How to Survive a Wildfire
Remain calm., Protect your airways., Determine three courses of action., Head for non-flammable terrain., Avoid high-burn places., Hunker down if trapped.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Remain calm.
The situation is extremely dangerous, but panicking will only hinder your ability to adapt to the situation and survive.Breathing techniques are an excellent way to keep calm, if the air is not too smoky already.
Take a deep breath in for four seconds, then exhale slowly for four seconds.
Repeat until you feel more calm and in control, but again, if the air is already smokey you should not take deep breaths.Remain confident in your ability to escape and survive.
Your mental condition will be an important factor in determining your ability to make it out alive. -
Step 2: Protect your airways.
This is the most important thing you can do to ensure your safety.
Even if the fire continues to advance, you still have a chance of escaping if you can breathe.
As soon as you start inhaling smoke and carbon monoxide, you're going to risk passing out and dying.Stay low to the ground.Cover your nose and mouth with a wet cloth, and hold it there until you get to safer grounds.If you are hiking, you should have water and some type of cloth with you, like a bandanna.
Pour water over the bandanna and use it as a makeshift "respirator" until you escape. , If time and your mental condition allow it, try to formulate three different escape plans.
Then you can quickly assess each of the options to find the most advantageous escape route, and if the situation changes and you need to adjust your plans you will already have two backups.Remember that the most dangerous places to be in relation to the fire are uphill from the flames and downwind from the fire.
Try to stay upwind of the fire at all times.Use the wind as a guide.
If the wind is blowing past you and toward the fire, then run into the wind.
If the wind is behind the fire and blowing toward you, run perpendicular to the fire so that you are escaping both the actual flames and the course they will blow towards.Remember that winds can carry sparks and start new mini-fires up to one mile ahead of the existing flames.
Do not allow yourself to become surrounded by fire., If at all possible, head for the nearest, biggest area that is unlikely to burn.
While the fire is probably wide and sweeping, it needs combustible material like trees, brush, and tall grass to burn.Look for nearby areas that are free of trees and brush.
If you can put a water body between you and the fire, do so.Places which have already burned are sometimes the safest place to go, if you do not have any other options.
However, you should ensure that the area is completely extinguished before proceeding, as lingering fires could cause burns and breathing problems., As you flee the fire, you'll need to avoid places that could leave you trapped once the fire advances.
If at all possible, avoid areas choked with a lot of vegetation, as these will almost certainly burn.Low-lying areas are generally considered safer, if there is not a lot of vegetation there.Stay away from canyons, natural "chimneys," and saddle-like ridges.
These areas leave very few options if the fire suddenly spreads around you, and a canyon could leave you trapped in a dead end., If the fire surrounds you, or if there is no place safe to head toward, your safest option may be to hunker down in an area that will not burn.
However, if you are able to continue fleeing the fire and heading toward safety, you should do so.
If at all possible, take refuge in a building or vehicle.If you are near a body of water, like a river or pond, seek safety in the water or use it to keep some distance between you and the fire.
Fire will not burn across the water, unless it is a narrow creek with a lot of overhanging trees.If you are near a road or ditch but cannot follow the road to safety due to the width of the fire, you may be safest using the road as a barrier.
Unless there are overhanging branches, the fire will take time to spread across the pavement.
If you become trapped, lie face-down on the pavement as far from the fire as you can get.
If there is a ditch on the far side of the road, lie in the ditch face-down.When you hunker down, try to cover your body with anything that will protect you from the fire.
Wet clothing or a wet blanket are useful, but in a pinch even covering the back of your body with soil or mud may help keep you cool in the intense heat.Stay down until the fire passes. -
Step 3: Determine three courses of action.
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Step 4: Head for non-flammable terrain.
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Step 5: Avoid high-burn places.
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Step 6: Hunker down if trapped.
Detailed Guide
The situation is extremely dangerous, but panicking will only hinder your ability to adapt to the situation and survive.Breathing techniques are an excellent way to keep calm, if the air is not too smoky already.
Take a deep breath in for four seconds, then exhale slowly for four seconds.
Repeat until you feel more calm and in control, but again, if the air is already smokey you should not take deep breaths.Remain confident in your ability to escape and survive.
Your mental condition will be an important factor in determining your ability to make it out alive.
This is the most important thing you can do to ensure your safety.
Even if the fire continues to advance, you still have a chance of escaping if you can breathe.
As soon as you start inhaling smoke and carbon monoxide, you're going to risk passing out and dying.Stay low to the ground.Cover your nose and mouth with a wet cloth, and hold it there until you get to safer grounds.If you are hiking, you should have water and some type of cloth with you, like a bandanna.
Pour water over the bandanna and use it as a makeshift "respirator" until you escape. , If time and your mental condition allow it, try to formulate three different escape plans.
Then you can quickly assess each of the options to find the most advantageous escape route, and if the situation changes and you need to adjust your plans you will already have two backups.Remember that the most dangerous places to be in relation to the fire are uphill from the flames and downwind from the fire.
Try to stay upwind of the fire at all times.Use the wind as a guide.
If the wind is blowing past you and toward the fire, then run into the wind.
If the wind is behind the fire and blowing toward you, run perpendicular to the fire so that you are escaping both the actual flames and the course they will blow towards.Remember that winds can carry sparks and start new mini-fires up to one mile ahead of the existing flames.
Do not allow yourself to become surrounded by fire., If at all possible, head for the nearest, biggest area that is unlikely to burn.
While the fire is probably wide and sweeping, it needs combustible material like trees, brush, and tall grass to burn.Look for nearby areas that are free of trees and brush.
If you can put a water body between you and the fire, do so.Places which have already burned are sometimes the safest place to go, if you do not have any other options.
However, you should ensure that the area is completely extinguished before proceeding, as lingering fires could cause burns and breathing problems., As you flee the fire, you'll need to avoid places that could leave you trapped once the fire advances.
If at all possible, avoid areas choked with a lot of vegetation, as these will almost certainly burn.Low-lying areas are generally considered safer, if there is not a lot of vegetation there.Stay away from canyons, natural "chimneys," and saddle-like ridges.
These areas leave very few options if the fire suddenly spreads around you, and a canyon could leave you trapped in a dead end., If the fire surrounds you, or if there is no place safe to head toward, your safest option may be to hunker down in an area that will not burn.
However, if you are able to continue fleeing the fire and heading toward safety, you should do so.
If at all possible, take refuge in a building or vehicle.If you are near a body of water, like a river or pond, seek safety in the water or use it to keep some distance between you and the fire.
Fire will not burn across the water, unless it is a narrow creek with a lot of overhanging trees.If you are near a road or ditch but cannot follow the road to safety due to the width of the fire, you may be safest using the road as a barrier.
Unless there are overhanging branches, the fire will take time to spread across the pavement.
If you become trapped, lie face-down on the pavement as far from the fire as you can get.
If there is a ditch on the far side of the road, lie in the ditch face-down.When you hunker down, try to cover your body with anything that will protect you from the fire.
Wet clothing or a wet blanket are useful, but in a pinch even covering the back of your body with soil or mud may help keep you cool in the intense heat.Stay down until the fire passes.
About the Author
Alexander Williams
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow cooking tutorials.
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