Stage 1 — Anticipate
Before a fire: preparing your home, garden and family
Almost all fires are caused by something as ordinary as : a cigarette butt, a spark from an angle grinder, or a poorly positioned barbecue. This section covers everything that’s at stake before Fire hazard season — the steps you can take to prevent a spark, and the preparations that will make your home fire-resistant should a fire ever approach.
Six practical guides, from quick fixes to spring cleaning. If you could only read one : Good habits for everyday life. If you live within 200 metres of a woodland or forest: start with the compulsory brush-clearing.
The six ‘Avant’ guides
Good habits for everyday life
Cigarette ends, vehicles, tools, storage areas : simple precautions that eliminate 90 % of the risk of a fire starting.
Barbecues, cigarettes, DIY
The top three causes of accidental fires, and how to carry out these activities safely (or stop in time).
Read HomeProtecting my home
Roofs, gutters, shutters, ventilation systems, storage areas: making the house resistant to wind-borne sparks.
Read GardenCreating a defensive garden
Concentric zones, choice of plant species, hedges and mulch: it is possible to have a garden that is both beautiful AND fire-resistant.
Brush clearing (OLD)
The legal obligation that saves homes. Understand it, check your situation, comply with it, and avoid penalties.
Read QuizInteractive self-assessment
18 questions to assess your home’s vulnerability, with personalised recommendations.
Get startedTake action: step-by-step guides
Each key action within this pillar is available in action sheet self-guided — duration, cost, steps, mistakes to avoid:
Cleaning gutters and roofs
The most effective way to deal with flying sparks.
Read 20 €Fitting mesh to the air vents
Close the loft door to keep the embers out.
Read Half a dayStoring wood
10 metres from the house — the pile against the wall is a wick.
Thinning & pruning
Put out the fire without destroying the garden.
Read 1 weekendSplitting up your hedge
Privacy maintained; fire corridor removed.
Read +15 minsSpark-free work
Using a disc mower and brush cutter safely.
The forward-thinking landlord’s calendar
Brush-clearing is carried out outside the breeding season and before the hot weather sets in ; home checks in the spring ; daily checks in the summer. Here is the recommended annual schedule :
| Period | Priorities | Why now? |
|---|---|---|
| November → February | Tree pruning, felling, hedge trimming, main brush-clearing, disposal of plant cuttings at the recycling centre. | Dormant vegetation, accessible ground, and burning prohibited in any case: this is the ideal window of opportunity. |
| March → May | OLD finishes, regular mowing, roof and guttering cleaning, home monitoring, preparation of the emergency kit. | Final stretch before the hot weather ; be mindful of nesting when carrying out heavy felling. |
| June → September | Short grass, sensible watering, no fires, work likely to produce sparks postponed or strictly supervised, daily vigilance. | The high-risk season: any fire can get out of control within minutes. |
| October | Season review, winter maintenance plan, leaf and pine needle collection. | Accumulated pine needles are the number one cause of fires on roofs and in gutters. |
The five most common mistakes
Things to avoid
- Store firewood, pallets or gas cylinders against the building’s façade.
- Mow or clear brush in the afternoon when the wind is strong and the weather is dry.
- Burning garden waste ‘ on the sly ’ — it is prohibited and punishable by law.
- Parking a hot vehicle (with a catalytic converter) on dry grass.
- Putting off brush-clearing until ‘after the summer’ — that’s before it provides any protection.
Good habits
- Store fuel at least 10 metres away from the house, in a locked shed.
- Outdoor work early in the morning, in cool, windless weather, with fire-extinguishing equipment to hand.
- Garden waste: recycling centre, shredding, composting or mulching.
- Park on a hard surface (gravel, tarmac, bare earth).
- OLD to be carried out by spring at the latest, and maintained thereafter.
Prepare people as well
A well-prepared house isn’t enough if nobody knows what to do on the big day. Three essential additions:
- The family plan : who picks up the children, where to meet up if we get separated, who alerts our loved ones. A five-minute discussion that prevents panic — as detailed in Evacuation.
- The 72-hour emergency kit : documents, medicines, water, torch… ready to grab in the event of an evacuation order.
- The alert : How to recognise a notification FR-Alert and the sound of the sirens — and explain this to children and older people.
The risk changes every day. So do your reflexes.
Check the fire alert status for your department, monitor current fires and report a fire via the Feux de Forêt mobile app.