Fire!
There are three things you can count on seeing every time you turn your television on to watch the news: images of Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and wildfires.
In this political season, nothing is hotter than the impact that out-of-control wildfires have unleashed on our country. As of late July, the National Interagency Fire Center reports more than 38,000 wildfires had been recorded and the country is on track for breaking the 2015 record of 10 million acres burned.
In the face of expanding wildfires, how can homeowners help protect their homes?
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has prepared a free Firewise Tips Checklist for homeowners that includes valuable ideas for protecting your home and surroundings.
Information from NFPA also recommends that having a nonflammable roof covering and assembly can add enormously to the safety of your home. Composite shake and slate roofing, like that manufactured by DaVinci Roofscapes, resists flame spread with a Class A Fire Rating. This means that if a spark from a wildfire lands on the roof, it will not ignite the roof. Of course, if a home is fully engulfed in a fire, any roof will ignite. However, an ember or spark will not start a fire.
Just how important is it for a roof to resist igniting with an ember? According to the Texas Forest Service, some embers can travel more than a mile before landing. Burning embers and sparks traveling those distances can mean trouble for many homeowners.
Interested in learning how to make your home safer from wildfires? Click HERE for the “Be Embers Aware” checklist from the Texas Forest Service. You can also see Fires Belong in the Fireplace, Not on Your Roof and DaVinci Roofs Are Fire Resistant.