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Cautions During Wildfire Season May Come Too Late

State Farm Insurance® reminds the public to prepare for the upcoming wildfire season.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (March 15, 2011) - Last year the above average moisture in Utah dampened the wildfire season to a 10-year low. However, that may not be the case this year and all residents in wildfire prone areas are encouraged to take precautions now.

"We're reminding the public now, well before conditions are ripe for a fire, to protect themselves and their homes by creating a defensible space and taking other maintenance steps," said State Farm spokeswoman Angela Thorpe. "Once the temperatures are heating up, the grass is drying out and the winds are kicking up, it may be too late."

Take your wildfire risk seriously before a fire breaks out. Here are some steps you can take to prepare.

• Complete a FREE State Farm® home inventory checklist and keep the list offsite. (It can save you time and frustration should you experience a disaster.)
• Check with your insurance agent or company to make sure that your home is insured for at least 100 percent of its estimated replacement cost. Building contractors or professional replacement cost appraisers are good sources for obtaining an estimate.
• Clear and maintain a "survivable space" about 30 feet wide around your home.
• Reduce the number of trees in heavily wooded areas, and plant new trees or shrubs 10 feet apart.
• Remove dead branches and keep close, overhanging branches from the reach of your roof and 10 feet away from your chimney.
• For trees taller than 18 feet, keep lower branches pruned 6 feet above the ground.
• Keep stacked wood at least 30 feet from your home or other buildings, and keep vegetation cleared away from the woodpiles.
• If possible, use fire resistive roofing and siding when remodeling or building in wildfire prone areas.

More tips for preparation, precautions and related links about what to do during and after a disaster can be found at statefarm.com/learning center.

You can view a true consumer story from the Boulder, Colo., Four Mile Canyon Fire of 2010 on YouTube, which shows how preparation saved a family’s home while neighboring homes burned to the ground.

Follow us on Twitter at: SF_angelathorpe

Contact

Angela M.Thorpe State Farm Insurance, (303) 264-1560

About State Farm®

State Farm insures more cars and homes than any other insurer in the U.S., is the leading insurer of watercraft and is also a leading insurer in Canada. State Farm's 17,700 agents and more than 67,000 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts - almost 79 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and more than 1.9 million bank accounts. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 31 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit statefarm.com® or in Canada statefarm.ca®.