Travis County fire officials launch wildfire readiness initiative

Be prepared for wildfire season in Travis County

Travis County fire officials want you to be ready for wildfire season. They shared how homebuilders and property owners can protect buildings from fire danger

TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas - Travis County fire officials want you to be ready for wildfire season. 

They're sharing how home builders and property owners can protect buildings from fire danger.

They announced a new wildfire readiness initiative called F.L.A.M.E. It stands for fortify structures, landscape defensively, address spark entry, maintain clean zones, and educate and equip. 

F.L.A.M.E. initiative

What they're saying:

"We are building resilience, not just because we see wildfire risk, but we know that prevention is really the best thing that we can do to reduce our risk," Nick Perkins, chief of Travis County ESD 2, said.

The initiative was developed with experts to essentially fire-proof homes as best as possible. 

"We've also got home builders to begin offering these upgrades to homes and buildings as they build them. Then we also have a number of maintenance companies who are already on people's roofs doing gutter and roof repair and offering these services as a kind of retrofit service," Perkins said.

Firefighters recommend a Class A roof, which has the highest level of fire resistance. 

"The good news about that is if your home was built within about the last 40 years, you have a Class-A roof," Perkins said.

They also recommend non-combustible fence connections. You can also put special mesh in your vents.

"What it's designed to do is trap dangerous embers," Glen Gillman, wildfire mitigation officer with the Travis County Fire Marshal's Office, said. "[It] has tremendous ability to reduce the amount of embers into a building." 

The mesh can be cut with standard tin snips.

"If we can install this in every home in Austin, we go to a tremendous way to keep homes from igniting, burning down, and destroying lives and families," Gillman said.

Dig deeper:

While Travis County has less wildfire risk compared to other places like California, residents should still be careful.

"Wildfire risk does exist in Travis County. We do need to take it seriously. We do need to take steps for preparation," Perkins said.

With triple-digit heat this week drying out vegetation, be careful of anything that could cause a spark.

"When we look at wildfire risk, obviously cured fuels, winds, but also low humidity is a big driver in these fires, and so the saving grace is we have some humidity," Perkins said.

While homeowners would have to pay for the recommended materials on their own, Perkins hopes the department can get grant funding in the future. 

That way, they can offer the mesh to neighborhoods that are interested in installing it themselves.