Draper fire marshal urges homeowners to create 0–30 foot defensible space against wildfires
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Summary
Don Buckley, Draper City Fire Marshal, told residents that year-round clearing of flammable materials 0–5 feet from houses and maintaining a 5–30 foot defensible zone helps prevent ember-driven ignitions and enables firefighters to defend homes.
Don Buckley, the Draper City Fire Marshal, urged residents to maintain year-round defensible space around homes and yards to reduce the risk of wildfire damage. He said homeowners should keep a 0- to 5-foot clearance immediately around structures and maintain a defensible zone from 5 feet out to 30 feet.
Buckley said embers blown by wildfire can land in dry mulch or landscaping and smolder before flames spread to a house. “When we have a wildfire, there's tons of embers flying through the air and they come and they settle down,” he said. He warned that mulch and dry garden debris are common places for embers to settle and start smoldering.
Buckley stressed that firefighters cannot create defensible space around every home once a wildfire is active. “During a wildfire, no fire department has the time to create a defensible space around your home,” he said. “We would love to. We would love to have the manpower to put a firefighter at every house. We can't. So what do we do instead? We rely on you to have done as much as you can to create that defensible space. We need you to help us.”
He described the work as ongoing: “It's year round work,” he said, repeating that homeowners should routinely clear flammable materials close to structures and keep the wider 5–30 foot zone maintained so that, if a wildfire occurs, firefighters have a better chance of protecting the home.
No formal actions or city directives were recorded in the transcript; Buckley’s remarks were advisory guidance to residents rather than a regulatory change or vote.
