Wildfire! Be Wildfire Ready for Summer
Wildfire! Be Wildfire Ready for Summer
Learn how to be "Wildfire Ready" in summer. Tips from Idaho Power, National Park Service and Richard K. Murray. Update 6/27/24.
Wildfire: The Good, The Bad, the Beautiful
Wildfire happens. It’s often natural, sometimes unnatural (set by humans, accidentally or on purpose). Natural wildfire is a part of nature’s cycle. Many fires started by lightning are beneficial; they reduce fuels, provide wildlife habitat, and restore native species. If such fires are not threatening homes or public safety, they typically are allowed to burn. Additionally, the forest service performs “prescribed burns” to mimic the effects of natural wildfire in selected areas.
According to a National Park Service article titled The Benefits of Fire: “Fire is part of a cycle in most ecosystems. It reduces dead vegetation, stimulates new growth, and improves habitat for wildlife, many of the details park visitors imagine when they think of a national park. With fire suppression, fire was removed from the cycle and ecosystems began to get out of balance. After nearly a century of no fires, fuels, such as dead trees, pine needles, leaf litter, and shrubs built up to unnatural levels in forests. In these cases, restoring fire is no easy task; sometimes it takes additional work such as manual removal of the debris before the fire cycle can begin again.”
“Be Wildfire Ready” — Idaho Power Tips
Regardless of whether a wildfire is natural or not, one must be prepared when living or recreating in forested areas. Here are some wildfire tips from an Idaho Power ad, published in The Idaho World, page 12, on 06/19/24. Idaho World Editor Eileen Capson graciously supplied the full-sized flyer. For your convenience, we’ve also provided the ad’s text and links below.
Every summer, wildfires threaten our forests, farms, homes, and businesses. They also can cause power outages.
In extreme weather conditions, these outages could last hours or even days, especially if a public safety power shutoff (PSPS) is necessary.
Here are some tips for staying safe in a wildfire-related outage:
Update your contact information at idahopower.com/contactupdate
Prepare for medical needs like refrigerated medicine or electrically powered medical equipment. Identify emergency service providers who can help you in an outage and make sure you have reliable transportation to them. You might consider using a backup generator.
Make a plan for feeding and watering pets and livestock in case power to your well pump goes out.
Visit idahopower.com/wildfire for more tips on wildfire safety, such as how to build a summer outage kit, and to learn what Idaho Power is doing to protect the grid.
Fire Safety & Evacuation Tips
Want to know more about fire safety and evacuation? Check out the three levels of fire evacuation orders – “Ready, Set, Go” – discussed in “Wildfire Evacuation Orders” by Richard K. Murray (The Idaho World 08/02/2023 pg 12 Wildfire-Evacuation Orders)
References
in alphabetic order…
Benefits of Fire: National Park Service. U.S. Department of the Interior. National Interagency Fire Center. Idaho: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fire/upload/benefits-of-fire.pdf
Idaho Power: Wildfire Safety: idahopower.com/wildfire
Wildfire Evacuation Orders By Richard K. Murray (The Idaho World 08/02/2023 pg 12 Wildfire-Evacuation Orders https://idahoworld.com/playoffs-and-champions-of-the-adult-softball-league/
Wildland Fire Photography: https://wildland-fires.smugmug.com/