RED CROSS RESPONDS TO LARGE BRUSH FIRE

LAKE WALES (March 3, 2007) – Residents off Walk-in-Water Road off State Road 60 should not be surprised if they see a convoy of American Red Cross vehicles in their area. Red Cross disaster volunteers are out in force to make sure everyone who needs help as a result of Friday’s brush fire get the help they need.

On Friday afternoon, March 2, the American Red Cross Polk County Chapter responded to a large brush fire with shelter for evacuees and food and water for emergency responders. That evening, volunteers served approximately 500 meals, snacks and drinks to emergency personnel who had been battling the fire all day.

They also established a shelter at 324 East Central Ave., Lake Wales – adjacent to the First Baptist Church – to help evacuees who could not return home, or didn’t have a home to return to. That night, the shelter housed two people and helped a family of six.

Reportedly, as of 3 p.m. Friday, the fire had already destroyed a few homes and threatened several others. Many more were reported to have been affected, so Saturday morning, volunteers loaded up the chapter’s Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) and two chase vehicles to do outreach and family services in the areas heaviest hit by the blaze.

“We are doing outreach and family services to provide assistance where assistance is needed,” said Emergency Service Director Linda Scialo. “We will not be clearing the scene until all families have been helped.”

Florida is prone to wild fires, especially in winter and spring before summer rains replenish ground water. While home fires still top the list as the most common American Red Cross disaster response, wildfires become far more common at this time of year as vegetation dries out. The Red Cross urges every person to follow all fire safety precautions, indoors or outdoors, and to make and practice a family fire escape plan, especially from wildfire.

For more information on how to protect yourself from a wildfire or a house fire, contact your local American Red Cross Polk County Chapter at (863) 294-5941, or visit http://polkcountyfl.redcross.org for a list of American Red Cross wildfire safety tips.

All American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. You can help victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those in need. Call 1-800-RED CROSS. Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to the Polk County Chapter at 147 Avenue A, NW, Winter Haven, FL 33881 or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org.

• People start most wildfires...find out how you can promote and practice wildfire safety.
• Contact your local fire department, health department, or forestry office for information on fire laws. Make sure that fire vehicles can get to your home. Clearly mark all driveway entrances and display your name and address.
• Report hazardous conditions that could cause a wildfire.
• Teach children about fire safety. Keep matches out of their reach.
• Post fire emergency telephone numbers.
• Plan several escape routes away from your home by car and by foot.
• Talk to your neighbors about wildfire safety. Plan how the neighborhood could work together after a wildfire. Make a list of your neighbors' skills, such as medical or technical. Consider how you could help neighbors who have special needs, such as elderly or disabled persons. Make plans to take care of children who may be on their own if parents can't get home.

Protect Your Home

• Regularly clean roof and gutters.
• Inspect chimneys at least twice a year. Clean them at least once a year. Keep the dampers in good working order. Equip chimneys and stovepipes with a spark arrester that meets the requirements of National Fire Protection Association Code 211. (Contact your local fire department for exact specifications.)
• Use 1/2-inch mesh screen beneath porches, decks, floor areas, and the home itself. Also, screen openings to floors, roof, and attic.
• Install a smoke detector on each level of your home, especially near bedrooms; test monthly and change the batteries at least once each year.
• Teach each family member how to use the fire extinguisher (ABC type) and show them where it's kept.
• Keep a ladder that will reach the roof.
• Consider installing protective shutters or heavy fire-resistant drapes.
• Keep handy household items that can be used as fire tools: a rake, axe, handsaw or chainsaw, bucket, and shovel.

Before Wildfire Threatens

• Design and landscape your home with wildfire safety in mind.
• Select materials and plants that can help contain fire rather than fuel it.
• Use fire resistant or non-combustible materials on the roof and exterior structure of the dwelling. Or treat wood or combustible material used in roofs, siding, decking, or trim with UL-approved fire-retardant chemicals.
• Plant fire-resistant shrubs and trees. For example, hardwood trees are less flammable than pine, evergreen, eucalyptus or fir trees.

Create a 30- to 100-Foot Safety Zone Around Your Home.

• Within this area, you can take steps to reduce potential exposure to flames and radiant heat. Homes built in pine forests should have a minimum safety zone of 100 feet. If your home sits on a steep slope, standard protective measures may not suffice. Contact your local fire department or forestry of fice for additional information.
• Rake leaves, dead limbs, and twigs. Clear all flammable vegetation.
• Remove leaves and rubbish from under structures and dispose of them properly.
• Thin a 15-foot space between tree crowns, and remove limbs within 15 feet of the ground.
• Remove dead branches that extend over the roof.
• Prune tree branches and shrubs within 15 feet of a stovepipe or chimney outlet.
• Ask the power company to clear branches from powerlines.
• Remove vines from the walls of the home.
• Mow grass regularly.
• Clear a 10-foot area around propane tanks and the barbecue. Place a screen over the grill--use non-flammable material with mesh no coarser than one-quarter inch.
• Regularly dispose of newspapers and rubbish at an approved site. Follow local burning regulations.
• Place stove, fireplace, and grill ashes in a metal bucket, soak in water for two days, then bury the cold ashes in mineral soil.
• Store gasoline, oily rags, and other flammable materials in approved safety cans. Place cans in a safe location away from the base of buildings.
• Stack firewood at least 100 feet away and uphill from your home. Clear combustible material within 20 feet. Use only UL-approved woodburning devices.

Plan Your Water Needs

• Identify and maintain an adequate outside water source such as a small pond, cistern, well, swimming pool, or hydrant.
• Have a garden hose that is long enough to reach any area of the home and other structures on the property.
• Install freeze-proof exterior water outlets on at least two sides of the home and near other structures on the property. Install additional outlets at least 50 feet from the home.
• Consider obtaining a portable gasoline-powered pump in case electrical power is cut off.

When Wildfire Threatens

• If you are warned that a wildfire is threatening your area, listen to your battery-operated radio for reports and evacuation information. Follow the instructions of local officials.
• Back your car into the garage or park it in an open space facing the direction of escape. Shut doors and roll up windows. Leave the key in the ignition. Close garage windows and doors, but leave them unlocked. Disconnect automatic garage door openers.
• Confine pets to one room. Make plans to care for your pets in case you must evacuate.
• Arrange temporary housing at a friend or relative's home outside the threatened area.

If Advised to Evacuate, Do So Immediately

• Wear protective clothing--sturdy shoes, cotton or woolen clothing, long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, gloves, and a handkerchief to protect your face.
• Take your Disaster Supplies Kit.
• Lock your home.
• Tell someone when you left and where you are going.
• Choose a route away from fire hazards. Watch for changes in the speed and direction of fire and smoke.

If You're sure You Have Time, Take Steps to Protect Your Home

Inside:

• Close windows, vents, doors, venetian blinds or non-combustible window coverings, and heavy drapes. Remove lightweight curtains.
• Shut off gas at the meter. Turn off pilot lights.
• Open fireplace damper. Close fireplace screens.
• Move flammable furniture into the center of the home away from windows and sliding-glass doors.
• Turn on a light in each room to increase the visibility of your home in heavy smoke.

Outside:

• Seal attic and ground vents with pre-cut plywood or commercial seals.
• Turn off propane tanks.
• Place combustible patio furniture inside.
• Connect the garden hose to outside taps.
• Set up the portable gasoline-powered pump.
• Place lawn sprinklers on the roof and near above-ground fuel tanks. Wet the roof.
• Wet or remove shrubs within 15 feet of the home.
• Gather fire tools.

Emergency Supplies

When wildfire threatens, you won't have time to shop or search for supplies. Assemble a Disaster Supplies Kit with items you may need if advised to evacuate. Store these supplies in sturdy, easy-to-carry containers such as backpacks, dufflebags, or trash containers.

Include:

• A three-day supply of water (one gallon per person per day) and food that won't spoil.
• One change of clothing and footwear per person and one blanket or sleeping bag per person.
• A first aid kit that includes your family's prescription medications.
• Emergency tools including a battery-powered radio, flashlight, and plenty of extra batteries.
• An extra set of car keys and a credit card, cash, or traveler's checks.
• Sanitation supplies.
• Special items for infant, elderly or disabled family members.
• An extra pair of eyeglasses.
• Keep important family documents in a waterproof container. Assemble a smaller version of your kit to keep in the trunk of your car.

Create a Family Disaster Plan

Wildfire and other types of disasters--hurricane, flood, tornado, ealthquake, hazardous matenals spill, winter storm--can strike quickly and without warning. You can cope with disaster by preparing in advance and working together. Meet with your family to create a disaster plan. To get started. . .

Contact your local Red Cross chapter

• Find out about the hazards in your community.
• Ask how you would be warned.
• Find out how to prepare for each type of disaster.

Meet With Your Family

• Discuss the types of disasters that could occur.
• Explain how to prepare and respond to each type of disaster.
• Discuss where to go and what to bring if advised to evacuate.
• Practice what you have discussed.

Plan How Your Family Will Stay in Contact if Separated by Disaster

• Pick two meeting places:
  1. A place a safe distance from your home in case of a home fire.
  2. A place outside your neighborhood in case you can't return home.
• Choose an out-of-state friend as a "check-in contact" for everyone to call.

Complete These Steps

• Post emergency telephone numbers by every phone.
• Show responsible family members how and when to shut off water, gas, and electricity at main switches.
• Contact your local fire department to learn about home fire hazards.
• Learn first aid and CPR. Contact your local American Red Cross chapter for information and training.

Your Local Red Cross Chapter Can Provide Additional Materials in English and Spanish:

Contact your American Red Cross for more information.
Call (863) 294-5941, fax (863) 293-9626, or e-mail polkcofl@polkredcross.org.

• Linda Scialo, Polk County Chapter Emergency Services Director
• Lonalee Thompson, Polk County Chapter Emergency Services Specialist