The weather this summer is not constant. Storms, hurricanes and thunderstorms have become commonplace. Strong gusts of wind and lightning flashes often cause fires in summer cottages. Together with our expert, an employee of the Ministry of Emergencies of Russia, Maxim Kinash, we recall the rules for protecting suburban estates.
July 16 2017
A law came into force, which instructs summer residents, whose hundred square meters border the forest, to independently create a fire retardant strip. It can be of two types. If the distance to the forest edge is 10 meters or more, it is enough to remove all combustible debris lying behind the fence, remove dry branches. Worse if the thicket begins immediately behind the fence. In this case, it is necessary to create a fire barrier with a width of at least 0,5 meters. To do this, you need to dig up the ground, remove the sod. It is clear that the second option of defense is more difficult to do. Please note that frivolous gardeners who do not comply with the prescription will be fined 1,5-3 thousand rubles. It will increase to 5 thousand rubles if the Ministry of Emergency Situations introduces a special fire regime. It is announced when the forests are burning.
1. Remove construction debris from the site. Better to burn it in a metal barrel. Ash will accumulate in it, which can then be used as fertilizer.
2. Do not light a fire near buildings, the minimum distance is 15 m. By the way, you cannot light a fire if the wind speed is higher than 5 m / s.
3. Do not place the grill under tree canopy.
4. When lighting the stove and fireplace, do not use gasoline and other flammable liquids.
5. Insulate the house wiring; if malfunctions appear, fix them immediately.
6. Install the lightning rod on the roof.
7. If there is a stove, place a sheet of metal at least 50×70 cm on the floor under it. Cover the walls near the stove with a protective screen. To do this, fix thermal insulation on a wooden surface (basalt wool, asbestos cardboard, minerite), and cover it with a sheet of stainless steel on top. Use ceramic bushings to fix the cladding, they do not heat up. Remember that the distance from the wooden wall to the stove should not be less than 38 cm.
8. Treat all wood structures with a fire retardant compound (sold in building materials stores). The coating works like a fur coat – it retains heat and does not burn itself. It should be applied in two layers. When buying, pay attention to the protection class. The first inhibits the ignition process and the combustion itself, the second only increases the ignition time. All products after application have a limited shelf life (most often five years). Therefore, the processing must be carried out regularly.
9. Do not use damaged electrical appliances.
10. Obtain fire extinguishing agents. There should be a barrel of water, a box of sand and a fire extinguisher on the site.
If an accident occurs, call for help. Dial 112 from a mobile phone, 01 from a landline phone.
While the firefighters are driving, leave the house, turn off the electricity and gas supply. If you can start putting out the fire yourself, try first of all to protect gas cylinders, containers with flammable liquids. Can’t leave your home? Go down to the basement and close the hatch.
Important! When choosing a wood preservative, don’t just look at the price. A bottle may cost less, but the consumption of the composition per 1 sq. m can be very large. Therefore, you will not be able to save. Test it on a small board before applying. If the protective layer is ineffective, a complete home treatment will be useless.