly Reassess–Building Materials

From your roof to your patio, it’s important to understand what materials offer the best fire protection and the controls you can implement to reduce the likelihood of your livelihood going up in flames.

Roofing

Class A fire-rated roofing material is most effective against fires. Fire-resistant roofing materials include:

  • Clay tile
  • Slate tile
  • Concrete tile (fiber-reinforced)
  • Metal

It is equally important to keep roofs and gutters clear of pine needles, leaves or other debris. It’s also a good idea to have a local fire marshal or roofing professional assess your roof.

Windows and Vents

Dual-pane windows with tempered glass offer increased protection against radiant or direct flame contact. Vents should be covered with 1/8 inch (minimum) noncombustible metal mesh screening to help minimize the size of embers that can enter attic or crawl space area vents.

Patios, Decks and Porches

Flammable materials should not be stored on or under decks. Consider enclosing your elevated deck, patio or porch. Some manufacturers are also incorporating fire retardant chemicals into products like wood-plastic composite decking, so be sure to look into this material option. If you have an existing wood deck and are not looking to replace it any time soon, consider having it treated with exterior fire retardant.

Enforce Smoking Controls

The National Park Service estimates at least 85% of wildfires are caused by human activity. Provide receptacles in easily accessible areas and place these away from the building and combustible materials. Ensure your employees empty these receptacles regularly. The ground should also be cleaned of cigarette butts to eliminate fire hazard.

Last year was an extremely challenging fire season in Colorado and the National Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlook expected warmer and drier than normal conditions, especially in the West, throughout the summer. Additionally, more than 90% of the West is in drought with over half the region in extreme to exceptional drought.

By investing in quality building materials, taking proactive measures of regularly maintaining the landscape around your building, and understanding the risk where your business is, you are taking control of the variables in your power and taking proactive measures for a situation that can seem out of your control. 

Jarrett Wagner is a risk control representative at Society Insurance. He began his career at Society Insurance in 2008 in the property, auto and liability claims department. During his tenure at Society Insurance, he earned his AIC and AIS designations and has spent the past three years in risk control. Wagner has a B.A. degree in criminal justice from Illinois State University. 

This information is provided as a convenience for informational purposes only. This information does not constitute legal or professional advice. It is provided to assist you in recognizing potential unsafe work problems or conditions and not to establish compliance with any law, rule or regulation. 

Critical actions for Colorado small business owners to reduce wildfire risk

Fires raging across the Front Range are jeopardizing our communities. Mere weeks after the Pine Gulch Fire became the largest wildfire on record in Colorado, it was surpassed by the Cameron Peak Fire. The Calwood Fire, the Lefthand Fire, the East Troublesome Fire and too many others are also burning across the Front Range. As the fires spread, it leaves many wondering what to do.

For small businesses, many already reeling from months of uncertainty, the answer can be tough to decipher. Yet small businesses are the economic engine of our communities so helping ensure their viability is essential. There are mitigation actions, shown in test and real-world settings, to reduce the chance a wildfire will impact a commercial property that small business owners should take now.

Since 90 percent of buildings ignited by wildfire are ignited by embers, defending against the small burning particles is critical. Research from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) shows small businesses should start down the path of wildfire resistance with five actions essential to making a meaningful reduction in risk. Start by:

  1. Ensuring your roof is a Class A fire-rated roof: Check the roof cover information for the building or discuss it with a licensed roofing contractor.
  2. Clear debris from the roof and gutters: Make removing pine needles, leaves, and other debris from the roof and gutters part of routine maintenance.
  3. Create a buffer around the building with a 0-5 foot building ignition zone clear of combustible materials: Install hard surfaces like sidewalks, move vegetation farther away from the building, and do not store combustible items like wooden pallets in these first five feet around the building. The greater distance between the building and combustible storage, the better.
  4. If the building has a raised deck, balcony, or wooden walkway, keep the area beneath clear: Remove any items stored or vegetation growing beneath raised attachments.
  5. Ensure vents are covered with 1/8 inch or finer metal mesh screens: Block embers from entering the building by covering vents with this mesh and be sure to periodically clear the vent of any debris.

These initial steps and additional mitigation actions are outlined in a new guide called Wildfire Ready–Business. Designed for the busy small business owner, the guide lays out areas of vulnerability unique to commercial properties and the critical actions that must be addressed first to appreciably lower related wildfire risk. It then takes small business and commercial property owners and managers through additional improvements to tackle as time and budget permit.

From coffee shops and local restaurants to doctors’ offices and small strip malls, Wildfire Ready–Business applies to the small businesses that are the backbone of Colorado communities. Using IBHS research as its foundation, busy entrepreneurs can follow the steps to be better prepared for the next fire on the Front Range.

Chuck Miccolis is the Managing Director of Commercial Lines at Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS).