Reno Reporter

City of Reno recently issued the following announcement.

The Reno Fire Department is giving away 600 free rakes to assist residents with yard clean-up and keeping their home fire safe.

Rakes are limited to two per household, and available while supplies last at:

Reno City Hall (1 E. 1st St., 2nd Floor)

Fire Station 3 (580 W. Moana Ln.)

Fire Station 11 (7105 Mae Anne Ave.)

Fire Station 12 (1190 Steamboat Pkwy.)

The fire safety goal of landscaping and maintenance is very simple: Reduce the amount of fuel immediately surrounding your home. This does not mean your property has to be barren. Some plants are more fire resistant than others. One of the most important things a homeowner can do is to create a safety zone or fire break around the house using space and fire-resistant planting.

You can reduce your chances of being a wildfire fire victim by doing the following:

0 to 5 feet from your home:

The Immediate Zone is closest to your house and the most vulnerable.

Remove any combustible outdoor furniture. Replace jute or fiber door mats with fire resistant materials.

Remove or relocate all combustible materials, including garbage and recycling containers, lumber and trash

Clean all fallen leaves and needles regularly. Repeat often during fire season.

Remove tree limbs that extend into this zone. We recommended no combustible vegetation within five feet of structures.

Do not store firewood, lumber or combustibles under decks or overhangs.

Use only inorganic, non-combustible mulches such as stone or gravel.

5 to 30 feet from your home:

The Intermediate Zone may include buildings, structures, decks, etc. Keep this area “Lean, Clean, and Green.”

Remove dead plants, dead grass, dry leaves and pine needles from your yard, roof and rain gutters.

Trm trees regularly to keep branches a minimum of 10 feet from other trees.

Remove branches that hang over your roof, and keep dead branches 10 feet away from your chimney.

Relocate piles of wood or debris 30 feet from any structures.

Remove vegetation and items that could catch fire from around and under decks.

30 to 100 feet from your home:

The Extended Zone may even include space more than 100 feet if you live on a steep south-facing slope.

Cut or mow annual grass down to a maximum height of 4 inches.

Try not to allow fallen needles and leaves to exceed a depth of 3 inches.

For more information, contact the Reno Fire Department's Division of Fire Prevention at 775-334-2300.

Original source can be found here.