Wildfire Safety Precautions

Smoke Signals: Wildfire Safety Precautions for a Fiery Year

By: Aparna Rajagopal-Durbin

Rating: ****

Forest fires are one of the biggest cause of destroying our beautiful nature. There are many things we should consider to prevent from our skies darkening with forest fire and protect animals and plants.

First thing to Consider!:

It is crucial to be always careful when you're preparing your food outdoors. Though campfires are delightful and mesmerizing, it can be a great cause to a forest fire. Checking with your local land management agencies about fire restrictions is very important.

Preparation is Important!:

Before settling in outdoors, make sure you seek out your exiting paths, the more the better. Those routes will save your life. Sometimes land management agencies may put closures in effect to prevent the fire from spreading, so be aware of this fact.

Recognizing and Mitigating Possible Wildfire Risks!:

• If you see a column of smoke from a distance, move well away from the area to give the fire a wide berth (a mile or more) in case the wind shifts and the fire moves toward you.

• Fire moves faster uphill, so move downhill.

• If you see or smell smoke during the day or see a red/orange glow at night, a fire is nearby.

• If you hear crackling or see sparks, the wildfire could be less than one mile away.

Responding to Immediate Wildfire Risks!:

• If a wildfire is close by and moving your way, find a place to make a stand.
• You cannot outrun a wildfire.
• Fire moves faster uphill, so move downhill when identifying a place to make a stand.
• The greatest risk of injury or death is from superheated air that can sear your lungs.
• Find an area away from fire fuels, if possible, such as a meadow, gravel or sand bar, or swampy/wet area.
• Lie down and try to find a pocket of cool air to breathe; wrapping a wet cloth (cotton or wool) around your head can help.
• If a body of water is nearby, get into the water and sit or tread water, keeping your head near the water surface.
• Protect your feet, lungs, and eyes.
• Remove synthetic clothing if possible, which melts at lower temperatures than wool (wool is best at resisting heat and flame).
• Resist the urge to run. Heat rises and running may cause you to breathe superheated air.
• The leading edge of a fire/wall of flames will likely pass by in about 30-60 seconds.

Staying Safe Behind or Far From a Fire!:

• Try to avoid hiking through recently burned areas. If you must travel through such areas, be careful as debris can still be very hot, dead trees can fall, or fallen logs can split and emit sparks or embers.
• Report fires as soon as possible.
• You may encounter thick smoke from fires burning tens or even hundreds of miles away.
• This smoke will likely descend from the upper atmosphere rather than from the nearby ground surface.
• It may “pool” in the bottoms of valleys at night.
• There is not much you can do to escape it except wait for the wind to blow it out.
• This smoke can exacerbate respiratory conditions (asthma) due to the particulates and physical activity may increase the detrimental health effects.
• Visibility is the simplest gauge of significance. If visibility is less than three miles, everyone should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion; at three to nine miles children, the elderly and people with pre-existing respiratory conditions should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion; if visibility is 10 miles or more, restrictions in activity are not necessary.

When You Return Home:

• Be sure to thank any firefighters you see!

This has affected me greatly because now I am aware of what to do and what to watch out for during a wildfire and to prevent wildfire. It made me think about how hard it would be for the all the animals and even the people without this knowledge to get out of forest fire, and that we should be always aware of this so that we can help them out if possible. But you're safety is always first. I learned how to prevent forest fire, how to react when it happened, and how to be in safety. It will change my behaviour because without this knowledge, I'd probably wander and just say to myself, 'what should I do?' if I was in a forest fire without this knowledge but now, I can help myself and possibly others too.

Aparna Rajagopal-Durbin (2012, July 19). National Geographic. Retrieved from http://adventureblog.nationalgeographic.com/2012/07/19/nols-smoke-signals-safety-precautions-for-a-fiery-year/