Wildfire-Season Readiness (Wyoming)

From the Wyo Stays team. Educational information, not safety, legal, or insurance advice. Follow guidance from local fire authorities and your insurer.

If your property sits in the Bighorn foothills, near forest, or on grassland, wildfire is a real seasonal risk — and one your guests, who don't know the area, are counting on you to have handled. A little preparation protects your property, your guests, and your coverage.

1. Create and maintain defensible space

The zone immediately around the structure matters most. Practical steps owners can take:

• 0–5 feet (immediate zone): keep it lean — no wood mulch, firewood stacks, or flammable debris against the house. Gravel or hardscape is ideal.
• 5–30 feet: trim grass, remove dead vegetation, space shrubs, limb up trees, and keep gutters and roof clear of needles and leaves.
• Beyond 30 feet: thin dense fuel and keep it maintained through the dry months.
• Firewood and propane: store well away from the structure.

Confirm specifics with your local fire district — and note that your insurer may require some of this. (See The STR Insurance Guide.)

2. Make evacuation obvious for guests

Your guests are visitors. In an emergency they need information at their fingertips:

• A clear evacuation route and the nearest safe direction out (posted in the welcome book and on-site).
• How to sign up for or check local emergency alerts and county notifications.
• Where to get current fire and road information for the area.
• Your emergency contact and a simple "if you're told to evacuate, go" instruction.

Fold this into your STR Emergency Preparedness Plan and Digital Welcome Book.

3. Prepare the property

• Test smoke and CO detectors and keep extinguishers current and accessible.
• Have a plan for outdoor furniture and flammables that can be moved inside quickly.
• Know your water and gas shut-offs.
• Keep a small emergency kit on-site (flashlight, first aid, water).
• Ensure address signage is visible so responders can find the property.

4. Coordinate with insurance and management

• Confirm your policy's wildfire coverage and any defensible-space conditions before the season, not during it.
• Document your mitigation work with dated photos — useful for both insurer and peace of mind.
• Have a communication plan for reaching current and upcoming guests if conditions change.

Your wildfire-readiness checklist

1. ☐ Defensible space maintained (0–5 / 5–30 / 30+ zones)
2. ☐ Gutters and roof clear of debris
3. ☐ Firewood and propane stored away from the structure
4. ☐ Evacuation route + alert sign-up posted for guests
5. ☐ Detectors tested, extinguishers current
6. ☐ Shut-offs known and labeled
7. ☐ Wildfire coverage + any policy conditions confirmed
8. ☐ Mitigation documented with dated photos

One less thing to worry about from afar

For owners who aren't local, seasonal readiness is exactly the kind of thing that keeps you up at night — and exactly what a local team handles as part of managing your property.

→ Unlock the readiness checklist, or → get a free property evaluation.