It is hard for me to say that fires are getting worse or there is just so many more people in proximity to the wild fire boundaries. Of course, the usual suspects wasted no time assigning this fire to climate change and it is our retribution for our fossil fuel reliance. I say it is waaay more complicated than that.

Early indicators say that this is another fire triggered by high winds causing sparking transmission lines in an unkempt power right away. Now we have Paradise, Maui and almost assuredly the LA fires with the same cause and deadly results. The latest conventional wisdom says to prevent these fires, turn off the power before the transmission lines spark.

Why that was not done, I don’t know. If I were to speculate I would say that it was probably too inconvenient for the residents and a lot of loud mouth, wimps that are prevalent in Southern California. That being said, let us put further blame and speculation behind us. Wild fire is no joke and survival is not a political topic.

We are very familiar with wildfire in the west. It just so happens the our fire season correlates with the dry season July – September. Being fire ready in January seems very out of mind to me. But, I suppose that is altered reality of California; nothing ever seems real.

The first step in this is to survive. Yes, there are anecdotal stories of people staying behind in Paradise and hosing down their homes with garden hoses and ultimately saving them and surviving. However, eighty-four people didn’t survive that fire. I would venture to say that more people died than survived staying home. The best tactic is to leave.

I don’t know the details and therefore it would be presumptuous of me to say that I would have been ready to leave with everything that I needed. But house fire or wild fire have the same result, so a fire plan is in order for everyone. What is your prioritized list of things to grab if you have time? Do your vehicles have enough fuel (or range) to withstand hours worth of traffic? Is there even an exit route possible when vehicles clog the roads?

I highly doubt that that it is possible to develop a perfectly, flexible plan. But thought can be a head start to reduce panic and regret. Having an assembly point, a place to go, insurance and documentation can go a long way to evacuation peace of mind. Everyone talks about the regret of losing memories, but it is often times not practical to grab that stuff before you leave unless you keep them ready to go at all times. That also seems not very practical.

I like a prepared car and a go bag would be a pretty good idea as well. This way if it is flood or fire or a zombie hoard you have a few things to hold through. Some snacks, a change of clothes, some toiletries and a deck of cards and a refillable water bottle would make life a little more comfortable for a couple of hopeful days. Those things could be ready for any emergency and a moment’s notice.

End Your Programming Routine: We all say this ‘It’s just stuff’. I sure would hate to have to make that decision but I also understand that we are not taking it with us. From that standpoint, survival is paramount. I am a big proponent of leaving when the ‘Go Now’ is given. Fortunately, I live in a very low risk area for that sort of thing but that doesn’t mean that I cannot have a house fire. Mindset. That is the most important thing.