Disaster Recipes: Wildfires 101

The 2021 wildfire season has officially started. If you're based in Australia, then you're more likely to refer to wildfires as "bushfires" — but no matter what they are called in any part of the world, they are something to be feared on a variety of levels. Wildfires are unpredictable in how they can move and expand due to the a few key factors that include wind patterns and so-called "fuel moisture content" (FMC) that's available to the fire. The winds make immediate sense, but FMCs are another story unto itself. The SJSU Fire Weather Lab tracks FMC in their region, and the following graph tells a clear and precise story that will unfortunately unfold.

If there hasn't been any rain in an area from the previous season, then the plants in the region are going to be more parched. Their moisture level is low, which means the fuel (i.e. the plants) "moisture content" is low. And that makes it easy for them to catch fire after the (normally) rainier season has subsided. When the FMC is high, then the plants are less likely to catch fire; when the FMC is low, then the conditions are ripe for wildfires to happen.

"Nearly 85 percent of wildland fires in the United States are caused by humans. Human-caused fires result from campfires left unattended, the burning of debris, equipment use and malfunctions, negligently discarded cigarettes, and intentional acts of arson." —US National Park Service (2000-2017)

Ingredients

To create a wildfire, there's a core concept commonly known as "the fire triangle" that comprises the three standard ingredients for a fire:

• Heat
• Oxygen
• Fuel
• Chemical Reaction (for fire purists there's also the "fire tetrahedron" which includes this 4th element)

Perhaps more important than the recipe for a wildfire is the means to destroy it, which is to eradicate any of the three (or four depending upon how particular you want to be) core ingredients. For example:

• Extinguishing foam can deprive the fire of fuel.
• Clearing the dry grass around a fire removes it's role as fuel.
• Water can reduce the heat, or it can disperse the fuel.
• Halon can neutralize the chemical reaction that causes fire.

Keep in mind that some solutions, when applied, can cause other problems to happen. Like you should never pour water on a oil fire atop your stove. Because the water will definitely reduce the heat, but it will also uncontrollably disperse the fuel which may still be burning.

Setup

The fire triangle makes it easy to understand what it takes to make a fire.

1. Prepare the fire in a space where there's plenty of oxygen available.
2. Provide some fuel within that space where oxygen is plentiful.
3. Generate heat so that the fuel can interact with the oxygen and catch fire.

If you're from my generation, you might remember Tom Hanks in The Castaway bringing together these three ingredients so that he can finally move from sashimi to grilled fish.

Why Do Wildfires Happen?

The majority of wildfire cases can be attributed to either careless human acts that result in starting fires. Or, also attributable to humans, when an electrical line goes down or some other technology spontaneously combusts for some reason. In a forest there's plenty of oxygen and fuel — all it takes is the 3rd member of the Fire Triangle to join the dangerous party: heat. So when you go into the forest, be sure to think of Smokey Bear's reminding you that there's never a good reason to leave a fire burning in a forest.

Nature starts fires on its own because it can generate heat, too, like from the heat of a lightning bolt spark. And there's a lot of good reasons for the way that nature leverages fire as a means to: 1/ control pests, 2/ clear room for older trees to give way to younger trees that may be blocked of light, and 3/ in some cases unlock the seed pods of certain varieties of trees (like Sequoias) that only become active when exposed to extreme heat.

Studies have shown human ignition is to blame for 84% of all wildfires in the United States, and 97% of all those that threaten homes. —Science (2020)

What To Do During A Wildfire

Keep in mind that one of the material hazards of wildfire isn't the fire itself: it's the impact that the smoke can have on your ability to breathe safely. If there's one upside of C-19, it is the fact that many of us now have masks readily available to use. So don't throw them out yet! Here are a few tips from the resource we have in the US called ready.gov:

• Sign up for community alerts to subscribe (e.g. Los Angeles or New York), or if you're in the US we have something called WEA (Wireless Emergency Alerts) that you do not need to explicitly subscribe towards for general national emergency alerts.
• Pay attention to air quality in your area — this is something that if you don't notice up front then the consequences later will be great. In the US there's airnow.gov where you can get regular information on air quality by zipcode.
• Be sure to have an evacuation plan so that your entire family is ready to move if the wildfire is headed towards you. Keep in mind that during the pandemic, and post-pandemic, situations around public areas are more complex than in the past.
• Your insurance policies and personal documents need to be safe and up to date. Keep in mind that there's your health safety and your financial safety at risk when a wildfire is involved. There's tips on how to best gather all your key info over on ready.gov.
• Because "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" it is worthwhile for you to strengthen your home. Actively consider the materials you use to be fire-resistant, keep an outdoor water source available, and have a room that can be isolated from outside air.

"Except for Antarctica no continent is free from the threat of wildfires. Australia is the most fire-prone country in the world with an average of 2,000 wildfires a year. 

When To Return After The Wildfire Subsides?

Don't go back until authorities say it's okay to do so. Keep in mind the following:

• Your smartphone can be used to document property damage.
• Always wear a mask respirator when handling ash — it's dangerous.
• Phone systems are often taxed during emergencies. Use them lightly.

It's okay to feel anxiety in these stressful situations — take care and share how you're feeling with others who will want to help you.

“I can’t overemphasize how quickly things can change during a wildfire event. If we say to get out, it’s because you really need to move. We don’t want people out of their homes if they don’t have to be. We don’t like evacuations. But when they’re necessary, they’re necessary immediately. That is something that is critically important to communicate.” —Chief Kim Zagaris the Wildfire Policy & Technology Advisor of the Western Fire Chiefs Association

Summer 2021 Update

The Lytton Wildfire devastated a part of British Columbia, and that event is visible here from NASA's Worldview tool with cached imagery here and an update from August 2 (video below the top one).

Resources From Everbridge Experts

At Everbridge, we keep people safe and organizations running. Faster.

• Developing a Wildfire Response Plan: Perspectives From The Front Lines
• The Everbridge Wildfire Preparedness Kit

Related Content

Disaster Recipes: Hurricanes 101 is now available.

Disaster Recipes: Floods 101 is now available.

References

• US/Canada FIRMS Firemap (main)
• NASA Worldview Snapshots
• NASA FIRMS
• Air quality map
• Useful tutorial
• Copernicus (Europe)
• Realtime data tutorial
• Wikipedia; The Fire Triangle
• SC.edu: The Fire Tetrahedron
• NPS.Gov: Humans and Wildfires
• Science: Human-sparked Wildfires More Destructive
• Ready.gov: Wildfires
• National Disasters Association: Wildfires Note and Connection to El Niño
• PBS: Wildfire stats
• European wildfire data
• Via Medium (Jupyter) wildfire visualization culminating in computed view
• ResearchGate: Most common in March/April