Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
• Remove gas grills and portable propane tanks far from the home, as well as combust-
ibles such as portable gasoline cans.
When a Fire Strikes Your Home
Crawl Under the Smoke
Remember that hot air rises, so if you step into a hallway filled with choking, blinding smoke,
drop to your knees to see if that will get you into a bearable level of smoke so you can speed-
crawl your way to safety.
Putting Out a Clothing Fire with a Blanket, or by Rolling on the Ground
Normal types of fires need oxygen in order to burn. When hair or clothing catches on fire,
quickly smother the fire with a towel, blanket, or jacket tightly wrapped around the burning
area on the victim. Alternately, get the victim to roll on the ground to smother the flames, or
grab and hug the victim while using your own body to smother the flames.
Bust Through Sheetrock Walls
In an emergency situation, realize that most homes are built with interior walls covered in
sheetrock. If necessary to avoid a fire-and-smoke-filled hallway, or to gain access to a room to
rescue a family member, realize that this sheetrock can be easily kicked through to allow a per-
son to slip between the studs from one room to another without using a door or window.
Fire Safety and the Structure of Your Home
If current scientific predictions of global warming prove anywhere near correct, then the horrif-
ic 2007 fires outside of San Diego, and the 1993 Laguna Beach fires, are simply a preview of
future wildfires that will endanger hundreds of thousands of homes in the coming years.
Whether you are a homeowner wishing to improve the fire resistance of your current dwelling,
or are planning to build a new home, there are a number of actions you can take to improve the
chances that your home will survive a local wildfire. These guidelines are typically applied to
homes located in areas where long periods of dry weather are common, such as many of the
southwestern states. However, due to climate change, people in many areas where the threat of
wildfires was previously a non-issue may soon find it a valid and growing concern.
Lessons from the 1993 Laguna Fire
• Many if not most homes burned from the inside out when firestorm heat radiated
through closed windows and slipped inside through foundation and roof vents to ig-
