Ideas and Equipment for Homes at Risk from Wildfire

(This information taken directly from the Rural Fire Supply home page at http://www.nwrain.net)

Forest fires pose a serious threat to homes throughout the country. In California alone, wildfires destroyed 1,100 homes in 1993, and many others were damaged or threatened. Because so many people continue to move into urban/wildland areas, the potential for wildfire devastation is increasing.

Most people don’t fully recognize the danger fire presents in their wildland fire setting, or know what they can do to minimize the danger to their homes. Even more importantly, they don’t realize that adequate fire protection does not exist to immediately protect all the homes in most rural areas.

Rural Fire Supply was started in 1994 because [they] realized that much of the destruction could be prevented if people had access to good information and basic, reliable fire protection equipment. Rural Fire brings expertise gained over 35 years of wildland firefighting to assist with your home fire protection. [They] offer a small inventory of essential tools and equipment to help keep wildfires at bay and give firefighters a better chance to protect your home. For one of their catalogs, call toll free 1-800-488-3893, or write to Rural Fire Supply, 2522 North Proctor #115, Tacoma, WA 98406.

We at FireReport wanted to bring you this article as an additional way to educate your community against wildland fire.

Larry from Badger, CA e-mailed us with these comments: "I want to tell you I am impressed with your knowledge of rich text. In cosmetics and format alone, you get an "A". (My wife’s an English teacher)…I do have a complaint…the changing fonts drive me crazy!

Well, Larry, we’re working on dressing up FireReport, but maybe we did go a little overboard with the fonts. Thanks a million for the great comments!!

1. You can visit the International Association of Wildland Fire’s Web site at http://www.neotecinc.com/wildfire
2. Another great site is Class 1(formerly called SPAN Instruments) If your department has an E-One truck, take a look at your gauges and you’ll see Class1’s work! Visit their Web site at: http://www.class1.com
3. The Florida Division of Forestry has a neat Web site (some of our training ideas are coming from there!). You can visit them at: http://flame.doacs.state.fl.us
4. The firehouse.org is a web site built, supported, and maintained by firefighters. There is discussion, pictures, live chat, and more!! Visit them at: http://www.thefirehouse.org/
5. For information on how a firefighter can get his/her department or self on their own Web site, for a really low price, visit http://airtanker.com and to see Porterville Air Base’s web site built by this organization, visit http://airtanker.com/ptv

If you have a Web site that you like, or if you have one of your own, let us know what the address (URL) is, and we’ll put it in here too!

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