Great clip Cody. I'm a retired paramedic & forestry firefighter. I find it interesting that alot of people in our profession often overlook our own properties because of the amount of time we spend educating others. I also agree with your opinion about standing your ground and defending your property during an advancing wildfire. I've saved my place twice & last spring saved 3 places in Fort McMurray, Alberta by being prepared & facing the DRAGON!
This is exactly why I don't watch cable it's all nonsense garbage, your 15 minute video could save plenty of lives and heartache, as always outstanding job, keep up the great work and my family and I look forward to the next video.
so you are not tired of all the nonsense on there ? ... well i guess if you are on youtube you must not be, or at least not if you came in through the 'main youtube page', guess people like their complete 'bs' nonsense entertainment, i am mostly glad i came here before all that and found the channels i enjoy due to having at least some substance to them. Search also helps ... but i can't ignore the shame i feel when i log out of my account and end up on that dreaded main page and height of the civilisation of mankind clearly looks me in the face... /sigh
Thanks for sharing this important information. Far too many people are not prepared for wildfires. I have seen the devastation forest fires cause, and how quickly they can get out of control. I stayed and fought for my home several years ago. I was prepared, and have dealt with fires previously, that along with the defensible space I had ALL around my home and out buildings and lots of water to keep everything damp so the fire would move on around the area of the property I was protecting kept it all safe. While many others living close by lost their homes.
Cody the Canon 5d mIV has taken your videos to a new level of quality. It looks more cinematic, and it's superb. Keep it up, you deserve the big million.
Great video Cody! We have a ton of wildfires in our area at the moment. It is good to have videos like this along side my training at the fire dept as i am still a rookie who has no experience. I absolutely love these videos! Keep them coming
this is the kind of detailed and informative videos I like to watch. a number of years ago, I worked at a tire recycling facility in my small city. one afternoon while we were shedding old tires (like we always do) the rubber got too hot and self ignited. in short, the entire building burned up, just a shell left to echo the devastating reality of dangers.
I miss the video wrap ups you use to do on all your videos. The closings had lots of good wisdom in them. I do appreciate the time, and effort you put into your channel! May God continue to bless you, and your family.
I'm 17 and I live in Haileybury Ontario and In 1922 there was a big fire. It covered 650 square miles and half a million acres of land. It partly burned Englehart and New Liskeard and completely destroyed the Communities of North Cobalt, Charlton, Thornloe, Heaslip and Haileybury. And in Haileybury some headed down to Lake Temiskaming where they would soak their blankets and lie under them to prevent themselves from being burned. Men were in the Lake with buckets where they would scoop water and throw it on the blanket covering the people to keep it wet and to keep their loved ones safe from the flames. the great fire / Haileybury Fire has become known as one of Canada’s top 10 disasters. It killed 43 people and destroyed over 6000 homes as well as affecting 18 Townships. I'm still learning the history but to the best of my knowledge that's what happened it. still learning / always learning : ) It's great history
Thank You for this video. I have been a Volunteer Firefighter for a year and am about to get my Firefighter Phase 2 at Texas A&M. God Bless The Thin Red, White, and Blue lines!
Great video. I used to live in a really bad fire area and while I did a great deal of clearing the area around my house I never really spent a lot of time clearing around the out buildings. Your presentation makes me realize how ill prepared I actually was.
Thanks again for your great videos, Cody! Looks like, during this fireseason, it's a matter of time for you to get to fight the one or the other fire... Stay safe!
I really enjoyed this video. I don't live in the urban interface myself. I do however help family members frequently that do and this has been a wake-up call to me. I will share this information with them. I also appreciate you showing that your building was not up to par with the guidelines with the IRPG. Too often the persona displayed on RU-vid channels is that the host is perfect and you should strive to be as good as them. In this, you have shown that you are human and make mistakes. At the same time, you recognize where change is needed and make the change. Thanks for having this channel. I enjoy and learn a lot from the content.
another perfect example of why wranglestar is top notch, tells us what we need to do then shows his own mistakes and how to avoid them, hes not making out hes got everything perfect because everything is a work in progress. Even life
I live in Portugal. We had a fire last month that killed 64 people (most in a few miles stretch of road, in their cares). There was a man that decided, when told to evacuate, to stay and fight. He managed to fight off the flames for 2 hours with very limited water, using a broom to smuther the fire and saved his house and caddle. May have seemed like a foolish decision, but as it turns out it was the right one to make.
Thanks Cody, good things to keep in mind. We are just starting to develop a property from the ground up, and I realized I had a perfect use for a salvaged truck van box I have as a storage building: I'm going to keep all flammables like propane, gas cans, bulk amounts of oil, etc. in that building and it's going to be set off a distance from my shop and home. That way if something catches fire in there, it won't consume everything like it would had I stored those things in one of my main buildings. Good point on the tires! I hadn't thought of that and will have to make it a point to keep them away from structures, or inside if I have space for them.
Thank you for that information and advice. My wife and I are moving to a property in the "urban interface" as you called it. The property is all dry grass dead grass, that has been mowed 100 feet out from the house already. We are going to use your information and make it even safer. Thanks a gain for a timely video.
A+ video. I am not on a homestead or farm but I think this is a reminder for everyone to do a risk evaluation of your home. We in more sub/urban areas should look at our hoarding in the garage and sheds etc.
A lot of solid advice, very similar to bushfire prep advice in Australia. They encourage people here to leave early on extreme days after a few tragedies where people panic at the last minute and then get caught out it exposed location and/or have escape blocked.
Some really good advice. I had a brush fire in 2001 at my place but due to all buildings being poured concrete nothing was damaged despite trees right next to my home catching fire. The next fire we had in 2006 was different because I just turned the sprinkler system on and it went around my home and shop. Maintaining rich green grass is the ultimate firebreak.
Thank you for your video it cannot be emphasized enough about fire prevention especially when you live up in the mountains. Keep the videos coming, love your area of Oregon.
I have been subscribed for several years now. And I must say Cody....IT FEELS SO GOOD TO FINALLY HAVE THAT BARN CLEANED UP ON THE OUTSIDE....my OCD can finally rest haha!
That was one hell of informative video. i never thought about the fact that fire can start from a raindrop of sparks that can fly with the wind from far away.
Very good advise, Cody. It is also a god way to "spruce" up your place as well. Getting those "I'll get that later" jobs done. Praying for you and yours.
Great info. Cody! lost many homes and more here in Florida this past winter, forestry and fire depts. couldn't keep up with the intensity of fires, we did stop many structures from burning up though. good luck, I enjoy your videos, stay safe..
Suggestion, 2-3 foot wide, 3-4" thick layer of stone (1.5" or smaller) around base of building. This does 2 things, minimizes vegetation and will prevent erosion by water coming off roof, as it will hit the rock and splash instead of drilling through the dirt. If you go through the area 2-3 times over the year, you will be able to easily hand pull any grasses or seedlings growing in the stone as the roots will have nothing to anchor to. You will also be able to pass the mower deck over the edge of the stone pad, so no string trimmer needed. Almost forgot the biggest advantage of using the stone, ground squirrels, wood chucks, skunks, etc... will not dig through a layer of medium sized stone (3/4"-1.5"). Keep safe, Rich C.
great video here in Florida I live in the urban interface area like you were explianing and we had an active fire season this year with the drought we had earlier in the year and I own a lawn service and we were constantly cleaning the mower decks and being vigilant not to hit rocks and spark a fire because almost every other day we'd hear about someone who inadvertently started a fire while mowing
so true about keeping stuff around buildings... right when you said that i thought of all the scaffolding and pallets around my barn... bicycles, truck bed, and tires around the garage... 😮
Nice informative video. I'll need a lot of clean up around the out building on my new property. Keep up the good work. And I'm anxious to see more of the bridge videos!
You never know what's going to make you laugh. This morning when I was out mowing the yard, I thought about this video. The comment about the blade not leaving with plastic all over your yard made me laugh. You've got a huge pile of metal junk and you're thinking about tiny bits of plastic!! It made me think about a conversation I had with my dad not too long ago about how I missed a tiny bit of grass by our mailbox and I got a chuckle. I remember telling my dad that he had a pasture full of "junk" and I had about eight blades of grass. To which he responded that his junk was "useful junk". Keep up the great work and stay safe.
Arkansas isnt burning yet, but the drought season is very close. Your video on this is very helpful and I will get to work on areas around my homestead that need cleaned and mowed back. Thanks!!!
this video helped satisfy my ocd needs thanks. i find joy in straightening my tool box or boat. a sickness i know, but will help me , when i get alzheimer's disease.
I finally figured out to place everything on skids. It's fine and tidy to place next to buildings, but you can move everything quick and maintain the area if they are on forklift skids or pallets.
As a fellow firefighter, your video was great and very informative. love all of your videos. Can't stop watching them everyday. Thank you. Chief Corbett.
you're a good man Cody! I like how you educate the less informed on how to take life saving measures that people can use throughout their whole life! you sir have a pure heart!
Really good video. (real useful information) My neighbor works for our small town/city fire dept and also volunteers at our local fire dept in the area we live in. I believe I would stay too just knowing he has the knowledge about fire the same as you do. things you can really only learn by being in that type of environment
Re: the pump housing cracking from freezing - either bring the pump inside in the cold weather or pump RV anti-freeze through everything that has water in it. I pull the jet style well pump in the fall on a property I have that isn't used in the winter. I pump RV anti-freeze through the house system.
Few tips you may find helpful if you don't already use them. 1.Lay down gravel around the outside of your barn and other farm buildings 1-2 meters... it acts as a walkway and stops you having to clear around it every year. 2.Make sure all windows are sealed with silicone and not plastic/rubber/putty. In Australia it was found that number one cause of bushfires burning brick houses was windows cracking or falling out due to either melting or the window unable to expand. Silicone will smoulder but will hold in the window and allow it to expand so it wont break stopping embers direct access into the home. 3.Plant high water content flora to shield buildings from tree lines and to catch embers. Here we use Tagasaste its very drought tolerant and takes more energy to drive out the moisture in its leaves and wood then it gives back when it does finally burn. Its also great animal food, it hates the cold and snow so not much good for you. 4.Always have a safe spot, that if a fire does come and you cant get out you can go there and weather it out... On our farm its paddock we burn out just as the fire season comes to a close and so it has no real plant matter to burn. Closest tree lines are 100m away and also have fibreglass blankets if we need those to shield from embers/heat. Western Australia being very dry about every second year we end up packing the car with all the non replaceables while we wait and see if we should try to fight or run. So far we have got lucky through last year whole sky was aglow and it was heading right for us till the fire front turned just 2km away. its a horrible feeling to want a fire to turn away from you, while knowing if it does its going to get other farms and possibly kill other people. Something you don't mention is "city" people being complete aholes... Last year after we almost did get burned out and spent a week checking properties for other people that were not allowed back into the area while the fire was still out of control(if you left you couldn't come back) and saving other farmers livestock etc... 2 months later we had a guy that brought a council owned parcel, 2 acres on a corner of our farm. He decided that coming onto our property with 30 kids from the local football club and starting a big bonfire and cutting down our trees. Was a completely fine thing to do. Actually argued he thought a true "Aussie" wouldn't mind as its for the kids. Word got around and he managed to piss off most farmers in a 100km radius.
good video Cody. one of the things we have always done around our buildings and fence lines we use Roundup and ground nullify so weeds and grass doesn't grow. if you don't want to use chemicals you can use rock salt. but very good ideas.
Great advice Cody....I hope you never have to find out if your prepared or not, with the forest clean up you been doing certainly diminishes your risk of fire
Coming from Texas, the thought of handling those tires with no gloves gave me the willies. Brown Recluse and Black Widows are no joke. Not sure if you have similar buggers up there.
Hey Cody, I was on the Carlton Complex as well and you might advise your listeners on the value of purchasing a good generator. Even if you have a water source, if you don't have electricity to run your pump, you're dead in the water. Lots of homes were lost because there was no power after the power poles burned down.
utz48 That would be nice but those can move hundreds of gallons per second and he just doesn't have access to that much water that's why you don't have hydrants in the country
The Guy On The Minibike I'm not sure you understand what a dry hydrant is. In rural areas where municipal water systems are not available, dry hydrants are used to supply water for fighting fires. A dry hydrant is analogous to a standpipe. A dry hydrant is usually an unpressurized, permanently installed pipe that has one end below the water level of a lake or pond . It provides an accessible point to which a fire pump of some sort and draft water without having to be directly at the waters edge and place hard suction in to the water. He has access to several bodies of standing water on his property he has said it in several videos.
The Guy On The Minibike I'm not sure you understand what a dry hydrant is. In rural areas where municipal water systems are not available, dry hydrants are used to supply water for fighting fires. A dry hydrant is analogous to a standpipe. A dry hydrant is usually an unpressurized, permanently installed pipe that has one end below the water level of a lake or pond . It provides an accessible point to which a fire pump of some sort can draft water without having to be directly at the waters edge and place hard suction in to the water. He has access to several bodies of standing water on his property he has said it in several videos.
Nice one Cody. I put gravel some 70cm, starting from the Wall of the building going outwards, and about 15cm thick. It helps control the grass from growing up close to the Wall.
actually that brings up another point with fire safety. control your fires and listen when a fire warning is out as to not light fires or fire based products like fireworks. when you do have a fire going keep it monitored and contained.
Sure wish the State of Utah would ban the fireworks. We have had many human caused fires from dumb folks lighting fireworks in this dry and hot season. Some knucklehead set them off from apartment balconies. Not the sharpest knife in the drawer for sure. Utah is too afraid of losing the revenue from sales tax on the sale of fireworks to ban them!
Yes, they do it now for the bigger and higher aerial displays. Just gotta have the baddest show! Wyoming is selling them just over the state line and very visible from Utah.
Very informative. There's some interesting thing people should consider when having fuel tanks around. Even "empty" ones might have fumes that can get ignited when they get too hot. Also, any leaking can get to your stuff pretty fast if it's not far away. Cancerous chemical fumes in a more closed environment can be also a thing when handling gas or Diesel.
We have a lake water pump that ties into a under ground irrigation pipeline. This in turn is capable of supplying water to five or six separate hoses for lawn and garden watering. But because the pump is 220 volt I have more than enough to suppress small fires. Oh we have a generator that is able to supply power in the event of a power outage.
WOW thank you! All those things that even you could overlook could one day saves your home or even a life. Love seeing the ins and outs of your place. I'm stealing so many ideas from you in my build. I just learned about fire hose hydrants from Pure Living for Life and now I will be sure to put in a 2" line for fires. I'm just about to install a windmill to get my water system running. Thanks for everything you and your family does for newbies like myself. Looking forward to meeting you again Dennis :)
One of the things I started doing around those areas around barns and shop is spray veg kill. Just makes it easier to maintain and actually gives it a cleaner look. It's taken little time but using roundup 365 just spray once in the spring and it's good all summer fall. Usually takes 2 applications to catch the spots I missed and clean up some lines.
I guess it's time for Jack to gain his "weed eater legs". I was eleven when my Dad gave me an ECHO trimmer. It was a beast at just one model size down from the commercial model. I used it for just over 18 years in the country trimming back brush from the yard.
My property is a fire safety nightmare. Of the 40 acres I have, 39 of them are on exceptionally steep ground and the underbrush has been allowed to grow for a long time.
all great advice. im not on a big fire area but grass fires are very common and the smoke can get bad enough to kill, so I keep a few old gass masks on hand. they arent any good for NBC anymore but they stop smoke particles like a charm
Goofy idea, have a Irrigation system outside hooked up to a thermometer and if the temperature goes over like 80°c the sprinklers go on and help extinguish fire around ^-^
I helped install a new hose line at Continental / ContiTech (formerly Goodyear) in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa if your looking for another USA manufactured hose and they make more than just garden hose.
we don't step away from old school Deere in this family. Our old model B is still running strong and has a finish mover, the bush hog is in need of work (we bought it and have not repaired anything on it because we haven't needed it yet) yes but it's in good condition for its age. The only piece not working currently is the 400. We busted a piston and currently can't get a replacement outside of second hand but even that had been running strong prior to this. We really don't know why it busted a piston either. It was very weird. My mother grew up with orange but my father grew up with green and it won out when the 400 and the B both arrived
Cody there's an article from when Kansas had the bad prairie fires last year a man left his sprinklers in his yard run for 2 days and by the time the fire got to his house everything was so wet the fire skirted around his house. Not saying everyone should do that but that's definitely improvising!
Good video, Cody. One small point. You call it the "Urban Interface". That may confuse people. It should be the "Wildland Urban Interface" The WUI. The edge between wildlands and towns. Usually more of a situation where a subdivision backs up to a National Forest. There really should be a Wildland Homestead Interface to describe situations like yours or mine. Same rules apply. The goal is to be able to allow fire to pass through your land without destroying things you value. I have a ways to go at my place. Be fire safe everyone.
this reminds me of an 80s classroom video learning thing !! great job I wish more knew the things that all homeowners should do to help and mitigate fire. I carry my IRPG in my BOB so much useful information for everyday camping and such
I was working in Australia around ten years ago during a particularly bad fire season. People that had been living there for decades found themselves dealing with some pretty unimaginable conditions and there were cases of people actually dying while they tried to drive away from the fire. If anyone thinks this is overkill, think again. I was on the coast and didn't have anything to worry about, but the fire was all too real for the people in the bush lands.
Great advice, and I mean even for those of us that don't live in areas where wild fires are that common. I do not have the same equipment you do, but a good solid brand is important. Mine is a Mahindra and it serves me well
You may want to consider a disk to make fire breaks around the property. It is much much faster than rototilling and can provide a good fire break. That is how we contain fires in the Southeast (mostly prescribed burns.) I just disk the fire breaks a few times a year and they are ready for fires. It also gives you a good road all the way around the property.
Tough call whether to stay or go. If you stay you may be able to save your home but if things get really bad you have now put first responders at risk who later must come and try and rescue you. Here on the east coast people are sometimes asked to evacuate for a threat of hurricanes. When owners refuse they are often then told to at least write their social security number on their arm with a Sharpie so their bodies can be identified later......that usually gets them to comply with the evacuation.
Cody, you mentioned if things get bad enough close to the buildings you might consider rototilling a maybe two foot swath up to the building to get rid of the combustibles, isn't that something you should do now and place a layer of plastic or something to stop weeds and grass from growing and then a layer of gravel to protect the lower part of the building which may have wood or other combustibles as part of the building? PATIN CALGARY
Hi Cody, you could maybe do like we do in the army and set up a POL point. Petrols oils lubricants. We always have them set up away from other buildings. Usually fenced off in an area where plant machinery and vehicles can easily access it..Ryno
In California they call it something like a Wildland Urban Interface. If a house needs something beyond a remodel, it becomes a big deal. Fuel Load Assessment Plans, special fire resistant construction using eave vents with 1/8" metal screen, special screen to keep eave gutters free of material, stucco finishes, protection under and over decks, chimney screens of course, its a a big deal to get new construction approved. By the way, decades ago I worked for a metal building company after college, Varco Pruden, at the time had a patent on "crimping" the bottom edge of metal wall sheets such that they sealed the gap at the ground. Some other companies used metal flashing or even combustible foam "closure" to block the little spaces where the metal ribs form a space where air or fire might try to gain access. Gotta pay attention to these little spaces where they are near the ground, and near flammables.
I've long wondered why zoning and/or insurance companies didn't restrict the materials and design of new construction houses in rural and/or fire prone areas. I also wonder why WS hasn't a summer program to use his jerk pump to fill several small portable pools in strategic areas around the homestead . Certainly all his topics were spot on as prevention is always the key. And while it may be unsightly, a small metal shipping container set away from high heat sources might be an effective fuel bunker properly sealed and insulated.
Hay mate I'm a Australian firefighter with the new South Wales ruler fire sever and I wold get rid of those trees at the back of your shed especially being pine trees
Sellit73 I guess we just have different priorities. If I was lent a beautiful tractor like that with all the implements and hardware I could literally ask for, I'd replace the glass if I broke it.
During the Silver Fire here in New Mexico they made me leave and chained up the forrest service road that accesses my property ... I imagine I could of fought them to let me stay but they said I had too no options.. of course it was a pretty spooky fire and the wildland fire fighters did a great job .. didn't hurt my place at all.. I'm way out in the middle of no where off grid too surrounded by the forrest
