How to Adapt To and Survive Forest Fires

Forest fires are a frequent summer threat in the United States and around the world. Thanks to warm winters and a dry spring seasons, forest fires are happening earlier and staying later. The fires are also bigger than they’ve ever been.

In this post we will take a deep dive into what you can do to defend your property and family before, during and after a fire. This post is drawn from at least 17 different articles from various federal, state and private organizations around the web. We’ve distilled the best information on this topic into a single post.

This article will cover…

• Forest Fire Basics
• Health Threats
• Determining Your Risk
• Preparing Your Home
• Before, During and After A Fire
• Further Resources
• Five Easy Things To Get Started!

Disclaimers: The purpose of this article is to give you a place to start for your own preparations. Please do your homework before taking any action. Your life is in your own hands.

Also, this blog post contains affiliate links in the section on bug out bags. If you click on these links and buy something, this blog will make a small commision at not cost to you. Thank you!

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Forest Fire Basics

How does a forest fire start?

The fire triangle is an easy way to remember what a fire needs to start and to keep burning. You need three things — Fuel + Oxygen + Heat. The fuel is the dead wood, leaves, pine needles, etc, on the forest floor. Oxygen is in the atmosphere. And heat is supplied by an ignition source, like a discarded cigarette butt, a smouldering campfire, faulty electric utility poles, or lightning.

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Health Threats

Health threats come in several forms. First, if you are caught in a fire there is a chance you could get injured from the fire itself. Most people caught in a fire suffer from varying degrees of lung injury due to inhaling smoke and superheated air. In fact, this is what kills people in all types of fires, not just forest fires. You are unlikely to be burned alive. The superheated, toxic smoke will kill you before that happens.

Fortunately, considering all the people directly affected by any forest fire, very few people actually die from forest fires. However, hundreds of thousands of people are affected by the smoke.

That includes people nowhere near the fire. The smoke from a major forest fire can travel for hundreds to thousands of miles downwind and put a strain on persons with heart and lung diseases, causing asthma attacks, heart problems and other issues.

The graph below shows the levels of particles in the air before and after a large forest fire that occurred in 2003 in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, a city of about 179,000 people. The dotted vertical line that cuts the graph in half shows when the fire started.

The bottom part of the figure compares visits to local doctors for respiratory complaints between two periods of time; the previous 9 years of visits (grey squares), and the visits during the forest fire (black circles).  If forest fire smoke makes people sick and go to the doctor, then the two sets of symbols will separate from each other.  This is exactly what happens.

Lets not forget about the economic hardships that follow a major fire. Property damage, complete loss of homes, loss of your place of employment, having to move, and so on. The economic effects also lead to psychological effects, such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress (PTSD) that many disaster survivors have to deal with for years to come.

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Determining Your Risk

So what risks do you face from forest fires? Do you live in a forested area? On the edge of a city near a forest? And “forest” doesn’t have to mean dense forest of pines, it could be scrub oaks, brush, grasslands, pretty much anything that will burn if dry enough.

Also, if you are within a thousand miles of any major forest then you are at risk from smoke, especially if you have heart or lung disease, or are very old or very young.

Nearly all of the population west of the Mississippi River are within a thousand miles of a major forest. So you may not have to protect yourself from the direct effects of a fire, but you might have to deal with the smoke (see the section below on what to do to Protect Yourself From Smoke and Ash).

To determine your current and future risk for fire danger you can use the excellent Climate Mapper from ClimateToolbox.org shown below. If you use the link above you should be in the “Historical and Future Climate Mapper” (red arrow in figure below).

To determine your future fire risk pick your choices in the “Choose Drought Metrics” menus (red outlined area). Some suggestions to get you started are listed here…

• Time Scale = Future Projections
• Impact Area = Fire Danger
• Variable = “High” Fire Danger
• Calendar Time Period = Jun-July-Aug
• Future Scenario = Higher Emissions (RCP 8.5) 2010 – 2039 mean

RCP 8.5 is the worst case emission scenario, which is the scenario we are living in right now. The 2010 – 2039 time period will give you an idea of the increase in risk in the immediate future.

After you’ve selected all the menus to your satisfaction, you can then either click on the map to zoom in to where you live, or you can enter a specific location using the “Choose a Location” menu (blue arrow in figure above).

The “Future Scenario” menu is very helpful. You can pick either best case (RCP 4.5) or worst case (RCP 8.5) scenarios. Also, the “Future Values” choices will give you the total number of fire days in the future, while the “Future Changes” choices will give you the difference between the future as compared to the years between 1971 – 2000.

Of note, the period of 1971 – 2000 already had significant changes happening. There was a shift in the fire regime around the mid-1980s in the Western United States to larger, more intense fires. So this makes these projections a little bit conservative.

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Preparing Your Home

The first threat from forest fires are the hot embers that are carried in the wind a mile or more in front of the fire. Defending your home and property from embers, heat and flames from a forest fire has several parts to it, summarized in detail below. Reducing the amount of burnable things on, touching or near your house creates a “defensible space”.

Defensible Space

Defensible space starts at the roof and walls of your house and extends outward. The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) describes three zones, and most other sources use these zones or something similar. The original concept was developed by Jack Cohen from the US Forest Service — stay tuned to the end of this post where Jack will give you the last word on this topic!

The first zone is the Home Ignition Zone, which is the house or structure itself. Followed by the Immediate Zone, those things on, touching or immediately adjacent to your house. The next zone is the Intermediate Zone, going from things adjacent to your house, out to about 30 feet, landscaping for instance. The outermost zone is the Extended Zone, going out to 100 or 200 feet from your house.

The Home Ignition Zone

The structure itself is the ‘Home Ignition Zone’. Most newer homes built in areas at risk for forest fires are already built from flame resistant materials. Obviously a stone or brick wall will fare better than a log cabin with wood walls.

One of the most important things is the material your roof is made from. Tile or slate shingles are better than wood shingles. An asphalt shingle roof in good condition should be fine, but a sheet metal roof is best.

Houses catch on fire when an ember (or thousands of them) from a nearby forest fire, land on the roof and find something to burn. So take the following steps to keep your roof and house from catching on fire…

• Keep your roof and gutters clear of leaves and pine needles
• Make sure all holes and cracks in the roof where embers might get in area caulked and sealed
• Soffit vents and other vents should have metal screens over them with gaps no bigger than 1/8 of an inch
• Make sure any chimneys have spark arrestors (keeps embers from flying out, but also keeps them from coming in)
• All exterior doors, doggie doors, garage doors and exterior openings should have good seals
• Plexiglass skylights may melt if they get hot enough, so switch to glass skylights (preferably tempered glass) if possible
• Dryer and kitchen vents should have self closing flaps, and screens (be sure to regularly clean the lint from your dryer vent/screen otherwise you are creating a fire hazard of another kind)
• Double-paned windows and heat resistant or tempered glass are best
• As are metal roofs

Some of these changes are obviously expensive, but become more worth it the greater your risk!

The Immediate Zone (0 to 5 feet)

After working on ember-proofing your home, fix what is immediately touching or adjacent to your house. This is called the “immediate zone”. A forest fire can ignite materials from a 100 to 200 feet away by direct heat, so protecting this zone is critical.

Defending the Immediate zone might include…

• Moving wood piles and propane tanks at least 30 feet away from your house, as recommended by the National Fire Protection Association
• Getting rid of any pine or juniper trees immediately near your house (the sap and oils from these trees is highly flammable)
• Removing any bark mulch from landscaping and replacing it with gravel or artificial mulch that does not burn easily
• Any wooden fence adjacent to your house should have a stone or metal break or barrier between it and your house
• If you have a wooden deck, keep it free of debris, especially underneath
• If you have a sprinkler or irrigation system, keep it in good working order

The Intermediate Zone (5 to 30 feet)

Fire defense in this zone is largely about taking care of landscaping and the forest or other vegetation near your house. The goal is to create a ‘reduced fuel zone’ to disrupt any fire that gets in this zone and make it difficult for fire to take hold.

Measures for the Intermediate Zone include:

• Keep lawns and native grasses mown to 4 inches or so
• Remove any accumulated forest litter or debris
• Space out trees so that their crowns are at least 20 feet apart
• Mature tree crowns should not be within 15 feet of your structure
• Get rid of ladder fuels — brush growing under trees that can burn and spread fire to the crown of the tree
• Prune all low hanging branches from larger trees
• Make sure to clear any forest litter or debris from under propane tanks, decks, picnic tables and any other objects or structures
• If possible, use walkways and driveways as fire breaks. A fire break is an area where there are no burnable materials.

The Extended Zone (30 to 100 or 200 feet)

In the extended zone the goal is to keep large fires to a minimum by getting rid of major sources of fuel. Some steps to take in the Extended Zone include…

• Use driveways or walkways as fire breaks whenever possible
• Get rid of brush piles and large accumulations of forest debris
• Remove dead trees and bushes
• Remove small conifers growing between or under larger trees
• Remove shrubs and trees growing next to outbuildings (garages, sheds, etc.
• Within a 100 feet of your home make sure the tops or crowns of the trees are separated by 15 feet or more. If you are on a slope, then the distance needs to be greater
• Within 200 feet of your home, make sure the tree crowns are at least 10 feet apart

Insurance Considerations

This might be one of the most critical steps. Do you actually know what your insurance covers? If not, you need to find out.

Property insurance usually covers different things in different ways, starting with the structure itself, any other structures or improvements to the property (detached garages, pools, decks, etc.), the contents of that structure (your personal belonging), and coverage for loss of use (e.g. if you have to rent a car or stay in a hotel while your house is repaired/rebuilt).

And depending on where you live, insurance against forest fire can be an additional cost or policy. Also, taking measures to protect your property from fire could earn you discounts on your policy.

Some things to focus on for insurance…

• Know what is covered by your current policy
• Buy additional coverage if needed
• Ask about discounts if you take the fire protection measures described above
• Just like preparing for flooding, you need to inventory your property. The best way to do this is with a camera by taking pictures of your belongings, and storing that along with scans of receipts and other documentation in several different places (e.g. on a thumb drive, on your computer, and online)

So in summary, the steps for preparing against fire include…

• Be ember aware – ember proof your house
• Get a metal roof if you can
• Do not have anything flammable touching or near your house
• Get rid of all the dead trees and debris around your house
• Know your insurance policy
• Document your belongings

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Before, During and After a Fire

Before the fire arrives there are two main things you should do…

1. Have an emergency plan in place for you, your family and your pets or other animals
2. Build an emergency kit that you can evacuate with, also known as a bug out bag

Have an Emergency Plan

Preparedness includes having a disaster plan for you and your family, keeping your car in good shape with a full tank of fuel during times of higher risk (during fire season, for example), and making sure that everyone you are responsible for knows what to do in an emergency. Ready.gov has extensive resources for building your family emergency plan.

Some additional considerations for fire country include…

• Have two escape routes out of your neighborhood
• If there are official escape routes, make sure you are aware of them
• Have a family meeting place in your town or outside any areas of potential danger in case people get separated

Have a Bug Out Bag

Build a bug out bag with all the necessary ingredients for 7 days of survival for all persons and pets in your family. Most reputable government sources will tell you that you need only 3 days worth of food and water, however, as disasters seem to get bigger and the government is stretched thin, seven days should be your bare minimum.

You should also consider keeping a smaller bag in your vehicle(s), to augment your main bag, or in case you are separated from your main bag. Similar to the bag described in the post on winter survival.

Here’s a quick list to get you thinking about it. If you are leaving your home to stay in a hotel or with friends or family, you don’t really need that much. But if you are building a bag for other reasons, or for a bigger disaster, or you might stay in a charity or government sponsored shelter, then you should pack accordingly.

Your home bug out bag should include…

• Water. Wherever you end up staying will likely have water, so take at least enough to get you where you are going. But if you are building a bug out bag for reasons other than forest fire, the typical recommendation is at least 2 quarts/liters, per person, per day. Or enough for 2 or 3 days, with additional means for water purification (e.g. water purification tablets and something store your water in)
• Food. Food is not as important as water, especially if you are evacuating to another town, but you might want to take snacks for the road. If you’re building a bag for other reasons, then enough calories for everyone for 3 to 7 days would be advisable. Dehydrated backpacking food is lightweight, tasty and nutritious. Don’t forget to account for pet food if you have pets!
• Medication. A basic first aid kit and prescription medications. A list of what prescriptions a person needs is something people should always carry with them. Doctors like to see a list of medications and doses, which makes it much easier to take care of someone. This can also be kept on your phone, or on a piece of paper in your purse or wallet. Don’t forget the other people in your family and your pets, who may also have prescription meds they need.
• Communication. Cell phones and other devices that operate on the cell network, wi-fi capable devices like tablets and laptops, and/or two-way radios, and the means to charge them
  Information. Copies of important documents in a waterproof document holder, and/or better yet, on a USB thumb drive (important documents include birth certificates, marriage licenses, property deeds and titles, insurance policies, etc.). Also, backed up to the internet via DropBox, Google Drive, or whatever your preferred service is.
• Money. Cash is good to have. Hit the ATM before any disaster strikes, otherwise it may be out of money. Maybe not as important if you are going to another town.
• Power. Extra batteries (rechargeable batteries are a good idea), charge packs, portable solar panels, associated cables and wires for cell phones, tablets, radios, smart watches, etc.
• Light. At least three sources of light, including a small battery powered lantern. Headlamps are a good idea to keep your hands free.
• Shelter. Blankets, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, plastic tarps, tent, a change of clothes for everyone, appropriate jackets for the season, especially if you will be living in a community shelter (usually a gymnasium floor with a cot if you’re lucky). Not so important if you will be in a hotel or staying with friends.
• Something to Put It All In. A big duffel bag or two.

There are different types of bug out bags. The one described above is meant to be put in a vehicle that you are fleeing a fire in… assuming that that is the only reasonable way to escape the path of a large fire.

Of course, you could be bussed out or leave in someone else’s vehicle. In those cases, you’d probably want something you can carry on your back or put on your lap. And in fact that’s what ‘bug out bag’ means to a lot of people.

If you search the web for ‘bug out bag’ you will have more reading than you could possibly get through in a week. If you want a reasonable place to start, Ready.gov has an entire section devoted to building a disaster supply kit. The CDC also has their own page focusing on families and children in a checklist format. Also, I thought this guys’ post on bug out bags was amusing and informative.

A Fire is Coming!

Well now you have done all you can, you’ve made a defensible space around your house, you have an emergency plan that you’ve rehearsed with your family, you put together a bug-out bag.

It’s been a particularly warm spring, after a dry winter with not much snow. Then it happens. A fire starts in a nearby forest. Maybe it was careless campers, a cigarette butt tossed out a car window, or a lightning strike. Because it it’s so dry the fire quickly establishes itself and is growing out of control. Now what?

First off, information is key, so make sure you are following the fire closely on the local news. There are also websites and apps that track developing fires. Start thinking about what you need to do if the fire heads your way. In brief, do these things…

• Listen to the local news about the fire
• Follow along on any apps or websites that have info…
  • Local news TV, websites or apps (your number one source!)
  • InciWeb-Incident Information System – InciWeb is an interagency all-risk incident information management system
  • MyRadar (iOS / Android) – one of the few apps I have actually paid for! Tracks weather, fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, and much more. And it has worldwide coverage.
• Check your bug out bag to make sure it’s stocked and ready to go (water, snacks, medications, batteries, etc.)
• Fill up the tank in your vehicle(s)
• Communicate with all family members so they are aware what’s happening
• Listen to local fire/police/EMS about possible evacuation plans

Protecting Yourself From Smoke and Ash

Even though you may be far away from a fire, as it gets bigger the smoke may head your way. In the northern hemisphere, due to prevailing winds smoke typically travels from west to east.

So if you are east of a major fire, you are probably downwind. Significant smoke can easily drift a 1,000 miles or more. Once it arrives near you it will be easy to tell. There will be a smoky smell in the air, hazy skies, orange sunsets. And the closer you are, there may be ash falling from the sky.

If you have allergies, asthma, chronic lung disease, or are very young or very old, you may start coughing and wheezing due to the smoke. If you have heart disease or other chronic medical problem, breathing smoke can make it worse.

Some steps to take to protect you and your family from smoke include…

• Keep all windows and doors closed
• Do not sweep, dust or vacuum inside your house, because that will add more particles to the air
• Do not use a gas or wood stove, candles, incense, or anything else that adds gasses or particles to the air
• Use an air purifier if you have one. One with a HEPA filter is best.
• If you use an evaporative cooler, you may have to shut it down to keep it from drawing smoke inside
• Use A/C or fans inside to keep cool, or seek shelter elsewhere if it’s too hot inside

For a more in-depth information and steps you can take to protect yourself, the venerable CDC has put together an excellent guide on… Protect(ing) Yourself from Wildfire Smoke.

Also, check out this awesome homemade air filter on YouTube… How to Make a DIY Air Filter from Ask This Old House!

The fire is here!

Suddenly, the winds have shifted and now the fire is out of control and heading your way. The air is thick with smoke. You may see a wall of orange fire coming down a hill or mountain side in the evening, and billowy columns of smoke during the day.

Law enforcement is working its way through surrounding neighborhoods asking people to evacuate. You’re next. What should you do?

It’s time to put all that planning into action…

• Load up your bug-out bag into your already fully fueled vehicle
• Get everyone physically and mentally prepared to leave
• Consider turning off your gas. (Check out this site for info about how to turn off your gas from SoCal Gas. If you are not comfortable doing this, then just forget it, it’s not worth doing wrong.)
• Evacuate immediately when told to do so. In fact, consider leaving before you are told if you know it is inevitable. This helps clear the roads sooner and give law enforcement and firefighters more room to do their jobs.
• Keep your headlights on while evacuating, especially if the visibility is reduced due to smoke.
• Follow evacuation routes given to you by the authorities
• If you are leaving early or don’t know the evacuation route, then try to choose routes that are downhill, and avoid driving down canyons if you don’t know which way the fire is going. Fire travels uphill faster than downhill, and canyons are like chimneys, concentrating the smoke and fire.
• Do not return to your house until told that it is safe to do so.

Ohh no! You got trapped in the fire! What now?

Obviously the first thing to do is not panic. If you panic, you will likely die. It’s okay to be scared, but don’t stop thinking.

If you are in a vehicle…

• Find a parking lot or area with no buildings, trees or other burnable material near by
• Park your car and turn off the engine
• Call 9-1-1 on your cell phone to let the authorities know where you are and your situation. (As a general note, never hang up on a 9-1-1 call until the operator tells you it’s okay to do so.)
• Keep your windows rolled up tight
• Put your climate controls to “recirculate”, then turn it off
• Close all vents
• Wait for the fire to pass before opening doors or windows

If you are on foot…

• Run! Downhill is better, because fire moves faster than you do uphill. In fact, most forest fire fighter deaths are caused by fire overtaking them from the downhill side as they move up
• Do NOT wet your clothes or put a wet bandana across your face. if you do this you will be steamed alive. Steam is a much more potent conductor of heat than dry air
• Avoid stopping in areas with lots of brush and dried grass
• Stop only if you have found a safe place to do so, an area without much flammable material — a road, a parking lot, rock slide, gravely flood plain of a river or creek, a lake/river/creek you can wade into, a clear cut in the forest, or a place that has already been burned, etc.

The fire has passed, whew!

Wow, that fire was a real doozy! You made it out with your family and pets and stayed in a nearby town. You were given the ‘all clear’ by the county incident command post to return to your neighborhood. Now what?

Going back to your house, it will either be standing, partially destroyed or a complete loss. Hopefully you escaped major damage. If not, then…

• If you have a gas line to your house that was not previously shut off, check for gas leaks. Do not enter any buildings until you know the gas is off. Call the gas company immediately about gas leaks. They will have to shut the gas off.
• Look for and extinguish any hot spots, inside your house, in the attic, on the roof, under any decks, or in the surrounding landscape.
  • Don’t just check once for hot spots, but do it every few hours or so, until you are certain there are no more
• Use caution entering any damaged structures. Buildings can collapse, there can be live electrical wires exposed, and any number of other hazards
  • Wear protective clothing, boots, gloves and consider using a dust mask if there is lots of ash still floating around
• Contact your insurance company immediately
  • Hopefully you took pictures of everything you own before the fire
  • Take pictures of any damage from the fire
  • Send whatever documentation is needed to your insurance agent
• Contact FEMA to see what assistance applies to you
  • DisasterAssistance.gov offers one stop shopping for Federal Aid and many other resources
  • Or call 1-800-621-FEMA (3362)
• Other sources of help to remember, include…
  • U.S. Small Business Administration loans
  • USDA loans for ranchers and farmers
  • State and Tribal disaster assistance programs
• Also, if you’re a victim of fire or other disaster, you may be eligible for breaks come tax time

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Further Resources

Many excellent resources were used to write this blog post. Here’s a list of some of the better ones to get you started further exploring this important issue…

• Preparing homes for wildfire from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Info for individuals, neighborhoods, and governments. Many great infographics. Lots of topics covered.
• Prepare For Wildfires: Protect Your Home from the Texas A&M Forest Service. Many links to NFPA documents about good building practices, and many other resources from the home to community level
• Protect Your Home, Property & Forest from Wildfire from the Colorado State University Forestry Service. Good general info with links to checklists and in-depth guides
• Protect Yourself from Wildfire Smoke from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Linked above, but so good here it is again! Lots of info and resources.
• As California burns, here’s what you need to know about fire insurance from the L.A. Times. Specific to California, but with lots of good general info

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Five Easy Things To Get Started

You have your work cut out for you if you live in a forest fire danger area. The steps outlined here range from expensive (new roof or siding), to free (moving combustible items away from your house).

You could probably do 80% of the measures outlined here in a couple days for not a lot of money. It would also make a nice family or neighborhood project, which would bring people together and also educate them about forest fire danger at the same time.

1. Check your insurance policy to see what coverage you have
2. Take pictures of your property, house and/or all your belongings
3. Visit Ready.gov and make an Emergency Plan
4. Move all combustible items away from direct contact with your house (wood piles, gas grills, etc.)
5. Walk through your property and make a list of what you still need to do (soffit vent screens, better sealing windows and doors, pruning trees, cutting brush, etc.)

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Congrats, you made it to the end! Thanks for reading and I hope you found it helpful. If you have any thoughts or resources to add, please leave a comment. Be safe out there!

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Disclaimer: The purpose of this article was to give you some ideas to start your own preparations. Please do your homework before taking any action. Your life is in your own hands.

Cover image originally by skeeze from Pixabay