There’s no need for us to tell you why now might be a really good time to think about the steps you can proactively take to protect your house and your family in case of a wildfire.
If you live in an area of the East End — Northwest Woods, for example, or Napeague — where the woods have been drastically altered by the plague of the southern pine beetle, you are probably already concerned about what a high wind, dry tinder, or stray ember might do.
But the wisdom of the caretakers at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, who had proactively set about creating firebreaks and irrigating their property before the conflagration began, thus saving many priceless treasures of art, taught us a lesson: There are actions you can take to make your property, if not invulnerable, at least slightly less at risk. Here are some of those actions for South Fork residents.
Think buffer zone. Move dead branches, dead leaves, pine needles, and mulch as far from your house as you can. Think fuel. Don’t keep a heap of yard rakings piled next to your garbage bin or garage. Push it all back. Move the woodpile of fireplace logs away from the house, even if it means a cold walk in winter. Clear your gutters and the debris from under your deck. Prune any live branches back at least 10 feet from your house. Prune low-hanging branches, too, so they are above head height; fire can travel along the ground.
Consider your shrubs. Those that hold a lot of water in their leaves can be fire-retardant, and it’s good news for East Hampton that hydrangea is on the fire-retardant list, along with viburnums, inkberry holly, and hardy spirea. Guess what? Arborvitae, the plant we love to loathe because it creates a monoculture that’s unfriendly to birds (and its “green giant” height is downright unneighborly), contains flammable oils, tends to dry out, and burns readily. Just say “no” to arborvitae. Bamboo and pampas grass are bad news in wildfires, too.
Go outside and see how far your hoses can reach. A garden hose is obviously no use in a raging inferno, but as we’ve seen this past week, it’s possible for a few well-pointed garden hoses, in at least a few special cases, to put out a small yard fire that could have grown and consumed a whole structure.
We are not proponents of irrigation systems that steal precious groundwater to maintain golf-course-perfect lawns just for golf-course-perfect lawns’ sake, but if you are in a very vulnerable location, or have a particularly vulnerable family (with mobility issues, for instance) living in your house, discuss how sprinklers might hydrate the property if a wildfire is known to be approaching. Buy fire extinguishers and keep them inspected. Consider rainwater cisterns that can be overturned. Every little bit might help.
Prepare the house itself. Cover attic and soffit vents with metal mesh, to prevent embers from floating in. Reconsider the positioning of an exterior propane tank.
Finally, know where you’re going, and how you’re going, come the worst. Have a plan for where you will head to, if you have to leave in a hurry. We worry, in particular, about the potential of panicked people in a wildfire emergency trying to drive to safety westward on the narrow, two-lane highway across the Napeague stretch. Tune in to local radio for evacuation updates, because the direction of safety may not be obvious.
If you do have a wheelchair or bed-bound loved one, or anyone who would need physical assistance to evacuate, arrange with a capable neighbor or nearby friend, now, in advance, for transportation to safety. Come the worst, as we’ve also seen in Los Angeles, even the most magnificent teams of first responders may not be able to help everyone who needs to be carried out.