Wildfire Beware! Stay Safe & Protect Your Home & Family As This Year's Wildfire Season Gets Underway

ENUMCLAW, Wash., July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Mutual of Enumclaw (www.mutualofenumclaw.com), the Washington-based, A- rated regional carrier of personal, business and farm and ranch insurance policies, today shared a checklist of simple wildfire prevention steps every at-risk homeowner or business should take now as wildfire season begins early due to extreme drought conditions across most of the country.

"Every year, residents across America deal with the devastating effects of wildfire — especially as the number of threatening wildfires increase steadily," said Michele Wyatt, Mutual of Enumclaw's Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Claims. "As a company owned by our members, we strongly believe preparation isn't just good for individuals and their households — it's good for entire communities as a whole — and that's why we're sharing the insights we've gleaned."

Wildfire Season is Here: Protect Your Loved Ones & Property
Each year brings the risk of wildfire—especially from late summer through fall—across the United States, and this year's season has already begun. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, there have been an average of 72,000 wildfires annually for the past 35+ years — with nearly all caused by humans.

As one of the worst fire seasons on record, the 2020 fire season burned more than 10 million acres combined. The season was also proof that, while uncontrolled fires that burn wildland vegetation often occur in rural areas, they have also more frequently begun approaching small and large cities. And because wildfires occur without notice and can spread rapidly, there also may be very little time to escape, let alone perform preventative actions.

Because of this—and with nationwide drought conditions at an all-time high—taking measure long before an event occurs is imperative. To protect themselves and their properties from damage, homeowners can follow the seven-step checklist below to help protect their homes and property by using basic prevention techniques.

Think it Through: Wildfire Prevention Checklist

1. Clean roofs and gutters;
2. Replace loose or missing shingles or roof tiles;
3. Enclose eaves, fasciae, soffits and vents to keep embers out;
4. Repair damaged loose window screens/broken windows;
5. Protect attachments to their homes like decks, porches and patios from ember exposure;
6. Keep firewood and storage tanks away from structures; and
7. Disconnect wooden fencing directly to structures.

"It's a common misconception that wildfires themselves ignite homes—and that's often not the case," continued Wyatt. "Instead, many homes are lost after a wildfire has passed through due to ground or gutter debris smoldering and then combusting into fire. This is proof that preparedness is key."

Let's Get Ready for Wildfires Together
In addition to the tips above, MOE has created a website to help customers prepare for events. The site, www.ThinkWildfire.com, takes the basic prevention checklist one step further with the creation of "Defensible Space Zones"—which are maintained buffers between properties and surrounding areas.

Designed to prevent or inhibit wildfires from reaching homes or other structures on a resident's property, as well as give firefighters the adequate space they need, three separate zones are recommended for structure protection, fuel reduction and property management. These include:

• ZONE 1: Helping lessen wildfire intensity/safeguarding structures (0–30 ft from property)
  Maintaining this zone includes mowing tall grass; removing leaves and dead vegetation; keeping the lawn hydrated and maintained; pruning tree branches up 6 to 10 feet from the ground; cutting branches overhanging the roof of the house; and using non-flammable landscaping materials &/or high-moisture-content plants within five feet of your home.
  
• ZONE 2: Maintaining/removing materials that encourage fires (30–100 ft from property)
  Maintaining this zone includes leaving 30 ft between clusters of two to three trees, or 20 ft between individual trees; promoting a mixture of deciduous and coniferous trees; creating "fuel breaks" like driveways, gravel walkways and lawns; pruning tree branches up 6 to 10 feet from the ground; clearing heavy accumulation of fallen branches and landscape debris; and planting vegetation that retains moisture and needs minimal maintenance.
  
• ZONE 3: Minimizing wildfire growth/promoting healthier safe property (100–200 ft from property)
  Maintaining this zone includes removing smaller conifers that growing between taller trees; clearing heavy accumulation of fallen branches and landscape debris; and replacing highly-flammable species of trees and shrubs with less fire-prone species.

Mutual of Enumclaw Wildfire Program

With more than 120 years' experience helping its members recover from wildfire damage, Mutual of Enumclaw has also created a Wildfire Program in which all of its Homeowners, Commercial Property or Farm Property members are automatically enrolled at no extra charge.

Through their partnership with Wildfire Defense Systems, Inc. (WDS), a national leader in insurer wildfire services, Mutual of Enumclaw is able to monitor wildfires throughout the western United States to determine if insured properties are, or will be, threatened.

If properties owned by MOE policy members become threatened by a wildfire, WDS may dispatch qualified response resources and personnel from the National Wildfire Coordination Group (NWCG) to provide potentially structure-saving services that supplement existing local resources. These non-destructive mitigation tactics used by WDS may include setting-up temporary sprinklers, applying non-hazardous and bio-degradable fire blocking gel and retardant, and relocating combustible material away from structures.

"Through this program we are able to proactively reach out to members when a wildfire is within their area — often times before they're even aware of danger," continued Wyatt. "This useful system provides the valuable resource of time when a threatening event occurs."

When it comes to protecting loved ones, it's also imperative for homeowners to have as many evacuation routes planned as possible; keep all vital possessions, prescriptions, human and pet food and clothing ready to go at a moment's notice, and establish a communication plan with loved ones.

For more information about wildfire preparedness, visit www.ThinkWildfire.com.

About Mutual of Enumclaw. Mutual of Enumclaw works exclusively with local independent agents to offer insurance products to individuals, families, farms, and businesses. The company currently operates in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Wyoming and Montana. The company has been consistently recognized as one of Washington's 100 Best Companies to Work For by Seattle Business Magazine. For more information, please visit www.mutualofenumclaw.com.

About Wildfire Defense Systems. Wildfire Defense Systems monitors wildfires primarily throughout the western United States to determine if specific insured properties are, or will be, threatened. If your property is threatened, WDS may be able to provide potentially structure-saving services.

SOURCE Mutual of Enumclaw