I agree that a fire shelter isn't a good choice for most people. I work around an increasing number of people who live out in the woods ("urban fringe" is the popular term). Most of these folks will probably bug out when fire threatens (good for them - that is what we do even on the fire line). I've met way too many who don't take fire seriously. Many more live at the end of long, narrow roads with no other means of escape. I still remember watching news accounts of the Oakland Hills fire and all the trouble people had evacuating. I would imagine that the hikers caught in the Thirty Mile fire wouldn't have minded having their own shelter (a rare case to be sure).<br><br>So who should get a fire shelter? I can't answer that. I was surprised to see that they were available to the public. I would put this piece of equipment in a specialty category - use it only if you have evaluated your own living situation and feel there is an unacceptable risk. A shelter shouldn't be purchased by someone unwilling to follow the rest of hikerdon's suggestions (excellent suggestions and thank you for the reply). Like I said, the shelter is used only when everything else has gone wrong.<br><br>Training is available for the motivated. The training most firefighters receive is watching a video and practicing with a practice shelter. The Forest Service has an excellent publication called "Your Fire Shelter" that explains it well. Your local rural fire department could get the video and practice shelters.<br><br>A fire shelter is probably an unlikely purchase for most folks. At the very least, you know it's available and I got the opportunity to spread a little fire safety message (which was not something I was compensated for - just something I believe in). End of sermon.