Brush And Wildfires
What are the most common causes of brush and wildfires?
In Southern California, or in areas where there's a lot of brush and open areas where you don't have a lot of rain, then what happens over time is that these things get heated, and they get dried out by the sun and the environment. Where there are humidity issues, these things become like bombs, in a sense. More often than not, these fires are started by people throwing a cigarette out of the window. There is some source of ignition, and this is one of the biggest causes for brush or wildland fires. Camp fires have also become somewhat common, although it's caused by human error. That is essentially what it comes down to - it's just human error.
When do brush and wildfires most often occur?
The most common times of the year for your brush fire, wild land fires are in September running through November, sometimes December. Other things that they look at is topography. What is the layout of the area? What side of a hillside is exposed to the sun for most of the day? Our southwest facing hillsides are usually the ones where we tend to see a higher potential for larger fires, because of the sun exposure over time. Also, you have to take into consideration the moisture content of whatever the material is. The different types of bushes and plants, and those types of things. Low humidity, high heat, winds are all factors that we look at in terms of preplanning and preparing for the potential of a relatively large fire.
What is a 'controlled burn'?
A controlled burn is best described as a specific fire agency that has looked at topography and the geographics of a particular area. They are looking at the different types of brush, and what the burn factor is. If it's close to structures or potentially close to structures, where if a wildfire or a brushfire started, what they will do is they'll go out and light fires - little spot fires - so that they can, under controlled conditions, burn that material off. essentially, it does two things: not only does it get rid of that brush in the immediate area, but it also creates a fire break, because then you are going to have a bare area - the fire can't go anywhere if it's not going to have anything to burn. Not only will you see that with controlled burns, but you'll also see it with bulldozers and tractors that will construct fire breaks.
How fast can a brush or wildfire spread?
They spread pretty fast. The spread of the fire depends upon what there is to burn, and the other environmental conditions: the humidity, the heat, the wind conditions. All of these things will factor into that.
When should I evacuate during a brush or wildfire?
There is voluntary evacuation, or there is mandatory evacuation. Mandatory is not leaving you an option, that is: get your stuff together right now, put it in the car (and that means usually your important papers, your insurance papers, your deeds to your home, often people will grab a photo album, your pets), and out you go. There is not a lot of time frame when you are asked to mandatorally evacuate. Again, you might be told to shelter in place, and to stay where you are.
How can I protect my home during a brush or wildfire?
Steps that you can take to prevent or mitigate potential problems or property loss as far as fire, would be making sure that you have a cleared space around your home. We would suggest a hundred feet, but if you live in an area where there's a very high severity of fire, in the mountain districts and so on, you need to have at least a two hundred foot clearance from your structure. When you're looking at trees and shrubs and all of those things, often people will store things outside of their home, next to the home. These are the kinds of things that you want to pay attention to and get rid of. The more space you have, the more clearance you have, and the better the chances that your structure will survive a fire should it come by that particular area.
What should I do if there is an approaching brush or wildfire?
Don't assume that just because you see this big wall of flame coming at you, that those who need to know, know. Pick up the phone and call 911. Just make sure that resources are on the way, or have already been dedicated to that particular incident. Secondly, start gathering your things - those things that are necessary to have with you. Again, insurance papers, the deed to the home, your pets, making sure that you have some essentials to take with you, because if that fire does run through, you're not really sure how long it will be before you are able to get back into the house. Have a plan in place, so that you know this is what I'm going to do if there is a fire, and what I will do if there's an earthquake. It won't take you as long, and it will certainly relieve the anxiety that goes into all of this uncertainty of what to do. The better we plan, and the better we are prepared, the better the outcome is going to be.
What should I do with my pets in the event of a brush or wildfire?
Pets have got to come with you. Again, if you're prepared and you've done the steps that you should have done in order for you to get your pets together and take them with you, this is going to be the win-win situation.
What do I do if I am trapped in a brush or wildfire?
If you happen to find yourself trapped in a fire - whether it's a brushfire, a widlfire, a fire in the home where you can't get out of that particular room, and you want to relocate, you really want to close the doors. Of course, this would refer to a structure, but close the doors between you and the fire. What we call that is compartmentalizing the fire. Hopefully, you'll keep to a specific area. Doors are fire rated - they could burn for half an hour, or three-quarters of an hour, so what it's doing is buying you time. In a brush fire or a wildland fire, it's tough. If you're in a structure, you're better off in the structure than running outside. If you were in an area where there are tornadoes or hurricanes, you might be in a bathtub where you have material around that isn't going to catch on fire. Again, you're trying to provide some sort of safety net. It's very difficult to think about a brushfire or a wildland fire. I would pose the question to you: Why did you find yourself in that situation? It would be pretty freaky if you wouldn't have time to get out.
