Your Survival Blog
Friday, April 23, 2010
Only YOU can prevent forest fires!
Last fall, as smoke from the massive Station Fire in southern California loomed over the HOLLYWOOD sign and the fire inched closer to downtown Los Angeles, authorities announced that the fire had clearly been caused by a human being. A “substance” (never publicly identified) was recovered from its origin point and the fire reclassified as arson — and homicide, because two firefighters died in the blaze.
Charred animal cages were also found in one burnt-out area. Inside were the remains of three small dogs.
It’s truly sad that firefighters died, and knowing that dogs were burnt alive due to somebody’s malice made many readers and TV viewers cringe. But in the calculus of awfulness, it’s hard to tell whether these deaths are worse than the loss of many who have died because of careless smokers or campers.
Depending on your source, you may read that anywhere from 50 to 90% of all wildfires are caused by human activity, not lightning or other natural causes. (In the US in 2007, fewer than 15% of wildfires were caused by lightning.) About three-quarters of those human causes, apparently, are simple carelessness — sparks from lawnmowers or power tools, stray cigarette butts, campfires which are insufficiently doused, fallen power lines, even someone idling a car in a tinder-dry forest. (That leaves a quarter which are deliberately set.)
Sometimes authorities press civil or criminal charges even in non-deliberate cases: negligence, arson, homicide. When culprits could be identified, the US Forest Service and other agencies have attempted to recover the multimillion-dollar costs of battling their fires.
It’s understandable, of course, that many fires traceable to humans happen through sheer lack of knowledge. Who’d ever guess that sitting in a car with a hot engine would ignite the vegetation around you? Or that using power tools outdoors would send everything up in smoke?
There’s more preventable carelessness, though. Many smokers dispose of butts without a thought, believing their cigarettes are entirely out when they aren’t. Then there’s campers and bonfire-builders, who despite years of exposure to Smokey Bear (the mascot of the US Forest Service, who’s appeared in innumerable public-service announcements for three generations), haven’t internalized basic rules about controlling fire:
- Pick your site carefully — well away from flammable objects — and never build a fire in hazardous (very dry or windy) conditions.
- Build a protective pit (if you’re not using an existing fire ring) and clear space around it.
- If you use a match to start a fire, extinguish it in a cup of water, or drop it in the campfire.
- Keep the fire small and manageable; never leave it unattended.
- Have a shovel and a supply of water nearby. Drown all your embers, whether they’re red or not! Stir the ashes with the shovel and make sure everything is damp and cold. If no water is available, use dirt, and mix well — don’t try to bury the fire. ("If it’s too hot to touch, it’s too hot to leave!")
What else can you do to prevent fires?
- If someone you love lives in a fire-prone area and smokes, consider talking to them about it — especially if you’ve ever seen them toss a cigarette butt out a car window, or grind it under their heel outdoors! Smoking outdoors requires a three-foot clearing; cigarettes should never be extinguished or disposed of outdoors except in nonflammable sand or dirt. (Smoking does not mix with riding or walking, because ashes can’t be kept in one place. Or with driving, if drivers can’t keep the ashes inside their cars.) If you think it will help, buy or make your loved one some ashtrays, including the outdoor and portable kinds (if you have a kindergartener who brings home clay ashtrays from art class, this could be a good way to regift ‘em). Emphasize that you care about your friend’s or relative’s safety.
- Keep flammable objects away from fuel-based or electrical items, and well away from (as well as downwind from!) dry vegetation.
- Many modern power tools have “spark arrestors”, which trap or destroy carbon particles before they can escape the exhaust system. Get your equipment checked, and don’t use it — or be exceedingly careful — on hot, dry days.
- Always be prepared to hose down your surroundings on a high-fire-hazard day.
- And don’t (thank you, Captain Obvious) build campfires or bonfires in a fire-hazard zone.
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