Every year, well-meaning residents preparing their property for fire season spark damaging wildfires by using outdoor equipment the wrong way.

Since June 1, 2010 multiple equipment use fires have occurred in the Madera-Mariposa Merced Unit (MMU) of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). Sadly a fatality has been attributed to one of these fires.

Acting Unit Chief Bill Hodson is asking the public to take a smarter approach to fire prevention. Instead of accepting the devastation a fire can cause, stop one before it starts. Year after year California homes, citizens and communities are threatened and destroyed by wildfire.

California has one of the most severe wildfire problems in the world due to the climate, topography, vegetation and population.

Whether working to create a defensible space around a home, mowing the lawn, or pulling a dirt bike over to the side of the road, residents need to use all equipment responsibly.

Lawnmowers, weedeaters, chainsaws, grinders, welders, tractors, and trimmers can all spark a fire. CAL FIRE recommends the following safety practices:

Clearance should be done in the early morning, before 10 a.m., never in the heat of the day or when the wind is blowing, before it is too hot and too dry.

There should always be a water source and a shovel near the project.

CAL FIRE suggests using a lawn mower early in the morning, and as summer progresses, using a weed trimmer to cut dry vegetation. Lawn mowers are designed for cutting green lawns.

Rocks should be removed before any cutting begins. A grass or weed-hidden rock or barbed wire is enough to start a fire when struck by a metal blade.

In wildland areas, spark arresters are required on all portable, gasoline-powered equipment, including tractors, harvesters, chainsaws, weedeaters and mowers.

Residents should keep the exhaust system, spark arresters and mowers in proper working order and free of carbon build-up. Equipment should be properly maintained and cleaned before use. Dry grass builds up on equipment in or near the hot exhaust, muffler or around the blades and can cause a wildfire.

The engine should be kept free of oil and dust, and of flammable materials. The underside of the mower should also be cleaned.

In certain areas, a permit may be required for grinding and welding operations. There must be a minimum of 10 feet of clearance, a 46-inch round point shovel, and a back-pump, water-type fire extinguisher ready to use.

Hot exhaust pipes and mufflers can start fires that aren’t visible until it’s too late. Drivers should not pull off the road into dry grass or brush.

Residents should keep a cell phone nearby and call 911 immediately if a fire starts.

Additional information may be obtained at a local fire station, by calling the nearest CAL FIRE station or on the CAL FIRE Web site at www.fire.ca.gov.