Planning Is Up to You

We have all seen TV coverage of millions of people in Louisiana and Texas trying to evacuate on clogged freeways and roads. Some of us wonder if that could happen here?

News reports from California show residents in convoys being led to safety from endangered areas. There, firefighters are able to anticipate the need for evacuation hours and possibly days ahead of the arrival of a wildland fire.

This convoy evacuation probably will not happen in Cambria because our greatest fire threat cannot be anticipated far enough in advance. Our Cambria nightmare fire scenario might begin with a residential fire in a house surrounded by brush and trees. On this particular day it is dry and windy. The fire spreads to the brush and then to the trees and a crown fire rapidly spreads the fire. The crown fire could burn over a large area such as Lodge Hill in a couple of hours. Downwind of the fire a wind-driven rain of hot embers extends for a mile and starts multiple residence fires that in turn spread to close by neighbors. In this scenario, there is not enough time for emergency services to organize evacuation of neighborhoods.

Everyone in Cambria needs to organize their personal evacuation plan. If you live in a house overhanging a steep brush filled canyon you might decide that immediate evacuation is warranted in any fire threat scenario. If you live in a fire-safe house in a cleared area you might decide to "shelter-in-place," stay in your home. If you live in a house with a defensible space deep in the forest you might plan to stay in your house until the front of the firestorm had passed and then evacuate.

Everyone needs to assess their personal situation and make a firm plan and prepare for a wildfire. Being able to evacuate within minutes may mean the difference between life and death. The worst plan is one that results in you being in your car in a traffic jam in a burning forest.

Please study the evacuation planning guides and maps on this website. If you don't have a copy of the FireSafe Council's brochure “Living With Fire,” obtain one from the Cambria Fire Station.  We urge you to do your homework and be prepared!