Fire Safety and Prevention Tips By Web Infoguy [113 more lists]

If anyone knows home fire safety, kids fire safety, fire safety training, etc. it's the Malibu West Fire Safe & Sustainability Council, who created this list of tips and tricks to help keep LA's most fire-prone areas safe during fire season. With brush fires burning all over Los Angeles, and fire season due to last another few months across the country, this list is a must-read for anyone looking to protect their family, their home and their sanity during the hot, dry fall months to come. Every summer in the Los Angeles County brings it's new set of fire troubles, but these are timeless advice of how to keep you and your loved once safe from harm.

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1

What to do if you're stuck in a fire

From the LA County Fire Department brochure, "We have to stay…You don’t":

IF YOU BECOME TRAPPED AND CANNOT EVACUATE

TRAPPED AT HOME

* Stay inside your home; it is safer than being outside or in a vehicle.
* Close all exterior doors (including your garage door after putting your car inside).
* Stay calm and initiate contact with your out-of-state relatives or friends.
* Call 911, and inform the dispatcher that you cannot evacuate.
* Fill sinks and bathtubs with water.
* Shelter in a room opposite the approaching fire.
* Stay away from perimeter walls.
* Close all interior doors, leaving them unlocked.
* Stay as calm as you can, and keep your family together.
* Fire fronts can take from 5 to 15 minutes or longer to pass.
* As hot as it gets inside your home, it is 4 to 5 times as hot outside.

TRAPPED IN YOUR CAR

* Try to drive to an area clear of vegetation, away from wires and trees.
* If on a winding road, try to park where the road curves out, not in.
* Close all windows and keep doors unlocked.
* Turn the air conditioner on, keep in ‘re-circulation’ or ’max’ mode.
* Cover yourself with a wool or cotton blanket or jacket.
* Attempt to call 911 and inform the dispatcher of your location.
* Wait for the fire front to pass.
* Keep in mind that there will probably be smoke in your car.
* After the fire front passes, if you see flames in your vehicle, wrap yourself in clothing/blankets and exit.
* Do not attempt to outrun a wildfire.

AFTER THE FIRE PASSES

* Thoroughly check your home, yard, roof, and attic for fire or smoldering embers.
* Use a hose or fire extinguisher to extinguish any ‘hot spots’.
* Keep the doors and windows closed.
* Continue re-checking your home and yard for at least 12 hours.
* Update your out-of-state contact as to your status.

The LA County Fire Department is VERY clear – they DO NOT want you to stay behind when you’ve been ordered to evacuate. Before you choose to do so, they suggest that you ask yourself these questions:

1. Are you physically fit to fight small fires in and around your home for up to 10 hours or more?

2. Are you and your family members mentally, physically, and emotionally able to cope with the intense smoke, heat, stress, and noise of a brush fire while defending your home?

3. Do you have the necessary resources and equipment to effectively fight a fire?

4. Does your home have defensible pace of at least 200 feet, and is it cleared of flammable materials and vegetation?

5. Is your home constructed to resist fire?

"If you answered ’NO’ to any of these questions, you should plan to leave early and quickly. If you ultimately decide to stay, it is imperative that children, the elderly, disabled, and any persons with medical ailments, especially respiratory problems, comply with evacuation orders."

From the LA County Fire Department brochure, "We have to stay…You don’t"
2

We have to stay, you don't

All the emergency preparedness brochures stress that homeowners should identify two escape routes from their homes in the event of a fast-moving wildfire. Bear this in mind when you receive the order to evacuate – there will be a lot of other people trying to leave on the same road at the same time. Don’t wait until the last minute, or you might find yourself trying to escape, not evacuate.
3

Get Schooled

Do you know the emergency policies at your child's school? Most of our schools are surrounded by a large amount of defensible space (and you know they'll be a priority for firefighters!), so it's unlikely that evacuation would be necessary. But keep a copy of the school's emergency plan handy, so you'll know the school's policies in an emergency and where its evacuation centers are, just in case.
4

Neighborhood Niceties

Do you have neighbors who are elderly or disabled, who might want to take steps to make their homes more fire safe but are physically unable to do so? Be a Good Samaritan and help them out. Teenagers can receive community service hours for volunteering to help their neighbors clear brush, install fireproof screening, move woodpiles, and so on. Remember, in a dense neighborhood, if your neighbor's home catches fire, it increases the chances that yours will burn, too.
5

Insurance

If you've still got power, leave all the lights in your house on as you evacuate so firefighters will be able to see it better through heavy smoke.

Some MW residents have had their fire insurance canceled in recent years - even though they've never made any fire-related claims - because of our neighborhood's proximity to wildlands. What are your options if you get a nonrenewal notice from your insurance company? Here's a link to an article in today's LA Times on the subject:

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-cover26-2008oct26,0,3421531.story
6

Close Doors

Close all the doors in your house as you evacuate – both interior and exterior – to slow the spread of fire. But leave the exterior doors unlocked so firefighters can take shelter from the fire inside the house if necessary.
7

Outdoor/Indoor

Before you evacuate, bring any flammable patio furniture inside, and close all of your windows and doors. Take down flammable, lightweight drapes and window coverings, and move furnishings away from windows and sliding glass doors to keep them from igniting in the intense heat of the fire. If you have heavy drapes, shutters, or metal blinds on your windows, pull them shut before you leave.
8

Foil the Fire

If a fire's approaching, a roll or two of aluminum foil could be your best friend. Taped against the inside of your windows, it's a heat-reflective covering (especially for single-glazed windows, which are less resistant to heat than double-glazed models). Crumpled up. it's stopgap weatherstripping to keep embers from flying through the gaps in your leaky windows and doors and into the house. It can be used as a temporary seal on the bottom and sides of your garage door to keep the embers out, and if you have time to crawl in the attic, it'll do the same for your vents. A good thing to have on hand during fire season.
9

Leave a Helping Hand

Before you evacuate, place a ladder against your house on the side opposite the approaching fire so firefighters can easily get to your roof. Leave a hose up there, too.
10

Water Your Garden

If you have time before you evacuate, water down your roof and any shrubs within 15 feet of your home. You can place lawn sprinklers on the roof to make this easier. (If you have a portable gas-powered pump for your pool, you can use that, too.) Fill trash cans and buckets with water, and place them around the exterior of your home to douse any embers that blow your way as the fire approaches. (Spot fires from embers have been reported miles away from the main firefront - it's one of the reasons that wind-driven fires can spread so quickly.)
11

On The Grill

If you have a portable propane–fired barbecue grill, make sure to move the propane tank well away from your house to an area clear of brush or flammable debris before you evacuate. The tank could release pressure and turn into a torch, or even explode, when subjected to the heat of a wildfire. Gas cans,barbecue lighter fluid, and gas-powered tools (like lawn mowers or tillers, for example) should also be moved away from any structures.
12

Use Your Pool

A tip for pool or spa owners – if you have to evacuate and you've got something you want to save that won't be damaged by water or pool chemicals (china or crystal, for example), just put it in the pool. One less thing to load in the car! (Thanks to Barbara Wanbaugh for this one.)
13

Pet Smart

Don't forget your pets! The smell of smoke might make animals fearful and harder than usual to handle. As soon as you hear of an approaching fire, confine your animals to one room of the house so they can't hide in fear and so you can grab them quickly if you have to evacuate. Make sure you have appropriate carriers for all your pets in an easily accessible place – you've got better things to do than rummage through the garage looking for the cat carrier when a fire's approaching.
14

Disconnect

Disconnect your automatic garage door opener as soon as you hear about an approaching fire: that way, even if the power goes out, you'll still be able to get your cars out of the garage if you have to evacuate. Face the cars heading out, with windows closed and keys in the ignition, in case you have to make a quick exit.
15

Take Stock

When a wildfire is approaching, you may find yourself frightened, frazzled, and not thinking clearly as you pack your car to evacuate. Take a few minutes in the next day or so to make a list of the things that are most meaningful to you, things you'd really regret losing in a fire. Obviously, you'll want to take money, spare glasses or contacts, medications, a change of clothes, important papers, and your computer's hard drive with you when you evacuate - but will you ever forgive yourself if you forget the hand-knitted Christmas stockings Grandma made for her grandchildren? (I know I wouldn't!) Ask other family members what's most important to them – their answers might surprise you! – and add those items to the list. Keep the list with your other important papers so you can refer to it as you get ready to leave.

Some great responses to yesterday's Fire Safety Tip - thanks to Pat Cairns, Patt Healy, and Wendy Davis for sharing your real life experiences:

"Here is a thought that a few of us have done. We have gone through the house room by room and listed the vital things that need to be taken from each room. The list is on the refrigerator door. When and if a fire comes, we take the list, (don't have to think), go to each room and take the things on the list. If we have time, we will take more things. The idea is if you have it written down, you don't have to think...you just do." Pat Cairns

"Another tip like this is to keep all valuable papers in one dresser drawer so when you pack up all you have to do is pull out the drawer and put it in the car. it would shorten the list." Patt Healy

"As an addition, I would add the location of those items. Some might be obvious but having lost a home in '93 and knowing what it's like being in the moment, I thought I had gotten all my photographs but forgot one cabinet. It ended up being one of the more important places I didn't think to look. So add the location of where those items are. It saves time from having to stop and think, 'Now where did I put that box of ____'." Wendy Davis
16

Under Arrestor

Double check to see if your chimney has a spark arrestor. This not only keeps embers from flying out when you're sitting by that cozy fire in your fireplace, but it also keeps embers from flying into the house and igniting it during a wind-driven wildfire.
17

Keep Records

From the KNX 1070 website this morning:

"An estimated 1,200 people were evacuated due to the Marek Fire..... 'We could have had an army there and it would not have stopped it,' Battalion Chief Mario Rueda said. "

Sadly, even though you've done everything you can to make your home fire safe, the Fire Department may not be able to prevent your house from burning in a wind-whipped wildfire. Take a few minutes this week to videotape or photograph your home's contents, and keep the photos or tape in a safe place outside your home as a record for your insurance company - just in case.
18

You've Got Voicemail

Here's a great tip from new MW resident Christopher Covert:

"One thing I'd like to add to your tip today is something I learned on 9/11 back in NY. As soon as trouble started, I called my cell phone VM box and changed my out going message that alerted friends and family that I was okay, my location, and a landline number to reach me on. This proved invaluable as the lines jammed up because people calling me went direct to my VM and heard my message. While often all circuits were busy, it did help. Just another thing we can do that help with communication."
19

Talk to your kids

Are your kids sometimes home alone in the afternoons? Even older teenagers can be spooked by an oncoming wildfire (heck, so can adults!) Talk to your kids – calmly, in advance - about what to do and where to go if an evacuation is ordered or fire danger is imminent when you're not around. You might also want to talk to your neighbors and arrange a quid pro quo – you look after my kids if I'm not home, and I'll look after yours. And make sure you have a designated meeting spot that everyone in the family knows about, and a phone number for an out-of-area relative or friend to act as a "check-in" contact.
20

Firewood

With all the trees you've been trimming to clear your defensible space, you've probably got a large pile of firewood for the winter. Make sure it's stored well away from the house – at least 30 feet away, if possible.
21

Emergency Supplies

Good stuff to have on hand for ANY emergency:

A hand-crank, battery-operated, or solar-powered radio.

Several WORKING flashlights with extra batteries. (Here's a shameless plug for a particularly nifty solar-powered rechargeable flashlight with an altruistic twist: http://www.bogolight.com/ )

An extra (fully-charged) battery for your cell phone.

At least one fire extinguisher.
22

Phone Home

As we've all learned over the years when fires rage in Malibu, the power often fails. These days, many of us have hand held telephones or phones that are connected to a fax machine or answering machine, and if the power's not working, neither are those phones. Since cell phone service in Malibu West is spotty at best, you might want to consider buying at least one old-fashioned, plug-it-in-the-wall type of phone (they're available for around $6 at Target) so that you'll be able to call for help, get those reverse-911 calls, and keep in touch with family members in the event of an emergency.
23

Clear your gutters

It's been awhile since the last rain, so check to make sure that your gutters are clear of leaves and debris. While the metal gutters themselves may not burn, any debris in them sure will - and they're right next to your roof.
24

Gas Shut-Off

Keep a utility wrench near your gas meter, and make sure everyone in the house knows how to shut off the gas. (This is important for earthquakes, too.)
25

Hoses

Make sure you have a working hose attached to every faucet outside your home. If there's a fire, you don't want to waste precious time looking for a hose and hooking it up.
26

Roadblocks

Always keep your driver's license with you, and make sure your kids and family members have some sort of proof of residence on them at all times as well. That information may come in handy if roads to and from your neighborhood get blocked off due to fire.
27

Leaky Windows & Doors

Take a look at your garage door when it's closed – can you see daylight coming through the sides, or from underneath? If so, you might want to weatherstrip the door, so tiny embers won't fly into the garage and set it on fire from the inside. (And if your garage looks anything like ours, there's a lot in there that can catch fire!) Do the same thing with any leaky windows and doors.
28

Embers

From the LA County Fire Department brochure, "Living In The Fire Zone":

"'Ember showers' often precede an approaching fire front. These flying embers can enter small openings in your home and start a fire. A recent study concluded that flying embers cause more damage to homes than direct contact with wildfire."

Embers can fly through your home's vents into the attic, smolder unseen for hours, and ignite the structure long after the firestorm has passed. The best way to guard against this is to replace your attic vents with newer, more fireproof models, or you can rescreen your existing vents with 1/8" hardware cloth, not the 1/4" screen that's found on many MW houses. This should keep flying embers out of the attic. Do the same thing with any foundation vents – and don't forget the water-heater vent!
29

Reverse 911

Have you signed up for a Reverse 911 system yet? In the event of an emergency, you'll get an automated call from the city with the latest information about the nature and location of the emergency on any phone you designate. It's a terrific early-warning system, and it's free. Google "Reverse 911" for your area to find more info -- most places have it, and it takes about 2 seconds to sign up.
30

For more information...

County of Los Angeles Emergency Survival Program:

http://lacoa.org/esp.htm

LA County Fire Department:

http://www.fire.lacounty.gov/SafetyPreparedness/SafetyPrepFirestorms.asp