OCFA Leave Early or Stay and Defend Highlights
OCFA presented their Leave Early or Stay and Defend workshop last Wednesday to about 400 residents. Their message was clear. Their sworn duty is to protect life first and property second. Their preference is for everyone to evacuate the area when asked to do so. Fires are unpredictable. Based on their training and experience it is a split second decision they make to keep residents or themselves safe while protecting our community. We need to recognize the ordinary resident does not have the experience or training to evaluate these situations completely.
The OCFA also recognizes that there are individuals that will not leave when asked. For those who stay behind, the Fire Authority listed some important points to consider:
1. Make sure you are physically up to the task. You will need to remain vigilent throughout the emergency, constantly checking on your property/ area you are trying to protect.
2. Make sure you are dressed appropriately
- no flip flops, shorts or short sleeve shirts
- Do not place a wet cloth over your face- the heat of the fire will potentially cause a burn
- protect your face with a dry bandana and protective glasses
- Wear long sleeved shirts and pants and sturdy shoes
- Wear a hat
3. Keep yourself hydrated.
4. Prepare your home. (this is whether you stay or leave)
- Fill bathtubs/ sinks with water- you may have your water supply cut off.
- Remove light draperies from the window
- Close all windows, outside doors
- Block all openings into the house- vents, cracks under the garage door and the floor,etc
- Run a hose from your washing machine inlet rather than bring a hose from the outside creating an opening into the house
- Bring in propane tanks or put them into your pool
- Move highly combustible furniture/ objects away from your home (patio furniture)
5. If you find yourself unable to fight the fire due to the flames/ heat go inside the house and protect yourself until the fire passes you by.
In addition, they presented some tips on “hardening” your home. This refers to things you can do to protect the structure such as enclosing the eaves on your home, changing the vent screens to include a finer mesh, using fire resistant building materials, etc… If you chose to stay and defend, it is to your advantage to upgrade your home to include these fire resistant materials. For all residents of Yorba Linda, the Council has waived all permit fees for items that will make your home more resistant to fire damage. Call the Community Planning department for more details.
The OCFA will post the presentation on their web site within the next couple of weeks. The items mentioned above are only a part of the presentation and it is worth reviewing the entire powerpoint presentation.
The OCFA has also offered to provide individualized assessment of your home and property with regards to planting materials, defensible space and if your property would be safe enough to try and stay to defend. Some home locations are more susceptible to damage in the event of a fire due to geographic locations. Please take advantage of this offer.
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Good summary.
The one thing that I remember from the presentation was to wear dry cloths. If any of your cloths get wet, you would get burned where the wet clothes touch your body. That was a surprise to me, since I thought keeping yourself wet would allow you to better weather the fire.