News | July 20, 1998

SAFECO Helping Communities Fight Wildfires With FireFree Program

In a unique public/private partnership, the town of Bend, OR and SAFECO Corp., one of the largest financial corporations in the country, have pioneered a model program to help homeowners and the town dramatically reduce damage and loss of life from wildfire. Called FireFree, the three-year public education program was introduced in 1997 to generate public awareness and action. In light of the devastation from this month's wildfires in Florida, such community programs could prove instrumental in pulling the rug out from under the wildfire flames of the future.

Key to the program is the need to encourage homeowners and businesses to create a non-combustible zone around their property. Program elements include partnering with local media to run educational advertisements and post billboards. Other actions, such as setting up a speaker's bureau to conduct neighborhood information programs, are supported by public relations materials available from SAFECO. These include a videotape and brochures that can be customized to any community.

Bend, located in an arid high-desert region of central Oregon, is prone to summer wildfires. After a series of public awareness advertisements, the community mobilized, and in just two weekend community clean-ups, area residents cleared combustible debris from more than 3,000 properties—about one-quarter the number of lots protected in the community's rural fire district. The cubic yard volume of debris cleared during those weekends represented 25 percent of the volume normally collected during an entire year at the area's local landfill.

The FireFree program recommends 10 tips to protect your property:

  • 1. Define your defensible space. Clear debris to create a non-combustible zone around your home or business—this will help stop a wildfire in its tracks and create a work area for firefighters if they need to defend your home.
  • 2. Reduce flammable vegetation, trees and brush. Ask your local garden center about naturally fire-resistant plants.
  • 3. Remove or prune trees. Keep ground fire from climbing into upper branches.
  • 4. Cut grass and weeds regularly. Fire spreads rapidly in dry grass and weeds.
  • 5. Relocate wood piles and leftover building materials. Stack all wood and materials at least 30 feet from your house or business.
  • 6. Keep your roof and yard clean. Remove leaves and needles from roofs and gutters.
  • 7. Post directional signs and addresses, and keep access clear to your property. Wildfire spreads quickly so make sure firefighters can find you.
  • 8. Rate your roof. Consider treatment or replacement for wood shake roofs.
  • 9. Recycle yard debris and branches. Composting is a safer alternative to burning.
  • 10. Be prepared if wildfire strikes. Monitor local broadcasts for evacuation procedures.

For information on how to start a FireFree program in your community, contact Cheryl McRae in SAFECO Public Relations, SAFECO Corporation, Seattle, WA 98185. Telephone: 206-545-5706.