What is a productive way to view the first responder response to the LA firestorm and how can we help them do their jobs while protecting our home?
A home near the 2024 Point Fire burn scar, close to Healdsburg, CA.
A couple of days before the LA Firestorm I got an email from Cal Fire saying they were sending 45 engines and seven hand crews south from Nor Cal, based on Fire Weather Predictions. That equals about 350 staff. This simultaneously highlights two important things: Wildfires are predictable, and no number of first responder assets will adequately respond to every home. Even for one typical structure fire, the national standard for firefighter response is approximately 15 people. So how can we help ourselves and first responders?
There are no guarantees, but there is hope. Instead of becoming overwhelmed and feeling like things are completely out of our control, we should try and control what we can: our property. Hope in the face of impending wildfires comes in the following ways: Preparing your home with proper defensible space and structure hardening….and evacuating EARLY.
Other priorities that help first responders and residents include: paying attention to Fire Weather, signing up for local official alerts (and the free wildfire alert app Watch Duty), prepping your property before departure, checking on neighbors, and leaving early. These are crucial elements which help your personal safety, will allow firefighters to more safely do their jobs, and reduce risk to your most valued asset.
While we applaud the helicopters, EMS, utility workers, law enforcement, and engine companies, we should not over rely on the cavalry. Instead, we should educate ourselves and control what we can.
Stuart Mitchell—
Certified Wildfire Mitigation Specialist, NFPA