Firewise Spotlight

Q: What fire management practices have you implemented at your residence on Mammoth Drive?

• Many manzanita shrubs were initially removed on the downhill side of my house.
• The lower branches on all trees have been removed to prevent fire ladder effects and every year I do tree and manzanita pruning to remove deadwood.
• The wood storage box has been completely removed from the front wall of the house so that it won’t be a source of fire fuel.
• There is an irrigated lawn installed on the downhill side of the house that acts as a fire break.
• There is also a 10-15 foot gravel apron installed around the entire house that acts as another fire break.
• Every year in spring I have my roof and gutters cleaned out which removes flammable debris.
• There is fire-resistant Trex decking installed on the upper deck and non-flammable copper pipe installed on all deck railing balusters.
• The house had all new double paned windows and doors installed in 2021.
• There are heat sensitive roof vents installed in the house and garage that prevent embers from entering the house during a forest fire.
• The entire firebox and chimney were rebuilt to newest code in 2021.

Q: What prompted you to do this work?

My background in landscape architecture prompted me to take an interest in how to harden my house against wildfire. Also, the 2007 Angora Fire at the south end of Lake Tahoe was a scary experience for me and many others around the Tahoe Basin. It increased my efforts to fireproof my home.

Q: Has making these changes to your property helped with maintaining fire insurance coverage?

Yes, absolutely! My insurance company was planning on terminating my policy in 2021 after the Caldor Fire. I submitted a report to them in October 2021 listing all of the fire hardening efforts I made. To my great relief they decided to reinstate my policy as a direct result of these improvements.

Q: Any words of advice on reducing wildfire risk in Dollar Point?

Keeping on top of firewise efforts for almost twenty years has given me great peace of mind, as well as making my house as safe as I can physically achieve.