There has been much debate recently regarding whether people should evacuate their homes ahead of a fast moving wildfire or “Stay and Defend” their property. When the fire department and law enforcement order an evacuation, the situation is very serious and the emergency responders are concerned for people’s lives and firefighter’s safety. When such an order is given, please leave the area as quickly as possible. Incident Commanders are trained and experienced at assessing the many factors that influence the spread and volatility of a fire of “evacuation” magnitude. Usually, it’s the weather (strong wind and low humidity) that creates the most extreme fire behaviour although the type of vegetation (trees, brush and grass) and topography also play significant roles in how and where a fire burns.
Much of the current debate comes from southern California and Australia, where housing subdivisions have been constructed in fire-prone areas. These subdivisions were built with fire ignition resistant materials (tile roofs, stucco siding, screen covered vents, no decks, and fire-rated glass in windows) and techniques (the subdivisions are surrounded by irrigated lawn landscaping and often a concrete block wall). Officials have worked with the residents on plans to stay in their homes while a fire moves through the area. Specific training and guidelines are established for such conditions.
In contrast, many of the homes in the Scotts Valley area are intermixed with trees and natural surroundings. With few exceptions, clearance of brush, tree limbs, grass, and ground litter are managed on an individualproperty basis and not designed to protect an entire subdivision from exposure from fire in the surrounding flammable vegetation.
When a fire of this magnitude passes through an area, the sky turns black; the smoke is extremely thick and choking and contains many burning embers swirling throughout. The heat becomes excruciatingly brutal. In many instances, people who fully intended to stay and defend their homes change their minds when they experience this intensity. Some have left their homes when environmental and burning conditions are at their worst. Many people become disoriented due to the chaos and become overrun by the fire while trying to make a last minute getaway. The added vehicles on the road hinder the response of firefighters trying to get into the fire. This was the case during the Oakland Hill’s Tunnel fire (1991) and, more recently, those fires in Australia that were seen on the news where over 200 people perished.
Our first priority is to get everyone out alive (including pets and livestock), and the best way to do that is to evacuate well ahead of a fire. Remember - an evacuation order will only be given when necessary and must be taken very seriously. Our goal is to make the area safe so that we can confidently allow people back into their homes as quickly as possible.
If you have not registered your cell phone for emergency notifications, please take a few minutes and go to www.sccecc.org to link your address to your cell phone for such notifications. If you don’t have computer access, call 831.438.0211 and we will link your cell phone to your address. We use this system, along with door to door contact by law enforcement, to implement emergency evacuation notices.
