Residential Wildfire Safety

In An Oasis of Fire Safety Planning Stands Out, the New York Times (November 2, 2003) reports on the higher survival rate in November's California wildfires of homes and residential communities designed for resistance to fire hazard. Fire-resistant design elements include:

• Wide streets
• Fire-resistant roofs
• Moist landscaping
• Double-glazed windows resistant to heat and breakage
• Stucco eaves to block the passage of sparks into attics
• Oversized address markers for easy visual identification
• Swimming pools equipped with valves allowing firefighters to draw water for fighting fires

For more about building for wildfire safety:
FEMA's Protecting Your Property from Fire provides recommendations and links to additional resources regarding mitigating wildfire risks.
University of California's Forest Products Laboratory provides resources related to wildfire mitigation, building standards for construction in urban/wildland interface zones, and fire performance testing.
Firewise.org provides educational information for homeowners living in wildfire prone areas.
The Cedar Shake and Shingle Bureau Certiguard page provides information on fire-retardant cedar shakes and shingles.