Fire Protection and Evacuation Plans, Ideas, Brainstorming

[Tooms22]

Everyone seems to be sprinkling in their opinion, plans, etc. on how to protect their home or how/when to evacuate in all the other threads. Let's consolidate here and we can all probably learn a little from each other.

I made it through the blocked streets for the Freeway Complex Fire in Yorba Linda back in 2008. It was my dad, our neighbor with a water truck, and me. Everyone else evacuated. A lot of them regretted it. I learned a lot during that fire. I'm a non-evacuation person now.

There's been a few where I live off Green River now. We're far enough away... or so I thought until the Eaton and Palisades fires tore into blocks and blocks of neighborhoods.

I have a generator and I'm going to buy a chainsaw. I'll probably buy a crazy mask so I can hang out if it gets bad. If I had a pool, I'd buy a pump and hoses.

Palm trees suck. No wood patio covers, get alumawood.

Don't have your vehicle sitting low on fuel all the time.

When you evacuate, assume everything will be gone when you get back... because it's a possibility. So grab as much of your important shit as you can.

My biggest question is how do you deal with the vents on your house? Can you cover them temporarily if fire starts?

Please chime in with your plans, opinions, etc. because I'm pretty sure none of use have the perfect solution.

 

[yz450mm]

I'll add to this later, but remember these three words: convection, conduction, radiation.

Convection is the transfer of heat via the movement of air. In a wind-driven wildland fire, instead of the heat and products of combustion going up, they are going sideways and preheating the fuel ahead of the fire (including your house).

Conduction would be the wooden shed right next to your house catching on fire, then having direct flame impengement on your house eves, which gets your attic going.

Radiation is your neighbor's house becoming fully involved, which radiates heat sideways and starts yours next.

To be continued...

 

[stephenkatsea]

POS Biden said they didn’t run out of water. There was plenty water. But, when the power company shut off the power, the electric pumps which pump the water couldn’t function. That’s probably total BS. But, if there was even a sliver of truth to it . . . . WTF? Emergency generators ?
Recent report indicate there was over 1M gals of water at a site above Pacific Palisades. But, work was being done on the cover. So, it was off line.

 

[HBCraig]

Well, i have palm trees and a wood gazebo
But, I do have a metal/aluminum roof

 

[Bobby V]

I'll add to this later, but remember these three words: convection, conduction, radiation.

Convection is the transfer of heat via the movement of air. In a wind-driven wildland fire, instead of the heat and products of combustion going up, they are going sideways and preheating the fuel ahead of the fire (including your house).

Conduction would be the wooden shed right next to your house catching on fire, then having direct flame impengement on your house eves, which gets your attic going.

Radiation is your neighbor's house becoming fully involved, which radiates heat sideways and starts yours next.

To be continued...

Yep. My my neighbors house burned down in 2008. The fire skipped over 3 homes and the embers found his unfinished patio cover and then went into the eves. The FD came for a little while and then left. The neighbors got together with garden hose and sprayed the eves on the house next door and saved it.

 

[X Hoser]

Everyone seems to be sprinkling in their opinion, plans, etc. on how to protect their home or how/when to evacuate in all the other threads. Let's consolidate here and we can all probably learn a little from each other.

I made it through the blocked streets for the Freeway Complex Fire in Yorba Linda back in 2008. It was my dad, our neighbor with a water truck, and me. Everyone else evacuated. A lot of them regretted it. I learned a lot during that fire. I'm a non-evacuation person now.

There's been a few where I live off Green River now. We're far enough away... or so I thought until the Eaton and Palisades fires tore into blocks and blocks of neighborhoods.

I have a generator and I'm going to buy a chainsaw. I'll probably buy a crazy mask so I can hang out if it gets bad. If I had a pool, I'd buy a pump and hoses.

Palm trees suck. No wood patio covers, get alumawood.

Don't have your vehicle sitting low on fuel all the time.

When you evacuate, assume everything will be gone when you get back... because it's a possibility. So grab as much of your important shit as you can.

My biggest question is how do you deal with the vents on your house? Can you cover them temporarily if fire starts?

Please chime in with your plans, opinions, etc. because I'm pretty sure none of use have the perfect solution.

A friend of mine is a partner in a business, T&T Home Solutions. They sell attic vents that when subjected to fire, “swell up” and form a barrier for fire and ember defense for the attic and crawl spaces. I have nothing to do with this comapny and only know what I have read about it. He is a stand-up guy though! Based out of San Clemente I believe, although he currently lives in Idaho.

As far a evacuating, or not, should be your individual decision. Being prepared in advance will be the key to any possibility of saving your house.

Fire resistive roof
Providing Defensible Space by clearing brush
Not stacking firewood against the house
Have a water source available. The municipal system may be overwhelmed so consider an onsite source such as a pool or storage tank? If a storage tank, make sure it has the correct fittings so the FD can connect to it.
Remove all patio furniture away for the house
Open all window coverings except metal blinds. Most are flammable and will ignite from the radiant heat.
I would leave my door unlocked if I evacuated. The Firefighters may have a better chance of protecting your home if they have interior access. The looters, if any, will break in the door to gain access if locked. Then you’ll have a busted door to fix. If it burns down it doesn’t matter anyway. (Again, this is what I would do).
Have you vehicles full of fuel and backed into your driveway, ready to get out if you have too.
Have a “To Go” bag, suitcase, or whatever ready to go ,either in the car, or by the front door. Have cash, clothes, medicines, phone chargers, important papers or any other necessities in it. (That could be a whole separate Thread, What to have in a “To Go” Bag?)

As sad and devastating as it is to lose your property to a fire, “Things” are replaceable. Life is not. Suffering from extensive burns is terrible! Make good decisions, please!

This is just a quick list. Being Proactive will be much better than being reactive at the time the shit hits the fan!

 

[Jimmy]

Straight off google, but are no brainers.

Prepare your property:

1. Clear gutters of leaves and debris.


2. Remove flammable items from around your home.


3. Trim overhanging branches and cut long grass.


4. Ensure hoses are long enough to reach around your home.


5. Have a bushfire survival plan ready, including evacuation routes.



Prepare an emergency kit:

Battery-operated radio

First aid kit

Drinking water

Non-perishable food

Torch and spare batteries

Protective clothing (long-sleeved shirt, pants, sturdy boots, gloves)

Important documents and medication


During a Bushfire

If you are evacuating:

1. Leave early before roads are closed or visibility is reduced.


2. Follow the advice of emergency services.


3. Take your emergency kit and pets.


4. Drive to a safe location, such as a designated evacuation center or a well-cleared area.



If you are staying to defend your property:

1. Wear protective clothing to shield against heat and embers.


2. Stay indoors until the fire front has passed.


3. Keep a close eye on conditions and listen to emergency broadcasts.


4. Patrol your property for spot fires and extinguish embers.



Shelter in a safe place:

Choose a room with few windows, preferably at ground level.

Stay hydrated and keep calm.

Close all doors and windows, and block gaps to prevent smoke from entering.


After a Bushfire

1. Wait for the all-clear from emergency services before returning.


2. Check your home for damage and potential hazards.


3. Be cautious of falling trees, downed power lines, and embers that may reignite fires.


4. Avoid using water tanks contaminated by ash.

 

[BHC Vic]

I’m in an area called the bluffs. I think getting out would be tough once houses started going. Kind of trapped

 

[Mandelon]

I have a pool, a couple pumps and a couple generators. But I'm not really in a high risk area. But watching these scenes if it is a windy Santa Ana type event, everyone is in a high risk area. Crazy!

 

[paradise]

I would probably be in the no evac camp. In 2003 if my parents neighbors had not stayed their house would have been gone.

We've got pool water, an additional 10k gallons of water storage, a trash pump and fire hoses. That's only if the hydrant at the end of the driveway stops working too. That coupled with stucco, tile roof and good defensible space and I would take my chances. Probably send the family away though.

Definitely a good idea to have a solid respirator available and some non flammable clothes.

 

[HTTP404]

I had to get out the generator yesterday. It has 4 120v GFCI receptacles that I used to plug in my fridges. It kept blowing the GFCI on those when the fridges started up. It wouldn't support one fridge at a time. Why would that happen? I was basically screwed because I did not have one of those twist lok adapters to be able to use the non GFI receptacle.

Also it seemed like the engine was running high RPM for the load. Don't they cycle the RPMs according to the load?
One more question. On the display it was showing 240 volts. Is there a switch to go between 120 and 240?

Here is the unit I have.

https://www.championpowerequipment.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/100297-om-english.pdf

 

[Tooms22]

I had to get out the generator yesterday. It has 4 120v GFCI receptacles that I used to plug in my fridges. It kept blowing the GFCI on those when the fridges started up. Why would that happen? I was basically screwed because I did not have one of those twist lok adapters.

Also it seemed like the engine was running high RPM for the load. Don't they cycle the RPMs according to the load?
One more question. On the display it was showing 240 volts. Is there a switch to go between 120 and 240?

Here is the unit I have.

https://www.championpowerequipment.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/100297-om-english.pdf

Started mine up yesterday too.

It was running rough and it is definitely leaking some oil.

Bringing it into a shop tomorrow to diagnose the issues.

 

[Sportin' Wood]

In the late 80s I was a Paid Call CDF firefighter, I learned a lot. Our family ranch property in Menifee caught fire and our 100 year old eucalyptus grove went up like a volcano exploding. Me and the engineer where first on scene it was one of the scariest moments in my life. The wind shifted and the fire blew right over us as we bailed under the rig.

Wildfire has always been on our mind. When we bought our home in Montana we got lucky and found a home that was also built with wildfire in mind.

Here are some things that might help other building, but these are not easy retrofits.

• Metal roof. It was a must have for us.
• Concrete siding. This looks like cedar from a distance, but up close it is not as nice.
• There are no vents on the roof or ends, all of them are in the overhang which is also sealed metal.
• Decks are Trex, not Wood.
• Under the decks we have weed barrier and gravel.
• I keep the property mowed pretty close. We try and not get too crazy with planting shit close to the house, but we don't follow this rule well.
• We don't have curtains.

Nearest hydrant is a mile away. We are going to install additional on property hydrants this summer. We are on a well. We need an alternate power source, that will come in time.

Angie has always had the "Take This" boxes. These are marked with big black letters and we know where they are. These have the documents we need and the items we cant replace. We also keep a safe just for important items and that is all that is in it, so it is organized. For years when you opened the safe it was a mess, not anymore.

We don't go anywhere without our Go Bags or whatever you want to call them.

Our property is pretty safe from wildfire as we are in a meadow, but in high winds the mountains around us could carry embers.

As far as evacuations, I think you need to address the situation as it unfolds. When we lived in Reno there was a flood event predicted, we had an army helping us get valuables out or moved above the flood line. In the high stress environment I made a poor choice and broke my ankle. Shit will happen that you are not ready for.

 

[TimeBandit]

Yesterday was the first time we were ever at stage 2, "set" (as in ready, set, go), because Kenneth fire.

So I'm walking around the house and thinking, I may not ever be back here...

What did we pack? Cash, jewelry, important documents, keys, clothes and 30 years of photo albums.

Most of it is just "stuff" but the photos matter most, can't be replaced.

It was a really, really sad feeling walking around in the dark house (no power) and packing.

Oh, and a few things that "got lost in the lake" lol

 

[Backlash]

My wife and I are of two different mindsets. She has a collection of items that she's ready to leave with like already mentioned above. She would be gone at the first opportunity which I understand. So in my mind, she'll probably leave with the kids and the dogs. I'm more stubborn than she is, so my initial plan would be to stay and ride it out if possible. I'm not willing to lose my life for this or any other house, but if I felt it could be saved with my undivided attention and efforts, I would try my best.

I understand the limitations our first responders are facing, and I know they can't be everywhere all the time. While taking water out of "The system" on my own and using it to defend our home....that's also one less structure that firefighters might have to deal with.

She continued teasing me and repeated "You'll be the crazy white guy on the roof holding your hose."

I reminder HER that her Korean cousins did the same damn thing during the Rodney King riots.....and they were successful in warding off looters from their rooftop perches. So......

 

[CarolynandBob]

When we lived in Jamul we had the eaves boxed in. We got rid of the attic vents on the east side of the house. We put in attic fans. I cut down huge Eucalyptus trees in the front yard and any other tree near the house.

 

[coolchange]

I’m amazed at my friends who say” we’ve been without power for three days”.
I ask them what’s wrong with thier generators.
Uhh…
Then they get defensive “ we’ll do you have a generator?”
No I have 2.
The h they say I’m going to buy one next week.
No your not, you live in Ca.