My thoughts on wildfires per the 5/11/16 NNPG Amateur Radio net meeting.
A few additional thoughts on evacuations for wild fires, and evacuations in general that might or might not be of interest. And as an FYI, the resources I have listed are just examples. Please do you own due diligence research for similar information and products suitable for your specific situation if you are inclined to do some of the things listed.
Some have expressed intent to stay and fight a wildfire. Having fought wild land fires when I was in my late teens and early twenties, I will not recommend that anyone do that, though I did it myself, by myself, for one fire that threatened my home at the time. Get out, and get out early.
However, there are some things a person can do to reduce the severity of damage, and possibly even reduce the chance of damage at all. But it takes foresight, planning, training, and equipment. Which all amounts up to a sizeable investment. And it is pretty much a useless endeavor unless the steps are taken to reduce the initial risks by creating the clear space around the home and any other buildings.
But if this is done, there is equipment that can be used to defend the home, even after evacuating, to a degree hereunto unavailable. The use of various types of spray on foams and liquids before the fire gets too close and an evacuation is required, can keep the building from igniting, if everything works correctly, and the fire is not simply too big and hot to negate them.
I am not trained in these methods or products, but here are some links to wild land home fire retardants and fire suppression equipment:
http://www.homefirefightingsystems.com/firegel.htmlhttp://www.homefirefightingsystems.com/foamequipment.htmlhttp://www.homefirefightingsystems.com/wildfirehottubpackages.htmlhttp://www.homefirefightingsystems.com/commonquestions.html 2/5 of the way down for the stationary system.
A person, if skilled and knowledgeable, with professional guidance and consultation, can create an external sprinkler system that can help prevent damage. It requires a reliable source of water, an appropriate pump, and the pipe and fittings to install it. Some sources:
http://www.marioff.com/fire-protection/hi-fogr-system-components/sprinkler-headshttp://globe-sprinkler.com/http://www.rainbird.com/ag/products/impacts/65PJ.htmThere are many ways to store water, as have been discussed in basic prepper water needs. Firefighting water is a different category, even from storing water for stock animals. Fighting a wild fire requires huge amounts of water. I am not talking hundreds of gallons, I am talking in the thousands and tens of thousands of gallons. Now, the foam and gel systems do not use all that much water. But direct water on the fire firefighting does.
A swimming pool is one source for the fire fighters. This is an excellent idea, and can often reduce fire insurance rates. But a pool needs to be installed so the fire department can access it without danger to themselves or their equipment, or, it must have a properly installed suction stand pipe suitable for the local fire department pumping equipment. I am not talking about a piece of two inch PVC pipe with a fire hose adapter on it. It must be large diameter, capable of taking a hard suction, and have the appropriate fittings attached and ready to go, in a location the fire department can get too easily and quickly. If your swimming pool is behind the house, and there is either no access, or a fire truck might have to drive by your already burning house to get to it, it is not going to help much.
Of course there are the standard concrete, metal, plastic, and polymer cisterns and tanks available in the sizes necessary. They are pretty expensive. There are a couple more options, both based on the same idea of self-supporting open structures. These are the type of systems used in large commercial installations to hold run-off water for later, slower dispersal, for holding water for future use, and even specifically for fighting fires. Some sources, with explanations:
http://www.invisiblestructures.com/rainstore3.htmlhttp://www.drainagecell.com/Given some of these preparations, the only time I would think it might be worth it to stay and actually fight a fire in person is if there are stock animals that cannot be evacuated, and then only if there are two are more people, the equipment is in place and working, there is enough water, vehicles are staged for evacuation, with a reliable and safe evacuation route, and the decision has been made when to evacuate everyone and leave the animals, as hard of a decision as that is. It has to be based on some factor that is visible and hardline. When that point is reached, whether it is when the fire tops the ridge, crosses the creek, the smoke is too bad, or whatever, everyone leaves, together, and does not look back.
As part of a wild fire response plan, one of the things that will often delay people too long and they lose their life is trying to gather up irreplaceable keepsakes, such as pictures and many other items that are as varied as their owners.
While many people want to have these on display as they are a comfort to them and they are proud of them, a person might want to have no more than two or three locations where they are displayed, with only a few of them out at a time, and rotated from fire safe storage to display and back to safe storage. And having the fire safe storage is extremely important. If the majority of the items are already protected, and do not need to be worried about, a person can have appropriate totes ready to place the on-display items in to take during the evacuation, or the totes can quickly be placed in the fire safe storage unit with the other items.
There are many different fire resistant cabinets and other repositories for precious items, as well as plenty of ways to build fire resistant cabinets, safes, or whole rooms that can protect valuables to a high degree, but would not be suitable for a person to try to ride out the fire. Building a room to protect humans in a firestorm like a wild fire can be is best left to the pros, and will require a huge bank balance.
Check the internet or library for practical items and instructions on how to build asset and keepsake fire safe spaces, if preferred.
It is best to have a prepacked general evacuation bag. This can be an Enhanced BOB, with items for stays at family’s, friends’, or neighbors’ places, motels, hotels, or shelters set up for the situation. In case the house is already on fire, or you are caught outdoors, this evacuation bag can be kept outside in a quick recovery location, such as a compartment in a dog house, chicken coop, pump house, or some other type of cache you can get into easily.
In addition, if you decide to take some additional things with you, make sure you keep an appropriate container or containers, preferably wheeled, handy to pack a few things important to you. These can be totes, suitcases, duffle bags, or any other container that you can roll and carry for at least a short ways.
You should have a list of what should be gathered up and taken, in order of priority and/or based on different timeframes in which to get ready. I urge you to have a document package ready to go, if not already in the evacuation container. You do not want to be without insurance papers, banking information, identification information, etc.
As I said, leave as early as possible. You want to avoid the fire, for sure, and it is much better to avoid the smoke, as well. But that might not always be possible. Your best evacuation route, and you should have several laid out with maps and GPS tracking ready, may take you through the smoke plume.
While Smoke Escape masks or hoods were primarily created for use in high rise apartment and hotel fires, having them in a wildfire situation can be of great advantage. Not only do they allow one to breathe more easily in a smoky environment, but they protect the eyes from the smoke and other gasses. Having the Escape Masks gives an extra margin of safety when seeing about the safety of children or others dependent on the adults. These smoke escape hoods are not gas masks or SCBA systems, and should not be considered for any use other than the immediate evacuation from a smoke filled environment. That includes if you have to drive through smoke. Best for everyone to have one, but the driver, for sure, will be much better off having one.
Here is a Yahoo! Search for Smoke Escape Hoods:
https://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=AwrSbmxs4XdUNwUAesdXNyoA;_ylc=X1MDMjc2NjY3OQRfcgMyBGZyA3lteXktdC05OTkEZ3ByaWQDTTZKSXRIRE5SMi5JZFdQeXB2VGw1QQRuX3JzbHQDMARuX3N1Z2cDNgRvcmlnaW4Dc2VhcmNoLnlhaG9vLmNvbQRwb3MDMARwcXN0cgMEcHFzdHJsAwRxc3RybAMxOARxdWVyeQNzbW9rZSBlc2NhcGUgaG9vZHMEdF9zdG1wAzE0MTcxNDI4NDY-?p=smoke+escape+hoods&fr2=sb-top-search&fr=ymyy-t-999&type=2buttonBeside the Escape Mask should be a very good flashlight, the batteries tested regularly. Something like a Streamlight Survivor LED Flashlight is a professional grade smoke cutter flashlight with a clip on the back.
http://www.brightguy.com/Streamlight/Streamlight+Survivor+LED+FlashlightAgain, I want to stress, leave the firefighting to the pros, but make it as easy as humanly possible for them to not only do so, but lessen their burden by making sure your place is not one they have to worry about too much.
Just my opinion.
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