Preparing For Wildfires

By Devon Molark


The spreading of fire from one tree to another happens in almost no time when the forest is thick. People are evacuated when this happens, but there are some steps that you can take to protect your home and family before an evacuation order:

A getaway bag will help: Keep some of your most important belongings in a bag near the front door, so that you can grab it and go if you need to evacuate quickly. If one of your family members is not home when disaster strikes, you will be able to gather up what is important for them as well. Essentials include prescription medicines and photocopies of important documents. Nice-to-haves include toiletries, electronics, etc.

Your data: Invest in an external hard drive and program your computer to do automatic back-ups so you can spend a bit more time grabbing photos and other irreplaceable items when you are forced to leave your home.

Don't forget dangers from above: Overhead power lines could be attached to your home, so keep them free of any debris or vegetation and be sure trees are not near to them. Trees fall down, not only in fires, but in wind storms as well.

Protection zone: A general rule of thumb is to clear any trees, vegetation that could catch fire, or other debris away from your home at a distance of 10 metres.

Prevention is best: People who are not careful are the cause of half of the wild fires each year. An extremely dangerous and costly forest fire can come from any spark, from a cigarette butt, a careless camper, or even a controlled burn that is done improperly.

Don't build camp fires when the weather's been dry, and never smoke in fire hazard areas. Never discard of a burning cigarette our of your car window. Dry vegetation on the side of the road can catch fire quite quickly from an still burning cigarette butt.

Cut back vegetation around your home. Be certain to choose fireproof building materials when building a home, if you can. Some ways to do this are to install tempered glass windows, a spark arrestor on the chimney, and fire resistant shingles. Your home insurance premiums can also be reduced by taking precautions like these.

A prepared evacuation plan is essential. Go over it with everyone in your household so that they are prepared. Have an emergency kit prepared as well. The kit must have a minimum of 3 days drinking water, and some foods that are non-perishable. It's essential to have a first-aid kit included, and a portable radio, flashlight, and extra batteries are important.

If you have a hot tub or pool, keep them filled with water, as well as garbage cans or other kinds of containers. Evacuate your home immediately, if ordered by a civil authority. To make your home more simple to recognize, use address numbers that are fireproof. Your home will be determined faster by firefighters this way.

And of course, call 911 if you see any sign of a wildfire.

Go over your home insurance coverage to be sure that you are fully protected. You really don't want to be without protection if a wildfire was to destroy your home, so be sure that you're fully insured against that.




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