A major fire presents two scenarios; stand and fight, or, evacuate. Do you have livestock? How many real world evacuation routes are available? Do you have a pre determined meeting place, a 3rd party telephone out of the area to use as a central message center? Are there any immediate fire threats on your property itself, ie a particularly tall tree, flagpole or other literal lightning rod? If fire should overrun your property, is there a natural or man made refuge? I stood hip deep in a stockpond holding two horses when a fast moving brushfire overran the ranch I boarded at. It is directly across from the Reagan Library, so the illusion of urban resources are often just that- both to Nature and firecrews bluntly informing you a Presidential Library on a high hill across the valley gets priority <img src="/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />