Preparing for Wildfires!

This month I talk about “How to Prepare for Wildfires. Every natural disaster is upsetting but nothing feels like the end of the world like a wildfire. Wildfires reproduce with amazing efficiency by sending hot floating embers to spawn new fires miles away.  They’re capable of creating their own winds and their own weather.  The riskiest state for wildfires are, California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Idaho and you guessed it Montana.  Over the last 6 years we’ve had three seasons with substantially higher loss than in the last 40 years. From the 1980’s through the early 2000’s the US experienced about 3 million acres burned annually.  Since 2004 that average is closer to 6.8 million acres per year.

So how do you prepare your home?  Many of you who are moving into Montana from out of state are settling in mountainous and forested areas where the threat of Wildfire is most threatening. In the book, “How to Prepare for Climate Change” by David Pogue, he walks you through virtually everything you can do to prepare for Wildfires, Floods, Extreme heat, Heavy smoke and more.

In chapter 13 he covers topics like, Know how to get warned, Know how to evacuate, Gather the family and pets, Call the neighbors, Close up the House-Tightly, Invite the firefighters, Clear off the deck, Wet everything, Shut off gas propane or fuel, Dress for fire, Move the cars, Open the animal’s gates, Tell somebody out of town, Keep your receipts, Finish off your go bags and

Know where to go!

As we endure yet another very difficult and disturbing fire season in western Montana it warrants taking a very serious and pragmatic approach to protecting ourselves, our loved ones, our friends and neighbors, our home and our possessions.  “An ounce of Prevention is worth a Pound of Cure” couldn’t be more relevant than ever in our lives.