Fire requires heat, fuel and oxygen. It produces smoke, heat and toxic gases. It may spread by heating its surroundings through direct contact (conduction), through rising gas and smoke (convection) or through heat rays (radiation). Convection is usually the most serious of these forms of heat transfer.
Most people know these facts, but I guess I’m not “most people”. For YEARS, I had been burning leaves in my backyard fire pit, NEVER removing the ashes. Some of you can probably see where this is going.
Whenever I burned anything in the pit, all I got was a lot of smoke. I didn’t realize that although the fire had heat and fuel, it lacked oxygen – hence the smoke. I’ll be spending a great deal of time removing ashes from my pit before I burn anything else.
The best protection from fire is prevention. Carelessness with lit cigarettes and burning matches is the cause of many fires. The sun shining through an abandoned bottle or a piece of broken glass can start a blaze in a dry season.
I actually bought a magnifying glass to use as a passive fire starter while I was raking leaves. It took a while since it was the autumn, but it eventually ignited my fire pit with little effort on my part.
Fire can strike anywhere – at any time. Precautions should always be taken. Vehicles and buildings SHOULD ALWAYS be equipped with fire extinguishers. Equipment for beating out flames should be found in numerous places. You should know how to use it.
Escape Route
If caught in an area where fire is raging, and when it is far too late to put it out yourself, do NOT immediately flee – unless the fire is so close there is no choice. Look at your surroundings, check what you have and make an intelligent decision. Don’t panic.
Although you may feel that clothing hinders your movement, do NOT discard it because it will help shield you from the full force of radiated heat.
Look at which way the smoke is blowing – it will indicate the direction of the wind and the fire will be traveling fastest in that direction. If the wind is blowing away from you but towards the fire then move INTO the wind. Head for any natural fire break – such as a thick line of trees – where the flames should be stopped.
A river is the BEST fire break – even if the flames can leap it, you will be reasonably safe in the water. In national parks or other planned forestry systems look for the roadways and fire breaks.
Do NOT run wildly. Choose your escape route. Check the surrounding terrain and the wind direction to assess the possible spread of the fire.
If the wind is blowing towards you, the fire is likely to travel more quickly in your direction – and the flames can leap a larger gap. Fire travels faster uphill so do NOT make for higher ground. Try to go around the fire if possible – but some forest fires burn on a front several miles wide. If you can neither avoid or out-distance the blaze, take refuge in a large clearing, deep ravine, gulley, or even an artificial/man-made waterway.
Into The Fire
Sometimes the best escape route may be to run THROUGH the flames. This is impossible if they are very intense and the area covered by the actual fire is great.
In a large clearing or on heathland, however, it may be possible to run through less dense fire to refuge on the already burned-out land. Cover as much exposed skin as you can and if you have water available tip some over you to damp down clothing, hair and any flesh you have not been able to cover. Dampen a piece of cloth to cover your nose and mouth.
Thick vegetation will burn fiercely and slow you down – so choose the spot for your breakthrough with care. Make up your mind, then do not delay. Take a deep breath. Cover your nose and mouth to keep out smoke and RUN.
Going To Earth
If there is no natural break or gully in which to shelter and the fire is too deep to think of running through it, you may have to seek the protection of the earth itself – as odd as it may seem.
People have survived fierce fires by digging themselves in and covering themselves with earth, allowing the fire to burn over top of them although this is usually a desperate, last-choice option. The risk is considerable, not just from heat but from suffocation as fire burns up oxygen.
If you find yourself in this situation, scrape as much of a hollow as you can, throwing the earth on to a coat or cloth if you have one, then pull the cloth over you with its earth covering. Cup your hands over your mouth and nose and breath through them. This won’t increase the amount of oxygen, but it will cool down and filter the very hot air and sparks, which can damage the respiratory system. Try to hold your breath as the fire passes over.
Stay In A Vehicle
If caught in a vehicle with fire burning outside (e.g. forest fire), stay inside and keep the windows tightly shut and turn off the ventilation system. The car will give you some protection from radiant heat. Drive away from the fire if you can but, if immobilized, stay put.
People have survived by staying in a vehicle until the glass began to melt, by which time the fire had moved beyond them. If they had panicked and run into the fire they would have died.
Yes – there is a danger of a gas tank exploding – but your chances for survival are much greater than outside, if the fire is intense around the vehicle.
Fight Fire With Fire
It may be possible to use the fire to create protection, if there is no way of getting out of the path of the fire or of going through it – but it is still some distance away.
The technique is to burn a patch of ground before the main fire reaches it. With nothing left to burn, the flames can not advance, giving you a place of refuge. The main fire must be sufficiently far away for this strategy to work. Your fire must burn enough space so the main fire cannot jump around your patch when it arrives.
Light your own fire along as wide a line as possible – at least 33ft (10m), but 330ft (100m) would be better. It will burn in the same direction as the main fire, creating a break which you can move into. Make sure you determine the wind direction correctly.
Winds may be swirling and fires create their own powerful drafts, so, in a worse case, you may still have to make a dash through your own flames. The main fire must be far enough away from your own fire to burn and pass. Do NOT underestimate the speed at which flames travel – they may be approaching faster than you can run. Do NOT light another fire unless you are desperate and fairly certain of the outcome.