Emergency Management Services of King County

Photo: Wildland Fire The United States has a severe fire problem, more so than is generally perceived. Approximately 3,500 to 4,000 people die every year from fire and thousands of people are injured. Just in Washington State over the last 20 years 1,195 people lost their lives in fire. King County averages about 11 fire deaths per year. Cooking, smoking, heating, electrical, and arson are some of the major causes of fire in general, and careless smoking is the leading cause of fire deaths. About one-third of all fires occur in residential properties; one-third involves natural vegetation (brush or wildland); and the remaining third involves vehicles, outside equipment and storage, and other locations. Most fires are human-caused and are preventable, while only a small percentage of fires are actually due to natural acts such as lightening.

In order for a fire to occur, three elements in the right combination are required - heat or ignition source, fuel, and oxygen. How a fire behaves primarily depends on the characteristics of available fuel and other conditions. In wildland fires, weather conditions and terrain are key factors. Weather plays a role in the forms of wind, precipitation, and lightening. Drought, snow pack, and local weather conditions can also expand the length of the fire season. Terrain is an additional factor, as the topography of a region or local area influences the amount and moisture of available fuel.

Structure Fires: a fire of natural or human-caused origin that results in the destruction of homes, businesses, and other structures in populated, urban or suburban areas. Fast-spreading structure fires can quickly threaten a large amount of people, as well as tax the resources of local fire-fighting jurisdictions. Structure fires can also be potential secondary hazards of earthquakes and riots.

Wildland Fire: a fire of natural or human-caused origin that results in the uncontrolled destruction of forests, field crops and grasslands. Depending weather conditions, fuel and topography, wildland fires can spread rapidly and may require additional firefighting resources, lasting days or months to prevent further extension and extinguishment of fire..

Wildland-Urban Interface: a fire of natural or human-caused origin that occurs in or near forest or grassland areas where isolated homes, subdivisions, and small communities are also located. With the growth and urbanization of King County, and more comprehensive transportation systems, the potential for wildland urban or interface fire increases. As a result of this urban interface, the effects of these fires can be the combined consequences of both structure and wildland fires. Urban interface fires can encroach onto residential properties and structure fires can invade wooded areas. Interface fires can also be quite difficult to fight, as remote locations of residential properties in wooded areas can increase firefighting response times to those isolated areas.

Fire hazards present a very real risk for King County residents and businesses in King County. We must be vigilant, prepare and mitigate these hazards in our region and surrounding counties. Contact your local fire department for more information and check out the preparedness and response steps, and links below.

Basic Fire Safety
Wildland and Wildland Interface Fire Safety

Basic Fire Safety

Hazard-specific Preparedness Steps

At Home

Learn how to prevent fires in and around your home. Common fire causes include: cooking, smoking, heaters, candles, electrical, arson, and children playing with fire.
Install and maintain smoke detectors on every level of your home and inside and outside every bedroom. Most fatal fires happen at night while you're sleeping and you will not smell the smoke, even if you are a light sleeper.
Have a fire extinguisher available and know when and how to use it. Minimum recommended size: 2A:10BC.
Plan and physically practice a home escape plan as part of your family disaster plan. Plan two ways out of every room and practice how to safely exit in the event of a fire.
Provide escape ladders for stories above the first level and make sure you practice using them.
Designate one outside meeting place so everyone in your family knows where to meet once you're out. A good place may be somewhere in the front of your home, a safe distance away, where firefighters can account for you.
If you live in an multiple-family residence or assisted living facility, learn what the emergency evacuation procedures are for your complex. Make sure you are familiar with the building's fire protection systems, what they sound like, how they activate, and what to do if the alarm goes off.
Be sure to plan for family members with special needs who may require assistance.
See General Preparedness Steps below for more disaster planning basics.

At Work

Review the evacuation procedures for your building.
Learn what fire protection systems and features are in your building, where they are located, and how they operate (i.e. fire alarms, sprinkler systems, manual pull stations, fire doors, extinguishing systems, building communications, elevator recall, etc.)
Learn where all the exits are and know more than one way out.
Find out where safe areas of refuge (rooms, enclosed stairwells) are located in case you can't get out and how to protect in place.
Know when and how to use a fire extinguisher.

Response Steps

If a fire starts, alert others and get out of the building. A fire can easily travel through a house in less then five minutes.
Only fight a fire if the fire is small, you know how to use a fire extinguisher, and your way out will not be blocked if the fire gets too big.
If you're primary escape route is filled with smoke, use your second way out. If you must escape through the smoke, stay low under the smoke and crawl quickly to safety.
Once outside the building, stay outside - do not go back into the building that is on fire, even if you think the fire is still small.
Go to the designated outside meeting place where everyone can be accounted for.
Call 9-1-1 to get help.
If you cannot get out, stay in a room (as far away from the fire as possible) with the door closed and protect in place. The more barriers and space between the fire and you will increase your chances of survival. If you can signal firefighters at a window for help. If you have a phone in the room call 9-1-1 and report your location.
If your clothes catch on fire - stop, drop and roll. Stop where you are, drop to the ground, and roll until the fire is out. Cool the burned skin with water and call 9-1-1 to get emergency aid.

General Preparedness Steps

Have and practice a family disaster plan.
Establish meeting places and phone numbers in case family members are separated.
Identify an out-of-state contact to call during a major disaster or emergency; it will be easier to call out of the area if local lines are tied up.
Make sure everyone knows when and how to call 9-1-1.
Keep your disaster supply kits up to date. Make sure you have kits for your home, vehicle, work and school.
Get a tone-alert NOAA Weather Radio to receive emergency notifications and up-to-date information and instructions.
Teach all family members when, where and how to turn off utilities. Make sure you have the appropriate equipment, such as a wrench, handy.
Make sure you understand the emergency plans and expectations at your child's school and your work.
Preplan alternate transportation routes to and from work and other important destinations.
Be sure to keep at least a half-tank of gas in your vehicle at all times.
Know ahead of time what you should do to help family, friends or neighbors who are elderly or have special needs.

See "related links" for more details on how to prepare for, respond to, and recover from this type of a disaster or emergency.

Related External Links

Wildland and Wildland Interface Fire Safety

Hazard-specific Preparedness Steps

Learn about your area's wildland fire risk. Contact your local fire department for information on wildland fire issues, burn bans, burning regulations, and defensible space practices.
Learn about the common causes of wildland fires and what you can do to prevent them. There are important things you need to know about building campfires, safely operating off-road equipment, the dangers of using off-road equipment on public State and Federal lands, smoking and children playing with fire.
Provide a defensible space around your home, and learn about design and construction features and landscaping that help make your home and property more resistive in a fire.
Develop a wildland fire-specific evacuation plan and coordinate it with your family disaster plan.
Build fires away from nearby trees or bushes. Embers and firebrands can float in the air and can start fires where they fall.
Have a way to extinguish the fire quickly and completely (water, sand, fire extinguisher).
Make sure fire vehicles can get to your home by clearly marking all driveway entrances and displaying your address.
Plan two ways out of your neighborhood.
When a wildfire threatens, you don't have time to shop or search for supplies. Assemble a disaster supply kit with the items you may need if advised to evacuate. Be sure to also include these items: one change of clothing and footwear per person, one blanket or sleeping bag per person, extra set of car keys, sanitation supplies, special items for infant, elderly or disabled family members, and an extra pair of eyeglasses. Store these supplies in sturdy, easy-to-carry containers such as backpacks, duffle bags or trash containers.

Establish additional meeting places and phone numbers in case family members are evacuated from the area, which may occur in large fires or wildland fire events.
Make arrangements for housing in the event you need to leave your home.
See General Preparedness Steps above for more disaster planning basics.

Response Steps

Wildland Fire Evacuation Guidelines

Listen local radio or television stations for updated emergency information. Your weather radio may also provide emergency information.
If you are directed to evacuate, do so immediately. Tell someone when you leave and where you are going; this could be your out-of-state contact. Wear projective clothing - sturdy shoes, cotton or long wool pans and long-sleeved shirt, and gloves. Bring a handkerchief to protect your face. Lock your home. Chose a route away from fire hazards and watch for changes in speed and direction of fire and smoke.
If you are sure you have time, you can take steps to protect your home:

Inside

Close windows, vents, doors, blinds or non-combustible window coverings and heavy drapes. Remove lightweight curtains.

Shut off gas at the meter. Turn off pilot lights.

Open fireplace damper. Close fireplace screen.

Move combustible furniture into the center of the home away from windows and sliding-glass doors.

Turn on a light in each room to increase visibility of your home in heavy smoke.

Outside

Seal attic and ground vents with pre-cut plywood or commercial seals.

Turn off propane tanks.

Place combustible patio furniture inside.

Connect the garden hose to outside taps.

Place lawn sprinklers on the roof and near above-ground fuel tanks.

Wet the roof.

Wet or remove shrubs within 15 feet of the home.

Gather fire tools including shovels, hoes and hoses. Make sure they are outside and easy to access.

These three US Forest Service Fire Evacuation Alert Level Ratings are used by several organizations and jurisdictions:

Level I - is a precautionary or advisory alert requiring that the citizens be informed of a growing emergency situation.

Level II - is the level at which residents in an area with the impending possibility of becoming involved in the emergency situation are advised to begin planning to evacuate.

Level III - is the strongest suggestion of evacuation for residents directly endangered by the emergency situation. At this point, individuals should leave the area. The Emergency Alert System (EAS) is sometimes used for this level.

See "related links" for more details on how to prepare for, respond to, and recover from this type of a disaster or emergency.

Wildland Fire - Internal Links

Wildland Fire Damage (29:28)
Disaster Resistant Roofing (28:56)
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