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Puget Sound Clean Air - 1-800-552-3565

Local Burn Ban Information - 253-851-0089

Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One - 253-851-3111

Wildfires usually start small - but in dry conditions will grow very rapidly.  Gig Harbor Fire and Medic One has put together the following information to assist you in preparing your home and surrounding land for the threat of wildfire.  Please take a few minutes to review the information presented here.  Even small changes can keep a grass or brush fire from reaching your home.

 The following checklist will assist in that effort.

1) Remove dead or overhanging branches. During the windy conditions that exist during a wildland fire, flames, sparks and firebrands could travel from the tree to the roof of this structure.

2) Remove leaf accumulation from your yard. Leaf accumulation provides fuel for a wildland fire.

3) Remove leaf clutter from your roof and gutters. During a wildland fire, flying embers could ignite leaves on the roof and/or in the gutters.

4) Keep lawns neatly trimmed. Tall, dry grasses provide a path for fire that can lead directly to a house.

5) Remove “ladder fuels”. Prune tree limbs so the lowest is between 6’ - 10’ from the ground. Fire burning through tall, dry grass could ignite these limbs and climb to the top of the tree with relative ease.

6) Refuel garden equipment carefully. Yard equipment needs annual maintenance and proper fueling. Hoses develop leaks and deteriorate with age and exposure. During wildland fire season, fuel your lawn mower properly — away from dry, flammable grasses.

7) Prune bushes and shrubs regularly. Remove excess growth as well as dead leaves and branches to decrease their flammability, and the threat they could pose during a wildland fire. Dispose of cuttings and debris promptly, according to local regulations.


The most effective way to increase the protection of your home from grass or brush fire is by creating defensible spaces. Plants in each of the zones below perform a distinct function. The transition area between zones creates a break to slow advancing flames.


Zone 1: Moist and trim.

In zone 1, low growing plants which resist catching fire and provide little fuel are used. Turf, perennials, groundcovers, and annuals form a greenbelt that is regularly watered and maintained to eliminate dry plant litter. This zone may contain individual shrubs and trees located at least 10 feet from the house.

Zone 2: Low and sparse.

In zone 2, slow growing, drought-tolerant shrubs and groundcovers are used to keep fire near ground level. Native vegetation can be retained here if it is low growing, does not accumulate dry, flammable material, and is irrigated.

Zone 3: High and clean.

In zone 3, native trees or shrubs are thinned and dry debris on the ground is removed. This zone requires removing overgrowth and pruning trees every three to five years. Specimen trees can be planted at the edge of this zone, if well cared for.

Zone 4: Natural area.

Zone 4 is composed of native plants that are selectively thinned. If possible, highly flammable vegetation is removed and replaced with less fire-prone species.