Last year, several wildland firefighters died when they were burned over in a wildfire in Washington (the Thirty Mile Fire). Two hikers were caught with the crew in the same fire and survived, thanks to the heroic efforts of a firefighter named Rebecca Welch. She shared her fire shelter with both of the hikers and they survived with only minor burns. Earlier this summer, a number of hikers were rescued by the Coast Guard when they got trapped by a fast moving wildfire near the Columbia River in Washington. Many communities all over the country have been threatened or actually burned over by wildfire in the past couple of years.<br><br>For those of you who live near fire prone areas (much of the Western United States especially) a fire shelter might make a good addition to your BOB. Though I've never had to deploy mine (I am ocassionally called on to fight wildfires as part of my job), hearing stories like that above convinced me of its effectiveness.<br><br>A fire shelter is a mylar-type tent designed to protect the user from the severe effects of fire in an entrapment situation. It is not a subsitute for common sense (please don't test one out for fun) and should only be used by someone trained in its use. They can be purchased by the general public through Forestry Suppliers or The Mallory Company (cost is around $80 I think). <br><br>Let me emphasize that these are only used when everything has gone wrong. No house or property is worth your life. In my opinion, when threatened by a wildfire, pay attention to the evacuation orders given by the professional firefighters and get the heck out of there. I can imagine situations, however, where the fire danger is not that clear (rapidly changing wind direction, nutball arsonists in the area (no kidding - we've had that to deal with this summer),etc.) and someone could get cut off from an escape route. It's been a long, hot, dry, scary summer. Take a look at the risks near your home and please be careful with fire (sorry about the preaching).