|
Wildfires
More and more people are making their
homes in woodland settings in or near forests, rural areas or remote
mountain sites. There, homeowners enjoy the beauty of the environment but
face the very real danger of wildfire.
Wildfires often begin unnoticed. They
spread quickly, igniting brush, trees and homes. Reduce your risk by
preparing now before wildfire strikes. Meet with your family to decide
what to do and where to go if wildfires threaten your area. Follow the
steps listed below to protect your family, home and property.
Practice Wildfire Safety
- People start most wildfires . . . find out
how you can promote and practice wildfire safety.
- Contact your local fire department, health
department or forestry office for information on fire laws. Make
sure that fire vehicles can get to your home. Clearly mark all
driveway entrances and display your name and address.
- Report hazardous conditions that could
cause a wildfire.
- Teach children about fire safety. Keep
matches out of their reach.
- Post fire emergency telephone numbers.
- Plan several escape routes away from your
home by car and by foot.
- Talk to your neighbors about wildfire
safety. Plan how the neighborhood could work together after a
wildfire. Make a list of your neighbors' skills, such as medical or
technical. Consider how you could help neighbors who have special
needs, such as elderly or disabled persons. Make plans to take care
of children who may be on their own if parents can't get home.
Protect Your Home
- Regularly clean roof and gutters.
- Inspect chimneys at least twice a year.
Clean them at least once a year. Keep the dampers in good working
order. Equip chimneys and stovepipes with a spark arrester that
meets the requirements of National Fire Protection Association Code
211. (Contact your local fire department for exact specifications.)
- Use 1/2-inch mesh screen beneath porches,
decks, floor areas and the home itself. Also, screen openings to
floors, roof and attic.
- Install a smoke detector on each level of
your home, especially near bedrooms; test monthly and change the
batteries at least once each year.
- Teach each family member how to use the
fire extinguisher (ABC type) and show them where it's kept.
- Keep a ladder that will reach the roof.
- Consider installing protective shutters or
heavy fire-resistant drapes.
- Keep handy household items that can be
used as fire tools: a rake, axe, handsaw or chainsaw, bucket and
shovel.
Before Wildfire Threatens
- Design and landscape your home with
wildfire safety in mind.
- Select materials and plants that can help
contain fire rather than fuel it.
- Use fire resistant or non-combustible
materials on the roof and exterior structure of the dwelling. Or
treat wood or combustible material used in roofs, siding, decking or
trim with UL-approved fire-retardant chemicals.
- Plant fire-resistant shrubs and trees. For
example, hardwood trees are less flammable than pine, evergreen,
eucalyptus or fir trees.
Create a 30- to 1OO-Foot Safety Zone Around Your Home.
- Within this area, you can take steps to
reduce potential exposure to flames and radiant heat. Homes built in
pine forests should have a minimum safety zone of 100 feet. If your
home sits on a steep slope, standard protective measures may not
suffice. Contact your local fire department or forestry of fice for
additional information.
- Rake leaves, dead limbs and twigs. Clear
all flammable vegetation.
- Remove leaves and rubbish from under
structures and dispose of them properly.
- Thin a 15-foot space between tree crowns,
and remove limbs within 15 feet of the ground.
- Remove dead branches that extend over the
roof.
- Prune tree branches and shrubs within 15
feet of a stovepipe or chimney outlet.
- Ask the power company to clear branches
from powerlines.
- Remove vines from the walls of the home.
- Mow grass regularly.
- Clear a 10-foot area around propane tanks
and the barbecue. Place a screen over the grill--use non-flammable
material with mesh no coarser than one-quarter inch.
- Regularly dispose of newspapers and
rubbish at an approved site. Follow local burning regulations.
- Place stove, fireplace and grill ashes in
a metal bucket, soak in water for two days, then bury the cold ashes
in mineral soil.
- Store gasoline, oily rags and other
flammable materials in approved safety cans. Place cans in a safe
location away from the base of buildings.
- Stack firewood at least 100 feet away and
uphill from your home. Clear combustible material within 20 feet.
Use only UL-approved woodburning devices.
Plan Your Water Needs
- Identify and maintain an adequate outside
water source such as a small pond, cistern, well, swimming pool or
hydrant.
- Have a garden hose that is long enough to
reach any area of the home and other structures on the property.
- Install freeze-proof exterior water
outlets on at least two sides of the home and near other structures
on the property. Install additional outlets at least 50 feet from
the home.
- Consider obtaining a portable
gasoline-powered pump in case electrical power is cut off.
When Wildfire Threatens
- If you are warned that a wildfire is
threatening your area, listen to your battery-operated radio for
reports and evacuation information. Follow the instructions of local
officials.
- Back your car into the garage or park it
in an open space facing the direction of escape. Shut doors and roll
up windows. Leave the key in the ignition. Close garage windows and
doors, but leave them unlocked. Disconnect automatic garage door
openers.
- Confine pets to one room. Make plans to
care for your pets in case you must evacuate.
- Arrange temporary housing at a friend or
relative's home outside the threatened area.
If Advised to Evacuate, Do So
Immediately
- Wear protective clothing--sturdy shoes,
cotton or woolen clothing, long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, gloves
and a handkerchief to protect your face.
- Take your Disaster Kit
- Lock your home.
- Tell someone when you left and where you
are going.
- Choose a route away from fire hazards.
Watch for changes in the speed and direction of fire and smoke.
If You're sure You Have Time, Take Steps to Protect Your Home
Inside:
- Close windows, vents, doors, venetian
blinds or non-combustible window coverings, and heavy drapes. Remove
lightweight curtains.
- Shut off gas at the meter. Turn off pilot
lights.
- Open fireplace damper. Close fireplace
screens.
- Move flammable furniture into the center
of the home away from windows and sliding-glass doors.
- Turn on a light in each room to increase
the visibility of your home in heavy smoke.
Outside:
- Seal attic and ground vents with pre-cut
plywood or commercial seals.
- Turn off propane tanks.
- Place combustible patio furniture inside.
- Connect the garden hose to outside taps.
- Set up the portable gasoline-powered pump.
- Place lawn sprinklers on the roof and near
above-ground fuel tanks. Wet the roof.
- Wet or remove shrubs within 15 feet of the
home.
- Gather fire tools.
Emergency Supplies
When wildfire threatens, you won't
have time to shop or search for supplies. Assemble a Disaster Supplies
Kit with items you may need if advised to evacuate. Store these supplies
in sturdy, easy-to-carry containers such as backpacks, dufflebags or
trash containers.
Include:
- A three-day supply of water (one gallon
per person per day) and food that won't spoil.
- One change of clothing and footwear per
person and one blanket or sleeping bag per person.
- A first aid kit that includes your
family's prescription medications.
- Emergency tools including a
battery-powered radio, flashlight, and plenty of extra batteries.
- An extra set of car keys and a credit
card, cash or traveler's checks.
- Sanitation supplies.
- Special items for infant, elderly or
disabled family members.
- An extra pair of eyeglasses.
- Keep important family documents in a
waterproof container. Assemble a smaller version of your kit to keep
in the trunk of your car.
Create a Family Disaster Plan
Wildfire and other types of
disasters--hurricane; flood; tornado; ealthquake; hazardous matenals
spill; winter storm--can strike quickly and without warning. You can cope
with disaster by preparing in advance and working together. Meet with
your family to create a disaster plan. To get started. . .
Contact your local Red Cross
chapter
- Find out about the hazards in your
community.
- Ask how you would be warned.
- Find out how to prepare for each type of
disaster.
Meet With Your Family
- Discuss the types of disasters that could
occur.
- Explain how to prepare and respond to each
type of disaster.
- Discuss where to go and what to bring if
advised to evacuate.
- Practice what you have discussed.
Plan How Your Family Will Stay in Contact if Separated by Disaster
- Pick two meeting places:
- A place a safe distance from your home in
case of a home fire.
- • A place outside your
neighborhood in case you can't return home.
- Choose an out-of-state friend as a
"check-in contact" for everyone to call.
Complete These Steps
- Post emergency telephone numbers by every
phone.
- Show responsible family members how and
when to shut off water, gas and electricity at main switches.
- Contact your local fire department to
learn about home fire hazards.
- Learn first aid and CPR. Contact your
local American Red Cross chapter for information and training.
Your Local Red Cross Chapter Can
Provide Additional Materials in English and Spanish:
- "Are You Ready for a
Fire"?" (ARC 4456)
- "Fire Safety Pictorial Brochure"
(ARC 5036) designed for people of low literacy. Contains few words,
and those are in both English and Spanish.
- "Safe Living in Your Manufactured
Home" (ARC 4465) gives fire, flood and tornado safety
information for people who live in manufactured (mobile) homes.
- "Your Family Disaster Plan" (ARC
4466)
- "Your Family Disaster Supplies
Kit" (ARC 4463)
Materials for Children:
- Fire Prevention Week Campaign Kit (ARC
5016)
Contains ideas, stories, sample news releases, camera-ready artwork
and information for use during Fire Prevention Week, and, since most
of the information in the kit is undated, throughout the year.
- "Be Ready 1-2-3" features a
children's workbook (ARC 5017), Instructor's Manual (ARC 5018),
"How-To" Guide (ARC 5019), and "completion certificate"
(C-814) that involve puppets who give important safety information
to children ages 3-8 about residential fire safety, winter storms
and earthquakes.
- "Fire Safety Activity Poster"
(ARC 5034) is an 18" x 24" poster designed for children
ages 4-8 on one side, and 8-12 on the other. Contains a maze,
puzzle, word find and coloring pages. In English and Spanish.
- "Disaster Preparedness Coloring
Book" (ARC 2200, English, or ARC 2200S, Spanish) for children
ages 3-10.
- "Adventures of the Disaster
Dudes" (ARC 5024) video and Presenter's Guide for use by an
adult with children in grades 4-6.
|
