We’re going camping in Oregon this weekend to see the eclipse. Last year around this time there were 14 separate wild fires burning: with millions of new visitors to the area for the eclipse I can only imagine how many fires may be burning this time.
We will be camping right next to a river so hopefully we will have the option of getting into the water if our camping site itself is threatened. I’ve read differing opinions about sheltering in a vehicle during a wildfire with some saying it can protect you from the heat and others insisting the threat of ignition from the gasoline tank is too great …
I’m also wondering about other survival options, what we should bring, etc. I’ve got a short wave radio with automatic NOAA alerts, we’ll be bringing extra water and food in case we get stuck … What about something like this?
Any suggestions? Anything else we should consider? ( Yes, the safest would be to simply stay home, but the family is pretty determined to go. ) Thanks in advance for potentially helping save our lives.
I actually encountered two wildfires in my native Germany when I visited in my teenage years.
Make sure to keep a wet cloth over your nose and mouth, if a fire does start. Protection from smoke is key.
Do not wear clothes that are flammable, like cotton. You might also want to avoid polyester, in case of a fire, it can melt on you. During that wildfire, I actually took off my polyester t shirt I was wearing. Kinda dumb in hindsight, but I was so scared of it melting on me.
If you do plan ahead, you should bring plenty of food and water. A portable charger for your phones might be a good idea, too.
If you hear of one, get the hell out. Don’t risk it. They can spread very fast.
The short wave radio can actually charge cellphones (has a hand crank, solar, etc) so we have that. Polyester won’t be an issue but I’m pretty sure all my t-shirts are made of cotton …
:dubious: What material can clothing be made of that doesn’t melt or burn?
The OP’s Amazon search was for fire survival, but I don’t think the result he linked to is a fireproof shelter; it’s just a wilderness survival shelter that includes a fire starter kit, which explains the search term match.
Looking at the price tag for the above product, I’m not even sure that’s gonna cut it. If you Google “wildfire shelter,” you start getting results for the sort of thing that smokejumpers use, like this, and the price tag for that is quite a bit higher, near $400.
Presumably they come with instructions, but as I recall, smokejumpers try to seal the edges down to the ground as best they can, then form a small triangle with the thumbs and index fingers of both hands, and breath slowly from the pocket of air those digits form against the ground. The idea is that this provides a smidge of cooling to help prevent you from inhaling any superheated air that might enter your little fire shelter, which would sear your lungs. ISTR the violent convective winds as the fire passes can make it difficult to keep the edges of the shelter firmly against the ground.
As previously noted, a vehicle will not protect you against intense fire. Nor will just sheltering in water if you are surrounded by flammable material; lakes and streams are naturally low areas in the terrain where thick smoke will settle. Using a wetted bandana or cloth will help filter out the large particulate materials but will not help you if the air is full of smoke.
The only way to assuredly protect yourself against a wildfire is not to be in the area where the fire is or directly downwind or uphill of it. People caught in wildfires often go uphill looking for clear land, but that is generally a mistake unless you can get above the treeline because the updraft caused by heating will encourage the fire to flow up. You are better off looking for a large clear or rocky area with as little foliage as possible and sheltering in place if you cannot escape the fire zone. Building firebreaks against expansion is generally ineffective without a large crew tools, as fires can jump thirty feet or more in high winds.
The best way to protect yourself against wildfires is to maintain awareness of potential fires in the area and take suitable measures to prevent causing a fire yourself (properly clearing and banking campfires, carrying a shovel and fire extinguisher with you, or just not having a campfire if the climate is hot and dry, making sure that off-highway vehicles have spark arresters and don’t leak flammable fluids, et cetera). You are not going to fight or effectively shelter against a large wildfire and no amount of preparation will change that.
About clothing, for working in a laboratory around open flame and inflammable solvents we were told to avoid polyester and synthetics and wear cotton, under the rationale that while cotton may scorch and burn, it won’t melt and stick to your body like synthetic fibers. Not sure how or if that advice applies to wildfires, but there it is.
If there is advice from local nature authorities like that the weather is too hot and dry and therefore campers are prohibited from lighting any kind of fire, cigarettes, gas or kerosene stoves, etc, make damn sure you listen to them.
I have more than 30 years experience in wildland fires.
Are you camping on private land or public land?
In either case, if you stay attuned to your radio and regularly talk with the local inhabitants, you will be fine. If camping on public land, do not do off-road or wilderness camping. Camp only at official campgrounds. If fire conditions change where there is a threat of, or actual, fire evacuation, authorities will find you ahead of time. If you just go hike off into the woods, if threatened by fire your chances of getting caught in it go way, way up.
There are no fire shelters you can buy anywhere that will save you in a fire. Actual real, wildland fire shelters are not available to the general public. Plus, you have to be trained in deploying a shelter, surviving in a shelter, etc. Even so, trained fire fighters have died in their fire shelters. It’s not guaranteed you will survive.
Sorry, I meant to respond to the rest of what you wrote as well. The lake we will be by seems relatively out in the open and I have read of people surviving fires by submerging in large bodies of water. You have to stay submerged as much as possible, only come up for air, etc.
I’m not worried we will start a fire but there will be hundreds of thousands of other people coming to see the eclipse and I’m sure some of them will be less careful …
Exactly the sort of person I was hoping would respond! We are camping on public land and we are not going off road or into the wilderness. I will not waste my time or money looking at “fire blankets” on Amazon anymore thanks to your and others advice.
This part: In either case, if you stay attuned to your radio and regularly talk with the local inhabitants, you will be fine.
… literally helped me breathe a sigh of relief. I’m trying to take whatever reasonable precautions I can without going overboard (buying useless fire blankets, etc) but I will have my short wave radio with NOAA alerts and will be listening to it intently.
Forgot to ask: if we did end up trapped, what is your opinion of sheltering in a vehicle? I keep reading differing opinions with some say your chances are better in the vehicle (cutting down on smoke inhalation, etc) and others saying you are better off on foot …
The big problem this weekend and Monday in Oregon will be clogged roads … if we have a wildfire, there may be no escape by vehicle … but on the bright side we’re due on-shore air flow which should mitigate some of the wildfire threat … or at least we’ll know the fire will work west-to-east …
Exceptionally good idea post here for all this wonderful advice … thanks all who replied … some forests are shut down due to fire threat … open fires are banned in other forests … the biggest threat will be from people driving their cars off the pavement into tall dry grass … lacking anyplace else to park …
Everyone be super careful in Oregon, Idaho and Wyoming … this is the heart of fire season in The West …
In fact, those shelters are a desperate last refuge even for a woodland firefighters and they don’t have much regard for the hthe efficacy of those shelters in an intense fire that they can’t otherwise evac from.
Brother is a firefighter, currently evacuated from his home due to wildfire hazard in British Columbia. They have been told that hanging out in the lake or river is no help, as the winds created by the fire can be hazardous and hypothermia can be a problem if you’re there very long, say more than 30 minutes.
Of course much depends on the size and speed of the fire, but they can go from, “hey, let’s just pee on that” to “we need to evacuate the town” very quickly. As others have noted, evacuation can be a problem if roads are clogged–or cut off by fire. These fires are unpredictable and can jump the containment areas. In BC now it is common to hear news reports along the lines of “The containment fire set to combat the blaze at Logan Lake is now uncontained and out of control.”
Thanks for responding. Roads being clogged + fire is my main concern. As for staying in the water for more than 30 minutes, I’ve read that wildfires are relatively fast moving so (hopefully?) we would not need to stay immersed for that long …
You may also end up being a hazard to others. Here in BC, they will not dump water or fire retardant if they know people are in the area.
On a lighter note, several years ago an acquaintance snuck into a restricted fire zone to go camping. Happily fishing on the lake, he looked back and saw smoke and flames heading towards his camp. He raced back to the camp, hitched up his tent trailer to his jeep, and pulled out, not even putting down the tent. Since it was a restricted area and no one knew he was there, they dropped the bright red retardant, covering him with the stuff. He drove to town and went to the bar for a drink. When people saw him covered with the retardant, they knew he had been in the restricted area, and promptly beat him up. When the police showed up, they arrested him…