I WILDLAND FIRES Follow Local Burning Laws Before burning debris in a wooded area, make sure you notify local authorities, obtain a burning permit, and follow these guidelines: • Use an approved incinerator with a safety lid or covering with holes no larger than 3/4 inch. • Create at least a 10-foot clearing around the incinerator before burning debris. • Have a fire extinguisher or garden hose on hand when burning debris. During a Wildfire If a wildfire threatens your home and time permits, take the following precautions: • Shut off gas at the meter. Only a qualified professional can safely turn the gas back on. • Seal attic and ground vents with pre-cut plywood or commercial seals. • Turn off propane tanks. • Place combustible patio furniture inside. • Connect 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 your residence. • Gather fire tools such as a rake, axe, handsaw or chainsaw, bucket, and shovel. • Back your car into the garage or park it in an open space facing the direction of escape. Shut doors and roll up windows. Leave the key in the ignition and the car doors unlocked. Close garage windows and doors, but leave them unlocked. Disconnect automatic garage door openers. • Open fireplace damper. Close fireplace screens. • Close windows, vents, doors, blinds or noncombustible window coverings, and heavy drapes. Remove flammable drapes and curtains. • Move flammable furniture into the center of the residence away from windows and sliding-glass doors. • Close all interior doors and windows to prevent drafts. • Place valuables that will not be damaged by water in a pool or pond. If advised to evacuate, do so immediately. Choose a route away from the fire hazard. Watch for changes in the speed and direction of the fire and smoke. -32 HOUSE FIRE | Before a Fire • Make sure home is free of unnecessary combustible materials. • Do not store flammable liquids inside the home. • Do not run wires under carpets or rugs. • Do not store matches or cigarette lighters where children can get them. • Do not leave cooking unattended. • If you smoke, do not smoke in bed or in other positions where you may fall asleep. Also, have many large ashtrays in the home. • Know avenues of escape. Always have two ways out of every room. • Have a place to meet so no one tries to go back into a burning building to look for someone needlessly. • Have fire extinguishers near the kitchen and the garage. • Have escape ladders for all windows higher than eight feet off the ground. • Install a smoke detector in every bedroom, in every hallway outside of a bedroom, and at least one on every level of the house. Test the smoke detectors monthly. Change the batteries in the smoke detectors in the fall when you change your clocks from daylight savings time. • Plan and practice a family fire drill on the first of each month. A good plan will have a place to meet, two ways out of every room, and escape ladders. Wildfires are a part of the natural ecosystem. The area in which homes and other human development intermingle with wild lands is referred to as the urban/wild land interface. The meeting of wild land and residential areas presents a serious threat to life and property. On August 24, 1990 the Wasatch Mountain Fire began west of Heber Valley and burned for six days. The fire burned 2,970 acres, destroyed 18 homes and killed two firefighters. Since 1990, more than 2,500 wildfires have consumed more than half a million acres of Utah land. Wildfires greatly increase the threat of flooding and mudslides by stripping the native vegetation that holds the soil in place. This decreases the soil's ability to absorb water, resulting in faster runoff from storms and snowmelts. -33