Before

• Perhaps the best thing you can do is not play with matches or lighters. If you don’t know how to handle this equipment, it is best to leave them alone. 95% of fires begun by kids are done with matches.
• When cooking, try to be careful. Wear short sleeve or keep long sleeves out of the way.
• Around the house, make sure that outlets don’t have “octopus” plugs in it. You should get approved strip outlets that are safer. Don’t ever run an extension cord under a rug, because the cord can fray and spark.
• After woodworking, clean up carefully because wood shavings and sawdust are the perfect fuel for fires. A spark from machinery like a power saw or motor can start a fire very easily.
• Throw out old paint that could be lying around the garage because it’s extremely flammable. If you want to save it, try storing it in airtight metal containers.
• Electric or kerosene heaters are potentially dangerous. Keep them about three feet away from people, curtains, and furniture. Always remember to turn them off when not being used, and try not to knock them over.
• If you have a fireplace, try to get it cleaned by a professional every year. Certain soft woods like pine and evergreens can leave highly flammable creosote deposits inside the smoke shaft.
• If you are building a new house in a heavily forested area, contact your local forestry department on what type of recommended materials to use.
• Try to use fire-resistant materials to build, including specially treated wood types, stone, aluminum, and brick.
• Plant shrubs and plants wide apart so a wildfire will not have a path of fuel.
• Try to install a noncombustible roof, made of asphalt rag-roll, tile, slate, cement shingle, sheet metal, or aluminum instead of wood.
• Cut tree branches that are close to your home or garage.
• Large trees should be planted at least ten feet away from the outside of your house.
• Try to plant low-growing plants.
• Water and weed your land well so it can serve as a protective fireline.
• Keep flammable substances and items away if possible.
• Make sure tree branches are not close to power lines. Call the utility company if they are.
• Create a 30-foot space around your home, without any flammable vegetation, that can serve as a fire break.
• If you live on a hill or in a forested area, maintain a fire break of 100 feet or more.
• Keep your yard clear of debris.
• Remove leaves and needles from gutters and your roof.
• Adhere to burning restrictions and safety requirements if you need to burn debris.
• Keep firewood stacks away from the house and downhill from your property, because fires often travel uphill.
• Store a good water supply to fight any possible conflagrations.
• Fill and check large water tanks, pipes, fire hydrants, or wells with high volume pumps.
• Know where swimming pools, ponds, or storage tanks are, so that you can use them if necessary.
• Have a backup power system for well pumps in case of electrical failure.
• Have water hoses that are long enough to reach around the outside of your house.
• Keep a hose with a nozzle connected to an outside outlet.
• Keep some fire fighting tools on hand, for example an axe, a rake, a chainsaw, a long-handled, round-point shovel, and buckets.
• Have a roof-high ladder available.
• Keep open two way roads so that firetrucks and emergency trucks can get through.
• If possible, build roads that angle at less than ten feet up per 100 feet long, so that firetrucks are able to reach your property easier.
• Keep roads clear of brush 60 feet on either side to prevent hazards.
• Be sure your possessions are documented and files safely kept.
• Arrange community meetings to discuss safety procedures in the event of a wildfire.
• Learn CPR, first aid, and fire safety tips.
• Have a family plan of action on where to evacuate, what items to take, where to meet, and how to take care of pets.
• Have two escape plans, one by foot and one by car.
• Have food, water, and emergency supplies stored in a safe, accessible place.
• Post the fire station’s number by the phone.
• Install smoke detectors in your house. It is safest to put one near each sleeping area, on every story, and in your garage or workshop. CO alarms are also suggested because they can detect carbon monoxide, which is potentially deadly.
• Test your smoke alarms twice a year.
• Stock up on extra smoke alarm batteries.
• Place fire extinguishers in the kitchen and hallways, making sure to test them occasionally.
• Do fire drills and trace out evacuation routes to practice escape.
• Take a map of the house and find two ways to get out of every room.
• Obtain chain or rope ladders for evacuation from upper story windows.

During

• Shut off the gas to avoid danger of explosions.
• Wear heavy shoes and clothing.
• Grab your supplies and evacuate.
• Listen to updates on your radio or TV. Listen especially for evacuation notices.
• If in a car, tie a bright cloth to the radio antenna and wait for rescuers.
• If your clothes catch on fire, stop, drop, and roll.

After

• Check for injuries and help the wounded if necessary.
• Listen for reports on shelter locations, animal holding areas, and Red Cross Disaster Stations.
• Do not go home unless officials say that conditions are safe and roads clear.
• Drive cautiously.
• Avoid areas damaged or burning by wildfire.
• If you need medical treatment, try to get to a Red Cross Disaster Station.
• Check for damage and instability to your house.
• If it seems unsafe, do not go inside a building.
• Check and repair animal enclosures.

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Forces of Nature: ThinkQuest 2000 (Team #C003603)

http://library.thinkquest.org/C003603/english/forestfires/preparation.shtml ed and files safely kept.