Almost every year, scenes of California wildfires ravaging local communities make national news. While there's little you can do to prevent these large fires, there are steps you can take to prepare your home for fire season and minimize the damage. Keep reading to learn how.

Buy Supplies

Stock up on water, nonperishable meals and snacks that don't need cooking, and any medications you need. These are useful both if you have to remain home, possibly cut off from power or stores, or if you need to evacuate. Try to have enough on hand for at least a week, and rotate items with your regular groceries so they don't go bad.

Create a Cleanroom

There may be times when there's heavy smoke in your area but no risk of fire to your home and the safest thing to do is stay put. Even with your windows closed, smoke will still find a way inside your home through the gaps. A cleanroom should be an interior room or one with the fewest openings. Take extra care to seal any gaps in that room, and use a portable air cleaner when you have to retreat inside.

Have Your Go Bag Ready

Evacuation orders often come with little notice — sometimes even from fires that started after you went to bed. Within minutes, you should be able to gather:

• Your food, water, and medicine supply,

• Clothes for at least a week,

• Important financial and personal documents, and

• Any important personal items.

Clean Up Your Yard

Keep your yard clear of leaves, grass clippings, brush, and plants that don't withstand fires. If you're on the edge of a fire or have burning embers raining down from the wind, a clean yard could be the difference between no damage and a bigger fire starting on your property.

Have Ready Access to Outdoor Water

In many situations, it's dangerous and futile to try to fight a wildfire with a garden hose. However, depending on how the fire is burning and the winds, there may be times where to prudent course of action is to stay and wet your property down while extinguishing any floating ashes. You should have at least one garden hose that can reach every point in your yard. Also, have at least two hose outlets on opposite sides of your home, so you can safely reach your water supply from any direction.

Review Your Home Insurance to Prepare your Home for Fire Season

Finally, to prepare your home for fire season before fire season starts, make sure your home insurance covers wildfires and related costs. Once fires start, even outside of your immediate area, it's usually too late to buy a policy. To learn more or to request a quote, contact Brashears Insurance today.