Emergency Plan for Wildfires in California

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Wildfires Emergency Plan and Efforts of Preparedness in California
Correlation of Wildfire Emergency Measures to Other Disaster Measures
Personal Emergency Response
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Wildfires have been a common phenomenon in the 21st century globally, and they have resulted in untold suffering, devastation, and unimaginable losses to the communities involved. Disaster management experts in the United States have instituted robust measures to contain the spread and destruction of wildfires in presumably high-risk areas in a bid to save lives and control the loss of properties (Abatzoglou et al., 2020).

The causation of wildfires globally may be ascribed to natural causes. Some of these phenomena include extreme heat acting on the dead and dry matter and consistent lightning strikes with high intensity, which, according to Abatzoglou et al. (2020), may trigger a spark in the vast and dense grasslands and forests. The State of California has been on the receiving end of the devastation and losses caused by the wildfires. To research, California has a unique arid (dry) climate and rich natural reserves of dry vegetation and bones that act as catalysts for wildfires (Cole et al., 2020). This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of California’s preparedness efforts for wildfires, an evaluation of the identified strategies’ applicability in other disaster types, and the recommendations if in a house with raging fires.

Wildfires Emergency Plan and Efforts of Preparedness in California

Developing an Evacuation Plan

The fire departments and emergency agencies in the State of California have been keen on guiding families to establish an action plan in the event of a wildfire emergency. These organizations recommend that all the family members sign up for the state or local warning and alert services used to disseminate information or send message alerts in case of emergencies, including fire outbreaks (Kramer et al., 2019).

This approach also allows individuals to receive real-time notifications from the National Weather Service. An evacuation plan is critical in response to a wildfire incidence since it guides individuals on the convenient exit routes while providing a fire-safety program, including the use of masks when the smoke is intense. According to Kramer et al. (2019), guardians should ensure that the entire household is knowledgeable of the actions to implement if there is an urgent need for evacuation. The above-mentioned approach helps the agile and highly active family members have a master plan for rescuing the elderly members, who may be slow to respond in a wildfire emergency.

Preparation of an Emergency Kit

California authorities advise that every family member, particularly adults, prepares a comprehensive emergency kit that contains all the essential elements such as medicine, food, masks, water, clothing, and cash. These crucial supplies should be sufficient to cater to a full three-day need. According to Abatzoglou et al. (2020), these emergency kits contribute significantly to the rescue efforts and the degree of survival for the victims caught up in the heat of the inferno raging in their dwellings. Most California families have pets in their homes: emergency agencies recommend that family members consider packing some essential items for the pets, including veterinary medicine and food.

Prepare a Personal-Valuables Bag

Reports from the California emergency authorities indicate that the evacuees often complain that they left behind personal valuables and irreplaceable documentation that may take long periods to register during the evacuation process. To counter this issue, these organizations recommend that family members have a special pack or bag containing all the valuables, such as expensive jewelry and travel documents. The special pack’s benefit is that it enables an evacuee to save valuable items from loss and damage that may be costly to replace (Cole et al., 2020). In operation, family members are recommended to have a clear plan of the things they feel are most valuable to them if a wildfire emergency was announced; thus, frustrations and devastations arising from losses of valuables are significantly eliminated.

Hardening the Home

Hardening the home is a highly recommended fire-safety approach, which helps mitigate against the spread of the raging inferno within the surroundings around one’s residence. An example of these strategies is the use of fire-resistant material during the construction phase of the house (Kramer et al., 2019). California’s fire authorities provide a clear guideline of the fire-proof elements, which should be utilized in the building process. These materials include dual-plane (thick) windows, tile roof shingles, and composite-decking materials that are appropriate for home hardening. Other approaches include creating a defensible space, minimizing fuel within the landscape, and fire-safe landscaping.

Creating a Strong Fire-Buffer around the House

The key objective of the preparation strategy for wildfires is to create a fire-buffer within the house’s surroundings to prevent the fire from reaching the dwellings. The process involves clearing any flammable material such as dry leaves, pines, firewood stacks, mulch, and plants that lie within a radius of five (5) feet from the main house (Abatzoglou et al., 2020). The landscaping model adopted within the compound should be in a manner that breaks any form of continuity to prevent the quick spreading of the wildfire towards the house; the fire-buffer is a preventive measure for wildfire disaster management.

Correlation of Wildfire Emergency Measures to Other Disaster Measures

Overview

The Californian authorities’ emergency measures are similar to other disaster management efforts related to natural calamities. Some natural disasters include; extreme floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes and cyclones, and landslides (Zigner et al., 2020; Abatzoglou et al., 2020). The knowledge of the patterns of occurrence associated with natural disasters would help design emergency and response measures to mitigate against losses and devasting effects of the calamities.

Extreme Floods

When water from a heavy downpour, surging storms from tsunamis, cyclones, and melting of snow, overflow over the earth’s surface, flooding occurs. In the past decades, the United States has experienced disasters from floods, and they have resulted in massive deaths and loss of property (Yu et al., 2018). Emergency measures related to floodings such as evacuation plans, emergency kits, and strategies for construction techniques bear intense similarity to those associated with wildfires.

Earthquakes

Earthquakes occur when tectonic plates that lay beneath the earth experience motion that further results in movements and the earth’s crust. The continent of Asia has been on the receiving end of the devastation that results from earthquakes. Governments in earthquake-prone areas take stringent emergency measures to prevent or control the loss of lives and valuable properties (Yu et al., 2018). These approaches have a high degree of similarity to wildfire preparedness recommendations. They include developing an evacuation plan, adopting earthquake-sensitive construction methods, and preparing emergency kits.

Volcanic Eruptions

Massive volcanic activities take place within the tectonic plates and the core of the earth’s crust. When the magma from the volcanic activities flows to the earth’s surface, it causes extreme devastation and damage to property and subsequent loss of lives (Yu et al., 2018). Some of the emergency measures include; preparing an evacuation strategy, hardening homes, assembling emergency kits, and creating magma-buffers. Indeed, the emergency measures are similar to those of wildfires.

Personal Emergency Response

If an individual is caught up in a deadly fire raging outside the house, particular recommendations should be considered for a safe escape. First, one should get set with a fire extinguisher at hand, call the emergency numbers immediately (9-1-1), and notify them of their location and the fire’s state (Kramer et al., 2019). Second, the victim should try and find an exit route with a lesser fire intensity and check if the door-knobs are suitable for handling. If the raging inferno blocks the first exit, one should consider an alternative exit.

Third, one should crawl stealthily on the floor as they look for an exit route; the move will help prevent the likelihood of choking from the heavy smoke rising to the ceiling. If an individual happens to escape, it is recommended that they close the door slowly to prevent the further spread of the fire (Cole et al., 2020). If you fail to access an exit route, close all the windows and block any visible opening within the house to prevent fire entry. The emergency plan would work effectively for me since it offers clear guidelines.

Conclusion

Fire authorities and emergency agencies in the State of California have been keen on guiding families to establish an action plan in the event of a wildfire emergency. The fire agencies have insisted that the emergency kits contribute significantly to the rescue efforts and the degree of survival for the victims caught up in the inferno raging’s heat in their dwellings. The emergency agencies recommend that family members have a special pack or bag containing all the valuables, such as expensive jewelry and travel documents. Hardening the home is a highly recommended fire-safety strategy that helps mitigate against the spread of the raging inferno within their residence.

The key objective of the preparation strategy for wildfires is to create a fire-buffer within the house’s surroundings to prevent the fire from reaching the dwellings. The Californian authorities’ emergency measures are similar to other disaster management efforts related to natural calamities.

References

Abatzoglou, J. T., Smith, C. M., Swain, D. L., Ptak, T., & Kolden, C. A. (2020). Population exposure to pre-emptive de-energization aimed at averting wildfires in Northern California. Environmental Research Letters, 15(9), 1–9. Web.

Cole, R. P., Bladon, K. D., Wagenbrenner, J. W., & Coe, D. B. (2020). Hillslope sediment production after wildfire and post‐fire forest management in northern California. Hydrological Processes, 1(1), 1–8. Web.

Kramer, H. A., Mockrin, M. H., Alexandre, P. M., & Radeloff, V. C. (2019). High wildfire damage in interface communities in California. International Journal of Wildland Fire, 28(9), 641-650. Web.

Yu, M., Yang, C., & Li, Y. (2018). Big data in natural disaster management: A review. Geosciences, 8(5), 1–26. Web.

Zigner, K., Carvalho, L., Peterson, S., Fujioka. a, F., Duine, G. J., Jones, C., & Moritz, M. (2020). Evaluating the ability of FARSITE to simulate wildfires influenced by extreme, downslope winds in Santa Barbara, CaliforniFire, 3(3), 1–25. Web.

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