Is Montana at Risk?
Identified Hazards for the State of Montana
Basic Disaster Information:
WILDLAND FIRES
More and more, families are making their homes in or near forests, rural areas or remote mountain sites. There, homeowners enjoy the beauty of the environment; however, they also face a real danger - wildfire. A wildland fire is any instance of uncontrolled burning in grasslands, brush, or woodlands. Wildfires can be caused by lightning, human carelessness, or arson. Secondary events such as erosion, landslides, and flash floods often occur in areas which have been affected by wildland fires.
Wildfires often begin unnoticed and they spread quickly. Unfortunately, people are the cause of most wildfires. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to protect your home and family by promoting and practicing wildfire safety.
- Contact you local fire department, health department or forestry office for information on fire laws.
- Make sure that fire vehicles can access your home.
- Clearly mark all driveway entrances and display your name and address.
- Report hazardous conditions that could cause a wildfire.
- Teach children about fire safety.
- Post fire emergency telephone numbers.
- Plan several escape routes away from your home, both by car and by foot.
- Talk to your neighbors about wildfire safety. Plan how the neighborhood could work together after a wildfire. Make a list of your neighbors’ skills such as medical or technical. Consider how you could help neighbors who have special needs, such as the elderly or disabled. Make plans to take care of children who may be on their own if parents can’t get home.
The threat of wildland fires for people living near wildland areas or using
recreational facilities in wilderness areas is real. Advance planning and knowing
how to protect buildings in these areas can lessen the devastation of a wildland fire.
BEFORE -- Learn and teach safe fire practices.
- Build fires away from nearby trees or bushes.
- Always have a way to extinguish the fire quickly and completely.
- Never leave a fire--even a cigarette--burning unattended.
- Obtain local building codes and weed abatement ordinances structures built near wooded areas.
- Use fire-resistant materials when building, renovating, or retrofitting structures.
- Create a safety zone to separate the home from combustible plants and vegetation.
- Stone walls can act as heat shields and deflect flames.
- Swimming pools and patios can be a safety zone.
- Check for fire hazards around home.
- Install electrical lines underground, if possible. Keep all tree and shrub limbs trimmed so they don't come in contact with the wires.
- Prune all branches around the residence to a height of 8 to 10 feet. Keep trees adjacent to buildings free of dead or dying and moss.
- Remove all dead limbs, needles, and debris from rain gutters.
- Store combustible or flammable materials in approved safety containers and keep them away from the house.
- Keep chimney clean.
- Avoid open burning completely, and especially during dry season.
- Install smoke detectors on every level of your home and near sleeping areas.
- Make evacuation plans.
- Plan several routes in case the fire blocks escape route.
- Have disaster supplies on hand
- Develop an emergency communication plan.
- Ask an out-of-state relative or friend to serve as the "family contact."
Use Fire-Resistant Building Materials
Avoid using wooden shakes and shingles for a roof. Use tile, stucco, metal
siding, brick, concrete block, rock, or other fire-resistant materials.
Use only thick, tempered safety glass in large windows and sliding glass doors.
DURING the fire
Turn on a battery-operated radio to get the latest emergency information.
Remove combustible items from around the house.
- Lawn and poolside furniture
- Umbrellas
- Tarp coverings
- Firewood
Take down flammable drapes and curtains and close all Venetian blinds or noncombustible window coverings.
Take action to protect your home.
- Close all doors and windows inside your home to prevent draft.
- Close gas valves and turn off all pilot lights.
- Turn on a light in each room for visibility in heavy smoke.
- Place valuables that will not be damaged by water in a pool or pond.
- If hoses and adequate water are available, leave sprinklers on roofs and anything that might be damaged by fire.
Be ready to evacuate all family members and pets when fire nears or when instructed to do so by local officials.
