Defensible Space vs Home Hardening

Two different jobs

Defensible space reduces the intensity and duration of fire approaching the structure by managing vegetation and fuels. Home hardening reduces the chance the structure itself ignites when embers, heat or flame reach it.

Clearing brush does not stop an ember from entering an unscreened attic vent. Screening a vent does not stop radiant heat from a fuel-loaded slope from breaking a window. Both are needed.

Where each one applies

• Defensible space: vegetation, spacing, dead fuel, grass, tree limbing, slope conditions
• Home hardening: vents, roof, eaves, siding, windows, decks, fences, attachments
• Overlapping: the first five feet, where landscaping decisions become building protection

Which to do first

For most properties, the first five feet and vent screening come first because they are inexpensive and address the most common ignition sequence. After that, priority depends on the property — a heavily vegetated slope may outrank a roof upgrade, or the reverse.