What fires teach us.

[SoCalDem]

1. we should all have a safety deposit box for our important papers.. If you must have a copy at home, make it a xerox

2. really old an irreplaceable pictures should be put on a cd and the originals also in that safety deposit box, along with a copy of that CD

3. trimming of brush & overhanging trees is a MUST

4. a big fancy house can burn to the ground in minutes

5. having more pets than you can move to safety in 15 minutes is a recipe for heartbreak

6. zoning people need their heads examined for allowing home building to continue in canyons & on steep hillsides.

7. a palm ember can travel 10 miles or more and burn your house down,even when you are not near the fire, when the firestorm winds are 70 mph.

9. save your life..not your stuff

10. firefighters are magnificent people

[Hepburn]

1. Perhaps, our SoCal fires are teaching some bigots that their gawd was not pleased...

...by what they did to some members of our community?

[druidity33]

2. i've been reading a book

that is fascinating. It's called 1491 and it's all about the Western Hemisphere before Europeans arrived in droves. Apparently fire was used EXTENSIVELY to manage their landscape. Current theory propounds that upwards of 90% of land in North and South america was a Managed landscape. Shoots to hell the theory of a "pristine wilderness" that the settlers thought they arrived at.


Of course, fire is still tragic when it accounts for loss of life and property, but it's interesting to note it had been used effectively for millenia before "we" came along.


:shrug:

[LuckyLib]

9. That might be 90% of land settled by indigenous people. Most of both continents

was uninhabited wilderness.

[druidity33]

16. not so

according to this book and much recent scientific theory and analysis. A Managed landscape has somewhat different characteristics from what you probably mean by "inhabited". It is relatively well accepted theory that between 80-90% of the land (arable and NOT arable) was managed by the native occupants for thousands of years...By controlling where grasslands lay, fruit and nut trees were planted in abundance, actually changing the composition of the soil, Genetically Engineering into existence the plant Maize, managing and thinning herd animals...etc. Just because people aren't always there does not mean they don't "inhabit" the space/place. The "pristine wilderness" that the first settlers prattled on about was achieved as a direct result of European contagion. In the 50-100 years prior to major settlements, coinciding with the first contact of Europeans, diseases spread like WILDFIRE and decimated the population... again, and again, and again. Hence the "pristine wilderness" which was really the managed herds of Buffalo breeding like crazy and the groves and groves of "naturally occurring" fruit trees... the veritable Eden of the Americas was CREATED, not found.

Much of what we (European transplants, that is) would consider uninhabitable had been habited and tended by civilizations far more advanced and numerous than Western Historians have been willing to admit. New evidence suggests that there were over 250 million people here BC (Before Columbus), whereas prior estimates had topped out at 6 million or so.

I can't recommend the book enough... 1491 - New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C Mann. An excellent read, written by a journalist but very well sourced and credited.

:)

[2Design]

3. kick

[stuntcat]

4. firefighters ARE magnificent

I lost almost everything once when I was little. Now my pictures are all safe, my cat boxes are ready.
EVERYONE needs to remember every day what can happen, to all their stuff at once!

Seeing fires on the news horrifies me.

[bertman]

5. Great advice, SoCalDem, and something that most of us rarely think about.

Regarding the zoning issues, it is usually not the fault of the folks who work in the zoning departments so much as the politicians in the local governments. There is a tremendous amount of pressure put on local politicians by developers and builders to maximize the use of property that is considered "buildable". Bureaucrats don't normally make those types of decisions. They just have to enforce the ones that are made.

[Joe the Liberal]

6. Excellent tips. n/t

[TripleKatPad]

7. Goods points all.

As an aside, my dad is a retired firefighter. He endured a broken back and numerous other injuries doing his job. Firefighters are some of the bravest people you could know.

[ColbertWatcher]

8. #11 DU needs a real Emergency Preparedness forum. n/t

[MadMaddie]

10. I agree!!

[Bobbie Jo]

11. Good Post...luv your sig line, btw.

:fistbump:

[SoCalDem]

15. Thanks.. I'm gonna have to change it soon

not good form to keep kicking that dead horse :)

[Liberty Belle]

12. More tips from a SoCal reporter who's covered many fires:

Videotape your belongings, every room, and store video in a safe deposit box. Update annually or whenever you make a major new purchase. This can be a godsend when you have to prove to the insurer what you owned.

Use offsite backup for your important computer records.

Time permitting, before you evacuate do the following:

Close all windows and doors so sparks won't blow inside and ignite drapes or furniture.

Pack your medications, photos, address book/important phone numbers, cell phones, and other important items ahead of time.

Remember to pack food, leashes, etc. for pets and if you have small children, diapers, formula and other critical supplies.

If you have a water supply such as a pool or well, post a sign on your garage door notifying firefighters. This can save your home. Also include location of any pumps or fire hoses.

You can save some belongings, such as dishware, pottery, or silver by placing them in a pool.

Never, ever delay evacuating once the order is given.

If you find yourself trapped, soak a blanket in water and cover yourself before attempting to run through flames. This saved a friend of mine who though badly burned, survived.

Another couple, finding the only exit road blocked, saved themselves by jumping in their pool and pulling bowls over their heads to breathe while the fire passed overhead.

Invest in fire-fighting foam and apply it early. Some types can be applied days or even weeks before a fire and will last until the first rain; others are useless unless applied just before the home burns--avoid the latter.

Do NOT waste water by filling bathtubs or running sprinklers. This can deplete water supplies and reduce water pressure, causing firefighters to run out of water to fight fires.

Do NOT defy evacuation orders or sneak back in after an evacuation. Every year I've had to write about people who died doing these things.

Do NOT attempt to shelter in place if you have an option to get out. You can die or become ill from smoke inhalation even if the flames never reach you.


Preplan with family members where to meet up in the event of a fire or other emergency. Have a contact person outside of your community for messages.

If fire danger is high, have one family member stay awake during nighttime hours. Reverse 911 calls DON'T WORK if your answering machine picks up! One man who stayed up all night wound up saving many neighbors in Wildcat Canyon, where 14 people died the night the Cedar fire started.

Use your judgment. If a 911 operator tells you you're in no danger, it isn't necessarily true. One man informed an ill-informed operator that he'd just seen flames leap 3 miles across a lake within seconds. He barely had time to escape with his family's lives after being told there was no danger.

[ColbertWatcher]

13. Excellent advice! Thank you for posting! n/t

[malaise]

14. Great post

Love that burned out not so straight talk express. :hi:

[Liberal_in_LA]

17. I only have 2 cats but wonder what would happen if I had to save them quickly?

Would I been diving under the bed to grab one by the ankle? Shoving them into the carrier?

[SoCalDem]

18. When I take one of them to the vet, I always leave the carrier

out for a few days before and after, so they can all crawl in and out of it..and don't associate it with "the doctor"..at least exclusively

[pitohui]

20. very important to associate carriers with "fun time" not just "vet visits"

i have birds so can't really speak to cats but i make sure that my birds are used to getting in and out of their carriers as part of a game, and also, so that they can visit family members or take road trips...fun stuff...

it really makes a difference

a friend lost his cat because she freaked out before katrina and hid and had to be left behind, the corpse was sadly discovered months later when he was allowed to return -- this cat ONLY knew the carrier as a way to get to the vet and have "unpleasant" things happen

i do not know if there is a way to have cats see the carrier as a game but you cat owners there maybe have some ideas?

with birds it's easier, you can make a game just of the bird stepping on and off a perch, much less going in and out of carriers (parrots generally associate an enclosed area with a secure cavity/roostbox) so i guess they're easily amused guys

[SoCalDem]

21. Sometimes my babies get pissed off when it's their turn to nap

in the carrier, and one won't get out:rofl:

and we saved a few heavy-duty electronics boxes for a "just in case" emergency.. They would hate it, but we could cram two or three cats into a box & poke some air holes in a hurry if we had to ..I'm afraid of what our hands & forearms would look like..but saving a life isn't always easy ..

[Coexist]

19. that is so sad. good advice, but so sad.