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).

>>>>sorry about the preaching<br><br>Forester,<br>As far as I'm concerned, preach away. :-)<br><br>I had never even heard of a fire shelter before reading your post, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Thanks for the education!

I held a red card for wild land fire fighting right up to the time of my retirement and also have occasionally fought fires as part of my job (NPS archeologist). I am by no means an expert, since "occasionally" is the important work in the above sentence. When I did get my red card training (1993), I noticed with some amusement that only three people in our class of forty were even alive when I held my first NPS job, which was firefighter (one summer only). We didn't even have Nomex then.<br><br>I don't think that a fire shelter is a cost effective purchase. As you point out, training in the use of the shelter is required, and even then they do not always work - -people in deployed shelters have been overcome. Having purchased the shelter, where do you get the training?<br><br>Unless you are equipped, trained, and detailed to the fire as part of the operation, the best thing to do is to bug out when in the way of a fire.<br><br>I live in SoCal, and fires are high on my list of possible emergencies requiring my attention (right up there with earthquakes). In response to one nearby fire, I had the car packed and ready to go, in accord with our prepared plan, complete with sleeping three year old right on top of the pile. That was the night four units spent the night in the lot across the street. I did not feel then, or now, the need for a fire shelter.<br><br>Keeping the brush cleared from around structures, and other standard procedures, is probably more important in preserving life and property. You need a cleared area, the bigger the better, to deploy the fire shelter anyway.<br><br>Every situation is different, and there probably are situations where a fire shelter would make sense for the non-firefighter, but don't get your hopes up - they are not a panacea. If you do plan to get a shelter, a first purchase should be Nomex clothing, sturdy leather gloves, and be sure to wear non-synthetic socks and underclothing. Now those I do have.

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.