Is your house prepared for a wildfire? Pemberton fire department offers free check-ins
The Pemberton Volunteer Fire Department was one of many to travel to Waretown to help with the massive Jones Road Wildfire.
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One fire company in Burlington County is making themselves available for door-to-door check-ups on home wildfire preparedness.
The Pemberton Volunteer Fire Department was one of many to travel to Waretown to help with the massive Jones Road Wildfire. Those crews were aided by Saturday’s rainy conditions, but stormy weather creates new challenges - high wind speeds and potential sparks from lightning strikes.
The team in Pemberton wants residents to know that now is the time to prepare. Among the calls they will make, they’re offering free wildfire risk and hazard assessments to homeowners.
Chief Craig Augustoni says that people who live near the forest generally know the risks. But, there are some simple things that their crews are looking for door-to-door.
“People move into that environment for obvious reasons,” Augustoni said. “They want to be next to nature, they want to be out away from people...but that comes with a risk and the risk that comes with it is wildfire. It's very manageable if you just use a commonsense approach, making sure you have that 100-foot defensible space.”
That means keeping vegetation maintained. For houses deep in the woods, also making sure there’s an accessible driveway.
“If a wildfire starts coming toward you, that defensible space will give you enough time where the fire may slow down because the vegetation has been removed,” Augustoni said. “And then if we have to get in there to protect your house, it gives us a clear area.”
Another way to score negative points on a home review is not having fire-resistant siding, or mulch too close to your house.
“If the mulch is up against your house and the embers fall into the mulch and it catches fire, it’s going to set the side of your house on fire,” Augustoni said. “Anything that could cause the fire to progress is what you want to try to manage.”
You can schedule an assessment with the Pemberton Fire Department here.
