How to Be Safe During a Wildfire
As wildfires become problematic for many Florida residents, there are various precautions one can take to stay safe.
April 25, 2017
Fires are very dangerous and if they are not handled properly they could be problematic. Last weekend, Saturday, April 8th, 2017, a fire started in Orange County near the local Girl Scout Camp, Camp Mah-Kah-Wee. The fire led to an evacuation of the entire camp and also local neighborhoods. The officials on the scene don’t know what started the fire but they believe that it was because of the huge dry spell that Florida is going through. According to the site All Things Girl Scouts, “Due to high winds and dry conditions, the fire spread quickly across the west side of camp.” Governor Rick Scott has issued a state of emergency for the state of Florida because of how many fires have occurred statewide.
Before the declaration of state of emergency, a burn-ban was issued. A burn-ban, according to Official Outdoor Living Blog, is “a mandatory, yet temporary, order that restricts the use of wood stoves and fireplaces, as well as outdoor burning, when air quality is degraded and human health may be adversely impacted.”
Since the state of emergency is quite important, there are certain things that people need to know about what to do with fire. Fires are very dangerous and potentially disastrous if some precautions are not followed. Most people do not know proper fire safety or what to do if something bad does happen.
To Do:
- Line the fire-site with stones.
The stones will keep the fire contained inside of them. Also, it will protect the grass around the fire-site from catching on fire.
- Dampen the ground around the stones to make sure that if fire does escape it won’t burn the ground.
Water obviously puts out fire, and so does humidity. If the ground is wet or damp it will keep the fire from spreading or getting too out of hand.
- Keep a bucket of water near the fire.
The water should be in close reach of the fire so that if the fire does get out of hand or it needs to be put out in a hurry, you can throw the water on top of the fire so it will be extinguished quickly.
- Instead of just putting the sticks and kindling at random in the stone circle, you should stack the wood up carefully so that it will be easier to contain.
If the wood goes over the stones then the fire might spread outside which could then lead it to get out of hand.
Even if there wasn’t a burn-ban you should still be careful around fire and make sure to take proper precautions with yourself, your family or friends, and our environment.
