Now
that you have prepared your home, family and neighborhood for a fire,
what do you do when that awful day comes and there is a fire at your
back door?
When Wildfire Threatens
If
you are warned that a wildfire is threatening your area, listen to
your radio for reports and evacuation information. Follow the
instructions of local officials immediately. While you wait for the
order to evacuate:
Back
your car into the garage or park it in an open space facing the
direction of escape. Shut the doors, but do not lock them, and roll
up windows. Leave the key in the ignition or make sure it is in your
pocket at all times. Close garage windows and doors, but leave them
unlocked. Disconnect automatic garage door openers, just in case the
electricity goes out.
Gather
your family members if they are at other locations or make
arrangements for them to remain where they are if they are in a safe
area.
Gather
pets into one room, making them easy to find when it is time to
leave.
Evacuate
large animals, such as horses, to a safe location.
Arrange
temporary housing at a friend's home outside the threatened area.
Notify
your out-of-state emergency contact of your plans and give them the
phone number and address of the place you will evacuate to.
Load
your 72-hour kits and important family possessions in your car.
Place
pet supplies and leashes in the car.
Place
maps in the car with at least two evacuation routes clearly marked.
Change
into protective clothing including long pants, long-sleeved shirt,
heavy socks and sturdy shoes.
Have
hand towels or bandanas ready for each member of the family.
Contact
your neighbors to make sure they have heard the warnings.
Close
all windows and vents.
Move
flammable furniture into the center of the home away from windows
and sliding-glass doors.
Move
all flammable patio furniture indoors.
Turn
on a light in each room and also your outdoor lights, to increase
the visibility of your home in heavy smoke.
If Advised to Evacuate, Do It Immediately
Wet
the towels or bandanas you have set aside and take them with you.
Holding these over your nose will help you breathe in a smoky
environment.
Lock
your home.
Call
you neighbors as you are leaving. Warn them if you are aware of an
escape route that is blocked.
Call
family members who were staying at other homes to inform them where
you are going.
Call
your out-of-state contacts to inform them you are heading for the
safe location you have given them earlier.
When
you have reached your destination gather all your family members to
that location.
Survival in a Vehicle
This
is very dangerous and should only be done in an extreme emergency,
but you can survive a firestorm if you stay in your car. Out-running
a firestorm on foot is almost always impossible.
Roll
up windows and close air vents. Drive slowly with headlights on.
Watch for other vehicles and pedestrians. Do not drive through heavy
smoke.
If
you are forced to stop, park away from trees and brush. Turn
headlights on and ignition off. Roll up windows and close air vents.
Get
on the floor and cover up with a blanket or coat.
Breathe
through a cloth.
Stay
in the vehicle until the main fire passes.
Stay
in the car! Do not run! Be prepared for the temperature to
dramatically increase and for air currents, caused by the fire, to
rock the car. Gas tanks can explode but rarely do unless they are
punctured.
If You are Trapped at Home
Stay
calm. As the fire front approaches, go inside the house. You can
survive a fast moving wildfire, but this should always be a last
resort and never your first choice!
Close
all windows and exterior doors
Close
all interior doors.
Go
to the center of the house.
Stuff
towels or blankets under the door to help prevent smoke from
entering the room.
Lie
on the floor and cover up with a blanket. A wool blanket is best as
it will take longer to ignite.
Breathe
through a wet cloth.
What to Do After a Wildfire
Check
the roof immediately. Put out any fires, sparks or embers.
Check
the attic for hidden burning or smoldering sparks.
Put
out any small remaining brush fires.
The
water you put into your pool, hot tub, or water storage barrels can
be siphoned to provide water if the electricity is off and your well
isn’t working or if community water supplies are interrupted.
You can also connect a hose to the outlet on your water heater for
added water supply.
Rake
any areas that appear to be smoldering and extinguish any embers you
find.
Check
the inside of your home for any embers that may have entered.
For
several hours after the fire, maintain a fire watch by walking
around your home inside and out, checking for any new hot spots.
It
is so important to research the risk of wildfire in the area you
live. We have lived in our community for 20 years and have not seen a
wildfire here, except for grass fires on neighboring farms that were
quickly put out by our fire department. No headlines here.
But
those who have lived in our town longer than us remember a fire that
swept through the river bottom areas that adjoin our town (less than
a mile from our neighborhood), which created real fear and panic that
it would spread to neighborhoods and burn the city.
So,
even if there is not a recent memory of such events, that does not
mean the danger is diminished, but may in fact mean the risk has
quietly grown worse with years of new undergrowth in wilderness
areas, while residential areas have encroached deeper into that
wilderness.
The
time to clear a fire break between our home and the path of a
wildfire is now. Preparing home and family must also be done now, and
not later. At its root, this takes spiritual as well intellectual
commitment. As an American evangelist once said: “Heaven is a
prepared place, for a prepared people.”
Like
judgment day, a wildfire emergency offers no postponements, and no
deferments. When smoke and flames approach, it is too late to do any
more than implement the preparations we have already put in place,
keep a cool head, and trust in the Lord.
Carolyn Nicolaysen grew up in New Jersey and joined the Church while attending Central
College in Pella, Iowa. With a degree in Home Economics, she later worked as a high school
teacher, and served as an elected trustee of her local school board. Carolyn has taught personal
and family preparedness to all who will listen. Having lived in areas that were threatened by
winter storms, hurricanes and tornadoes, and now living in an earthquake prone area, she has
developed a passion for preparedness. Carolyn started her own business, TotallyReady, when she
saw the need for higher quality emergency information that could truly sustain families in a
disaster.
Carolyn is FEMA trained and is an Amateur Radio first responder. She serves as Relief Society
president of her California ward.
Carolyn is the author of three ebooks, Mother Hubbard, What She's Doing Now (food storage
for the 21st century), Prep Not Panic (preparing for a pandemic of medical emergency) and That
Won't Happen to Me (a discussion of disaster preparations). She has also authored a glove box
book, Totally Ready for the Road and writes a monthly newsletter and the Totally Ready
facebook page.