May is Wildfire Awareness Month. The danger of wildfires lurk, and only preparation can lead to mitigation of damages and/or injuries. Don’t forget, as Smokey Bear states, only you can prevent deadly wildfires. Therefore, I am sharing the first segment of the Summer/Fall Weather Safety Series in the name of wildfire safety.

Summer/Fall Weather Series: The Danger of Wildfires

The season of wildfires season are ready to start widespread very soon throughout sections of the United States. I am wishing every one of my followers in these regions to be prepared for the wildfire season this summer. So the onslaught of wildfires to follow is completely and realistically imminent. Heat and not enough rain are the ingredients necessary to cause disaster.  I will keep you informed of any of changes as they happen, coming up, and hopefully the sooner the better. Meantime, be ready. I am sharing some helpful tips and pointers to be prepared so that your health and welfare are not adversely affected during this outbreak! The windy season is every season, so it is always best to be prepared.It is the wind that fuels the wildfire, along with dry conditions. Please see my post concerning The Danger of High Winds:

The Danger of High Winds ’24 – Spring & Summer Weather Series + Resources

So to start the series of “Summer & Fall Weather Series” the next post here is covering The Danger of Wildfires.

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🔥 BE READY FOR THE WILDFIRE NOW
Make sure that you are aware of the latest information, way before any warnings are issued. The National Weather Service has a web-page designed with safety in mind: National Program: National Weather Service Safety Tips. The center works in conjunction with federal and state wild-land managers to protect lives and property in and around America’s wild-lands. The National Weather Service’s Wildfire Weather Safety web-page will help you prepare, be aware and act early if a wildfire comes your way.

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A list of partners can be found on the National Interagency Fire Center website.

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If you, or someone you know, have been a victim of a wildfire, please share your story so we can prevent others from becoming a victim.

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When you write, please note that the National Weather Service has permission to use your story and, if possible, let us know the town and state you were in and the year the event took place. Remember to have proper insurance LONG before the season starts! Don’t start calling when warnings are already in progress elsewhere in the country. Some agents will inform you that once warnings are imminent, that coverage cannot and will not be extended or available to you. A lot of times insurance companies will not issue policies during wildfire season, and also appoint minimum lapse dates at the beginning of the insurance inception, thirty days and more. Check with your agent well before season. . .You don’t want to get caught in a situation where you are not covered!

🔥 The Current Wildfire Forecast Map:

🔥 Does the Forecast Involve an Wildfire “Watch” or “Warning”?

It is important that before a warning is imminent that you understand the differences between the status of a watch and a warning, so proper means to access the proper care are at your hands. Also, wildfire, although sometimes associated with, and having some of the same conditions in conjunction with excessive heat and drought conditions, differ in that a wildfire does not need them to become reality. The article: Understanding Wildfire Warnings, Watches and Behavior informs us:

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This is courtesy of the National Weather Service includes the demographics in any case of the differences between a wildfire warning or watch:

  • Red Flag Warning: Take Action. Be extremely careful with open flames. The National Weather Service issues a Red Flag Warning, in conjunction with land management agencies, to alert land managers to an ongoing or imminent critical fire weather pattern. The National Weather Service issues a Red Flag Warning when fire conditions are ongoing or expected to occur shortly.
  • Fire Weather Watch: Be Prepared. A Watch alerts land managers and the public that upcoming weather conditions could result in extensive wild-land fire occurrence or extreme fire behavior. A watch means critical fire weather conditions are possible but not imminent or occurring.
  • Extreme Fire Behavior: This alert implies a wildfire likely to rage of out of control. If is often hard to predict these fires because such they behave erratically, sometimes dangerously.One or more of the following criteria must be met:
    • Moving fast: High rate of spread
    • Prolific crowning and/or spotting
    • Presence of fire whirls
    • Strong convection column
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Photo by Thom Milkovic on Unsplash

🔥 Tips: Preparedness Before, During & After Wildfire Watches/Warnings are Issued:

🔥 BEFORE THE WILDFIRE WATCH OR WARNING:
Here are tips before the onslaught of any wildfire. A lot of tips and pointers on issues with dealing with a wildfire can be done before a watch or warning are issued:
🔥 WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS:
Take personal responsibility and prepare long before the threat of a wild-land fire so your home is ready in case of a fire:

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  • Create defensible space by clearing brush away from your home. Mitigation that could save your life and minimize destruction to your personal property. All wildfires need fuel to burn, typically in the form of dry vegetation, as often occurs in forests, grasslands, and cured wheat fields.  Tragically, some wildfires also kill people and destroy homes, vehicles, and other personal property.  If you live near or within a forest, grassland, or wheat field, there are some actions you can take to minimize your vulnerability to wildfires. If you are a homeowner, the first defense against wildfires is to create and maintain a defensible space around your home.  Defensible space is the area around a home or other structure where fuels and vegetation are treated, cleared or reduced to slow the spread of wildfire.  Creating wildfire-defensible zones also reduces the chance of a structure fire spreading to neighboring homes or the surrounding forest.  Defensible space also provides room for firefighters to do their jobs when fighting a wildfire.

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  • Use fire-resistant landscaping and harden your home with fire-safe construction measures.
  • Put together a basic emergency supply kit. Check emergency equipment, such as flashlights and generators.

  • Plan escape routes and make sure all those residing within the home know the plan of action.
  • Before an emergency happens, sit down with your family or close friends and decide how you will get in contact with each other, where you will go, and what you will do in an emergency. Keep a copy of this plan in your emergency supplies kit or another safe place where you can access it in the event of a disaster. Start at the Ready.Gov emergency plan webpage.

  • Review your insurance policies to ensure that you have adequate coverage for your home and personal property. Take photos and store the photos in a safe place in case of a loss.
  • Think about quitting smoking. It may not even be possible to smoke during a wildfire, and respiratory complications can be exaggerated during a wildfire.
  • Fire Weather Definitions:
    • Fire Weather Watch:
      Fire Weather Watches are issued anytime the area has been dry for substantial amount of time (or for a shorter period during spring green-up or after fall color), the National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS) is high to extreme, and critical weather conditions are expected within the next 48 hours. The critical elements are:

      • sustained winds averaging 15 mph or greater
      • relative humidity 25 percent or less
      • temperature 75°F or greater

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    • Red Flag Warning:
      Red Flag Warnings are issued anytime there is an ongoing wildfire, or critical weather conditions will occur within the next 24 hours. These conditions are:

      • sustained winds averaging 15 mph or greater
      • relative humidity 25 percent or less
      • temperature 75°F or greater
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Photo by luke flynt on Unsplash

🔥 SET—SITUATIONAL WILDFIRE AWARENESS:

  • Pack your emergency items. Have food, water and clothing. You do not know how long an evacuation will last , so have a lot of resources ready.
  • Make sure you have your important papers and possessions immobilized, because if an evacuation order is issued, you will not be allowed to stay at your home, building or business.
  • Make sure that cell phone battery is properly charged! Don’t forget the charger wherever you go.
  • Make sure that you have a plan and properly accommodate any children and be ready for transition towards evacuation. Children are not able to deal with making proper decisions for themselves, and need proper direction.
  • Check on your neighbors status, especially if you have elderly or disabled neighbors.
  • Make sure that your proper accommodations for any pets are ready for implementation. Make sure that you have consulted with your veterinarian for proper planning if special accommodations for transition are necessary–special instructions will better guarantee the welfare of each particular pet.
  • Be ready–make sure that you have backed your car up into your garage or park it outside in the direction of your evacuation route. Have all your possessions or everything you need ready, in the car, so that once evacuations are activated, all that you need to grab is yourself and your family and pets.
  • Make sure that you are ready to do the following due to the hazard:
    • No smoking
    • No fires
    • No fireworks
  • Stay informed by monitoring the storm by radio, and if power is still an option, plug in the TV, and/or internet. Stay aware of the latest wildfire news at the National Interagency Fire Center Large Fire News site or Incident Information Site (inciweb) and information on your local National Weather Service office and local government/emergency management office.

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  • Find out what type of emergencies could occur and how you should respond. Listen to NOAA Weather Radio or other radio or TV stations for the latest storm news. Have a backup plan. Failures are a possibility, so being prepared for the worst is better than being prepared for nothing. When the authorities issue information with critical information, get ready right away, and listen to direction!

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  • Follow instructions issued by local officials. Be ready! Leave immediately if ordered!
  • If you are instructed to go to shelter, make sure proper planning is adhered to.
  • Make sure you bring proper ID, you will need it to get back when the wildfire is over.
  • If NOT ordered to evacuate:
    • Do not light campfires, bonfires, candles or anything else that could blow over and start a fire.
    • If you smoke, be sure to extinguish your cigarette or cigar before disposing of it. Never through a burning item out a window.
    • Bag up trash, clippings and other easily flammable items.
    • Fill up your vehicle early in case you need to evacuate. Make sure that your automobile is fully maintained, tires are full, immobilized and ready.

Do NOT wait until it is too late. Procrastination is your worst enemy, as once critical information is broadcast, others will pay heed to it and with more persons trying to do the same thing and/or moving to cover at the same time can and will lead to a mock rush hour. It is sometimes harder to think straight during evacuation due to panic and too many people in the same area at the same time, and mistakes happen easier. Make sure that your safety is not compromised! Make sure you do not forget anything at home, because you will not be able to return to home one you leave! The authorities WILL NOT allow you to go back once you make your move for any reason, as they do not have time to deal with security issues and are trained to make sure everyone is getting out. If you wait too long and cannot evacuate, if you have an emergency, a lot of times there may be no assistance for you in an emergency. Even in this computer age, and emergency individuals are swarmed with work, and a lot of people already evacuated.

🔥 DURING THE WILDFIRE:
Follow your personal wild-land fire action plan: Ready-Set-Go.pdf. Following your plan will not only support your safety, but will allow firefighters to best maneuver resources to combat the fire. Here are some pointer while in the evacuation:

  • Grab all family members, children, pets, food, and a lot of WATER, plus your valuables that were packed before evacuation, and LEAVE! If you were told to evacuate, return home only when officials say it is safe.
  • Keep in mind that carbon-monoxide poisoning and other respiratory ailments are the number one category of injury and death among all problems during or in a wildfire. While you are on evacuation, if you feel like your health is compromised, stop what you are doing, or any activity immediately if you. . .
    • experience shortness of breath or can’t catch your breath.
    • chest pains, including a sharp pain throbbing into either hand down your arms, especially your left arm!
    • are lightheaded and/or feel as though you are passing out.
    • Unexplained coughing episodes.
    • feel nausea or sickness.
    • experience muscle cramping. It may be an early sign of another related illness.
  • Make sure that if you are wearing a face mask or covering, that you really make sure that you are ventilated properly and are getting enough oxygen to do the activity you are trying to do. There have been more and more people passing out from too little oxygen, especially if there is smoke in your area you are in.
  • Do NOT drink alcohol or do drugs! A wildfire is not a situation where a party is going to make things better. You need to think straight and do things right. You may not have time to adjust your schedule to make yourself safe, and the time invested in partying could go to saving your life and others. If you think that you have a problem with drinking and can’t stop or do without it before the presence of a wildfire, there is help: Alcohol & Drug Addiction Hotlines | 24/7 Rehab Helplines. If you wait until a wildfire, you are gambling on possible injury and death!

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  • Children are completely dependent on you being there for them during a wildfire! Make sure they in your sight at all times. once you are separated from them, given the situation, especially if there is a lot of smoke, you may not be able to find them, and precious time can tick away looking for lot family members! Treat your while family as one unit!
  • Same thing applies when it comes to your pets and animals. pets can and will act differently than in normal conditions, so you need to keep them on leashes (discuss with your veterinarian a plan, which could include use of a cage) at all time, because you really do not want to lose your pet during an evacuation of any type. Have food and water for your pets ready and available!
  • Keep in constant contact on your neighbors status, especially if you have elderly or disabled neighbors, even if you are not with them throughout an evacuation. Calling and making contact to make sure they are safe is a great idea!
  • Refrain completely from any type of fire. Sparks can be all that is necessary to start an uncontrollable blaze. Be very careful if a fire is set–for any reason, to keep it contained at all times! Carry a fire extinguisher that is rated for any type of fire.
  • Never, ever–throw a lit cigarette butt out the window of your car or let it fly into the wind! It can be a very serious offense in most wildfire states, and insurance will almost always never cover damages as such due to negligence.
  • Do not engage in the activity of lighting and/or launching fireworks during a hazardous wildfire season.
  • Continue listening to a NOAA Weather Radio or the local news for the latest updates. A battery operated and/or hand-cranked emergency NOAA weather radio is most helpful.

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  • Make sure as many persons know where you are before the emergency, so as many people can keep an account in case of emergency.
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Nuked: Middletown, California, After the Wildfires courtesy of Openverse

🔥 AFTER THE WILDFIRE:
Access any and all damages carefully and pay attention to safety.

  • Let your family and close friends know that you’re okay. Login to Facebook and share your “marked safe” status on either the app or online. Give permission for them to spread the word so you are able to focus on cleaning up the disaster.Have patience, as it takes some time in order to resolve any issue during a crisis.

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  • If you feel as though your health has been compromised in any way due to the wildfire, or your health feels in any way different, consult your primary physician right away. If it feels more urgent, or you cannot wait for an appointment, go to the emergency room–or if it is an emergency, always dial 9-1-1 for an ambulance.
  • If there are losses, call your insurance agent as soon as possible. Follow these tips after proper accessing has been done, and don’t forget to take photos first before you fix damages. keep all receipts for supplies, fixing–for insurance or to claim a loss.
  • After the summer months, you can remove any window wraps, films, foils and other building materials that are intended for the wildfire, and do not improve the home. You can remove same from your car. You can put the sunscreen away for the season.
  • Fix the decor to return everything to its normal state.
  • Once home, drive only if necessary. If you must go out, watch for fallen objects in the road, downed electrical wires, and weakened walls, bridges, roads, and sidewalks that might collapse.
  • Walk carefully around the outside of your home to check for damaged power lines, gas leaks, and structural damage.
  • Stay out of any building in which you smell gas, see smoke or flames or if the building or home was damaged by fire, or if the authorities have not declared it safe.
  • Carbon monoxide poisoning is one of the leading causes of death after storms in areas dealing with power outages. Never use a portable generator inside your home or garage. For safety information on use of generators, you can review the following: Carbon Monoxide Dangers.

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  • Use battery-powered flashlights. Do NOT use candles. Turn on your flashlight before entering a vacated building. The battery could produce a spark that could ignite leaking gas, if present.

🔥 Resources:
THE HOME & FAMILY + FINANCIAL TOOLKIT:
There are many disaster and emergency preparedness and assistance resources available for you to help you through the hard times rebuilding:

redcross-logo.png.img.png📞 1-800-RedCross (1-800-733-2767)

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🌐redcross.org/get-help/disaster-relief/contact-and-locate-loved-ones

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🌐redcross.org/get-help/disaster-relief-and-recovery/find-an-open-shelter

  • 📜 Text: American Red Cross: GETEMERGENCY” to 90999
  • 📱 Apps – American Red Cross:American Red Cross App on Google PlayAmerican Red Cross App on the App Storez
    • Blood, earthquake, emergency, first aid, flooding, hero care, hurricanes, pet first aid, tornadoes, wildfires.
  • 🐾Pet owner disaster preparation and assistance (ASPCA):

🌐 aspca.org/pet-care/general-pet-care/aspca-mobile-app

    • This can assist with personalized missing pet recovery kits, creating digital lost pet flyers that can be shared instantly on the user’s social networks,advice on what to do with your pet before, during and after a storm or natural disaster, and the ability to store a pet’s vital medical records and dietary needs, which can shave off precious time in the event of an emergency. This information can be easily stored and shared for your convenience as well.
  • 🆘DisasterAssistance.gov:

🌐disasterassistance.gov

    • Information on how you might be able to get help from the U.S. Government before, during and after a disaster. If the President makes help available to individuals in your community after a disaster, you can visit this site to apply online.
  • SAMSA Disaster Distress Helpline:

    • 🌐Website: disasterdistress.samhsa.gov
    • ☎︎ Call: 📞 1-800-985-5990 to talk live with a trained crisis counselor. Stress, anxiety, and other depression-like symptoms are common reactions after a disaster.
    • 📜Text: “TalkWithUs”  to 66746 to connect with a trained crisis counselor. Stress, anxiety, and other depression-like symptoms are common reactions after a disaster.
      • SAMSA’s Disaster Distress Helpline provides crisis counseling and support to people experiencing emotional distress related to natural or human-caused disasters and is dedicated to providing year-round immediate crisis counseling for people who are experiencing emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster. This toll-free, multilingual, and confidential crisis support service is available to all residents in the United States and its territories.
  • ⚠️ Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA):

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    • FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
  • 🪖Military OneSource:

🌐 militaryonesource.mil/emergency-contacts-for-disasters-evacuations

    • Offers various articles and resources for emergency preparedness and natural disasters.
  • 💸Money Management in Times of Disaster:

🌐 personal-finance.extension.org/money-management-in-times-of-disaster

    • Information about Money Management during times of disaster:
      • Money management in times of disaster: Preparation
      • Returning to your damaged home
      • Managing finances and making decisions after a disaster

🌐 ready.gov

    • Ready is a national public service advertising (PSA) campaign designed to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to emergencies including natural and man-made disasters. The goal of the campaign is to get the public involved and ultimately to increase the level of basic preparedness across the nation. Ready and its Spanish language version Listo ask individuals to do three key things:
      1. build an emergency supply kit
      2. make a family emergency plan
      3. be informed about the different types of emergencies that could occur and their appropriate responses.

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🌐sesamestreet.org/toolkits/emergencies

    • Kids need relief that is specially formulated for children. Simple and easy resources to help you help children and others recover from an emergency.

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    • In the event of a natural disaster, TriCare US Family Health Plan will post disaster-related information on their homepage. It’s important to know that your TriCare benefits will be maintained during any time of crisis. In the event of evacuation, please take the necessary precautions. In the case of an emergency, dial 911 or go directly to the nearest emergency room. Click on an icon below (on the TriCare website) to read alerts and emergency information in your area.
      • TriCare emergency prescription refills: At times during emergencies, TriCare may authorize early refills for prescriptions. You can receive notifications from tricare.mil/disasterinfo if early refills are authorized. TriCareofficials remind beneficiaries that early refills are only authorized for beneficiaries who specifically indicate they are impacted by the emergency event.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC twenty four seven. Saving Lives, Protecting People

When disaster strikes, this list helps assist you in getting the help and assistance that you need in order to put your life back together.

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Photo by Mike Newbry on Unsplash

🔥 Wildfire Myths and Facts:

  • Myth: You are able to continue to live life as if there is not a wildfire danger
    Fact: It is not possible to deny the fact that a wildfire could happen. If a warning is issued, you will need to literally drop what you are doing on a dime, and immediately prepare for evacuation. Be safe–just be prepared to change your schedule with little warning.
  • Myth: The weather looks okay, so I am safe.
    Fact: The spread of a new or existing wildfire can be intense, and the speed that a wildfire can move could be devastating. Be safe–be prepared for changing conditions.
  • Myth: The wind will put out the fire.
    Fact: The wind will magnify the wildfire, and the more wind the faster it moves and magnitude of spread intensifies. The wind is a wildfire’s best friend. The Chinook winds, Santa Ana winds or any other mountain inspired winds coming on the downside of a mountain range going into a valley all usher in rapidly drying and heat filled air before it even gets to a wildfire. If you have ever used bellows to get a fireplace going, this is the same theory. Be safe–never think wind will put a wildfire out. Be safe–don’t think the wind is your friend in a wildfire!
  • Myth: I can put an approaching wildfire out with my garden hose. I will hose the house down to prepare.
    Fact: An average surface fire on the forest floor might have flames reaching 1 meter in height and can reach temperatures of 1,472° F, which is way more than the boiling point of any water. The exposure to a wildfire would sear away any residue of a wet surface and still burn clear through. Also, if you do not experience a wildfire, you could do damage to your home from hosing it down, of which insurance will not cover damage from. Be safe–use your time wisely before the onslaught of a wildfire: have you, your family and your sacred belongings prepared and ready on a dime to evacuate.
  • Myth: The wildfire will last for days.
    Fact: The season lasts all season, but the average wildfire is about a week, but more start all the time. The longest wildfire was five full months, which happened in British Columbia, Canada. the wildfire started on June 1, 1950, rapidly growing out of control and ended on October 31, 1950. The average spread of a wildfire on level ground without wind is 14.27 miles per hour, and destroys everything in its path. When a direct hits, the hottest and brightest part of the fire stays on the front of the wildfire. Be safe–be ready all season long!
  • Myth: The wildfire will stay down in the valley.
    Fact: The fact is that a wildfire actually picks up speed as it burns uphill, feeding on the increasing amount of fuel produced from the natural incline, and due to the fact that heat rises and the heat will hug the hill. Be safe–never think a hill is your friend in a wildfire, because it is quite the opposite.
  • Myth: I am downhill, so I am safe from the wildfire on the other side of a hill or mountain.
    Fact: The fact that you are on an opposite side of a range or hillis not an insurance policy! While wildfires move more rapidly up a hill or mountain, the don’t go out or stop moving once they reach the top. It may increase evacuation time at most. Be safe–never think your community is immune because you are fortunate enough to have more evacuation time, and that you do not have to worry about the oncoming tragedy of a wildfire.
  • Myth: I can sit out a wildfire, because I heard they move fast–I will stay in a basement.
    Fact: You may get caught with no escape time, so adhere to the above preparation tips and pointers. Never plan on staying and not evacuating,, or throwing wildfire parties. Wildfires don’t make great guests at any party, so be safe–always listen to orders to evacuate and get out as early as humanly possible.
  • Myth: I only have one more thing to do, and they issued an evacuation order. The wildfire can wait a minute.
    Fact: Drop on a dime whatever you are doing at the time an evacuation order is issued! Sometimes seconds, not even minutes count. Be safe–get out!
  • Myth: It ‘s almost the end of the wildfire season, so it’s safer.
    Fact: The season is a time period suggestion. A wildfire is a wildfire, no matter what part of the season. Some wildfires soar through and a month later it is a mudslide. Be safe–don’t be fooled by an almost over season.
  • Myth: It’s okay to be careless.
    Fact: The fact is that most wildfires are caused by negligence, with nearly 85 percent* of wildland fires in the United States being caused by humans. Human-caused fires resulting from campfires that are left unattended, the burning of debris, equipment use and/or malfunctions, negligently discarded cigarettes, and intentional acts of arson top the list as causes of the start of wildfires.  Lightning tops the list as one of the two natural causes of fires in general, and attributes 70% of the reason for naturally occurring wildfires. Please be smart–don’t be negligent anytime, especially during wildfire season!

The Danger of Thunderstorms + Lightning Safety ’24 – Spring & Summer Weather Series + Resources

  • Myth: I am a building owner or property manager and want to save money by cutting corners on my building because improvements are so expensive
    Fact: Buildings need to be up to code, but building managers can be one step ahead. Attend seminars and stay in communication with the community to see the latest developments available to keep your building safer from the onslaught of a wildfire. Remember time is your friend, once a warning is issued.
  • Myth: I can try to outrun a wildfire.
    Fact: Wildfires can move, and very fast, especially with a little wind. Never underestimate the speed at which a wildfire can move. It could be a fatal error to try to outrun a wildfire, because it is impossible to live and be the loser. They are too hot to be close to, so remember be smart–get out early!
  • Myth: I can try to drive away from an approaching wildfire.
    Fact: Once the wildfire is too close, you may not be able to get out. Some wildfires can move above driving speeds, and to make matters worse, crowding on highways can impair evacuation. Be smart–get out early!
  • Myth: It’s winter. It can’t be a wildfire.
    Fact: A winter wildfire is a rare event, but many weather experts say as the climate changes and droughts become more common, it won’t be all that rare in the future. Be smart–don’t rely on what month or season it is to determine that a wildfire is impossible. It is possible, get out if you are directed to evacuate!
  • Myth: I am ready to pass out from the smoke. I can keep going on without a medical condition.
    Fact: If you are experiencing respiratory conditions, cease doing any more exercise than absolutely necessary. Do the best to get medical attention by calling 9-1-1 or visiting your local emergency room!
  • Myth: Global change isn’t the reason the reason those wildfires seem to be getting worse.
    Fact: The facts are in many reputable articles.  With the below table, you can see that There has been a quite apparent change in the course of wildfires. A general synopsis of the article at: What is the connection between wildfires and climate change?

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    Image courtesy of Sustainability Math (sustainabilitymath.org) (All rights reserved)

  • Myth: I will be of help to assist the firefighters.
    Fact: Firefighting is a tricky business! These professional people who follow a routine and protocol put their lives on the line to protect communities of people, and are fully trained to know how to handle these incidents. Their professional expertise is well earned, so be really smart–evacuate. . .A mistake from not knowing what to do can put your life and other lives and property at risk.

There is not much good news of a wildfire, they are way more than just a mere inconvenience in discomfort. They can be very deadly. Wildfires should be well thought of and planned for before they affect you. Wildfires are a nasty fact of life, and don’t happen every year, but when they do, it is not so fun! Don’t let the next wildfire be the beginning of lifelong problems or worse, the end of your life or your family’s! Pay proper attention and be safe! They are not going away forever, and you need to be prepared, and be safe.

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Photo by Marcus Kauffman on Unsplash

WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS & RESOURCES

🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥

🔥 MORE RESOURCES:

Versatileer WEATHER PAGE:VT_Icon_Name in Ribbon_Pallette of Tiles.pngVersatileer PREPAREDNESS/COMMONSENSE TIPS & POINTERS:

Versatileer > Weather Tips: Preparedness/Commonsense Tips & Pointers

Tropical Activity & Wildfires Report, Tropical Systems-Atlantic & Pacific + wildfire forecasts:

Tropical Activity & Wildfires Report, Tropical Systems-Atlantic & Pacific + wildfire forecasts

Hurricane Preparedness Kit, courtesy of the Ward Law Group:Hurricane Preparedness Kit, courtesy of the Ward Law Group

FIND YOUR LOCAL NOAA.com WEATHER RADIO STATION:AllHazardsNWR-sm.gif

FIND YOUR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST:w

ENERGY USAGE CALCULATOR: Interactive comparison tool courtesy of Energy Use Calculator: energyusecalculator.com
Energy Use Calculator BUTTONENERGY USAGE CALCULATOR: Interactive comparison tool courtesy of saveonenergy.comsaveonenergy_com__BUTTON.jpg

GUIDE TO ASBESTOS & DISASTER: What to know during natural disastersAsbestos-Logo-Meso-Color.svg

STAY SAFE!!!



3 thoughts on “The Danger of Wildfires ’24 – Summer & Fall Weather Series + Resources

  1. I live in a place that is prone to a lot of forest fires – it’s quite scary! Last year you could see the sky glowing red in the distance at night from fire. Im hoping the extra moisture we’ve had helps stop it this year

  2. We are particularly prone to wildfires where I live; the last few years have been scary – driving at night and seeing the sky glowing red from fire in the distance is something else! Im hoping with the extra moisture we’ve received that this year will be better

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