"Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires!" I'm sure you've heard that before. Well Smokey the Bear is right.
For a Californian, the term, "State of Emergency," is becoming way too common of a term. In case you don't know, California is being ravaged by wildfires. We have twenty-two separate fires burning right now, of which only two are contained. Seven of these are in San Diego County, two in Camp Pendleton Military Base, two in Riverside County, five in Los Angeles County, one in Santa Barbara County, one in Orange County, and five in San Bernadino County. President Bush, the director of Homeland Security, and the director of FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, are coming out on October 25th to tour the damage. That's how bad the situation is out here.
Some of these fires are caused by careless mistakes. They become so terrible due to weather conditions. The winds spread fire and make it so helicopters can't make water drops. There's a lot of dry brush due to drought. These conditions combined with careless citizens and arsonists make a recipe for disaster, a very bad disaster.
Let's sidetrack to Orange County, shall we? Living here, I know the most about this fire. About a year ago, I was under voluntary evacuation due to the large Windy Ridge Fire. I saw flames from my bedroom. I'm also a volunteer at the local nature center and other wilderness parks. Although the nature center was never burned, the wilderness park, Santiago Oaks Regional Park and Weir Canyon Wilderness Park, a few thousand feet from it, were 90% destroyed. Having toured the area myself, I can testify almost nothing is left. The only thing growing is Laurel Sumac, a fire-regenerative bush. Fire-regenerative means the plant releases it's seeds when it catches on fire, multiplying itself after the fire.
The area that's burning now is Santiago Canyon . I was watching the news this morning, when I saw one of the worst pictures I could have seen. It was of an access gate, which I had used to perform maintenance for a different park, in flames. The area I worked so hard on was gone. Just like that. Anyways, let's continue on how to prevent these fires.
Most areas at risk for fires have a sign that says the area is at risk for fire danger, tells you the current danger, limits the use of fire or bans it all together. Let's look at examples:
Okay, I think you get the point. If you see these signs, they should only be a reminder. You all know better than to play with fire. Don't try lighting leaves on fire with a magnifying glass and don't play with fireworks. It's flat out dangerous. And, how would you like to be accountable for putting thousands of human lives at risk? Hundreds of structures? Destroying an entire ecosystem that will take years to recuperate? Your own family? When you light a fire, it's called arson, and it is a crime, a serious crime.
So, if you see a fire, or someone deliberately cause a fire (arson), tell your parents and call 911 immediately. Also, check to see if your parents have an emergency plan, so that if any disaster occurs, you can get out safely.
This article is dedicated to all those who have gone through the pain of losing something to a forest fire, to those currently under evacuation, and to the many firefighters risking their lives to save our communities.
Stay safe and be prepared,
Eric5675
