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The safety of your campers and staff and
anyone who may be on your property are your
primary responsibility. Review your risk
management plan for camp evacuation and
coordinate with appropriate local authorities.
Many of the suggestions below may already
be in your risk management plan. Some may
or may not apply to your particular situation.
For more information about what other camps
have done when called to evacuate, please
read "Forest
Fire: A Crisis Reality for Camp."
The following information, provided by Markel
Insurance Company, offers suggestions as
to what you can do if your camp is called
to evacuate due to a forest fire.
Fire Evacuation - What
You Need to Know
During wildfire season, you may be forced
to evacuate your home or business. Most
fire evacuations seem to provide at least
a three-hour notice. People are your first
priority - you can take steps before and
during an evacuation to reduce anxiety and
avoid injuries. You can also make your site
more fire resistant. Visit the National
Interagency Fire Center for fire status
information and the National
Weather Service for your area's drought
conditions.
Before the Evacuation
- Coordinate with the American Red Cross
and emergency agencies (such as FEMA)
and give them the locations of your evacuation
sites. Prepare and post route maps for
each site.
- Consider forming a cooperative agreement
with another site in your region to share
resources and serve as an evacuation site.
- Prepare and post alternate route maps.
In case of a large fire, you may need
to use "Plan B."
- Work with your regional Forest Service
to train staff on emergency procedures
during offsite trips, such as trail rides
and hikes. Train staff to avoid areas
such as closed-in box canyons during fires.
Visit www.firewise.org for training information
and resources.
- Identify key equipment to be evacuated,
including computers.
- Prep a four-day supply of water and
easily prepared food.
During the Evacuation
- Explain your evacuation procedures.
Arrange for people to communicate with
their families.
- Identify special medical needs and gather
necessary supplies, including trauma supplies.
- Make sure you have enough vehicles to
evacuate everyone safely.
- Equip staff with emergency communications
equipment (cell phones, whistles).
- Load key equipment, food and water.
- Warn firefighters of underground fuel
storage or LP gas tanks before you leave
the site.
- Locate all emergency equipment for ready
access.
- If you have horses or livestock, consider
evacuating them or setting them loose
in the safest areas. For horses, consider
adding a two-day supply of feed.
After the Fire - Filing
Claims
- Gather your important records, which
may include your computer.
- Using a video or disposable camera,
photograph buildings, interiors, and contents
to help you document what was lost in
the fire.
It is important to remember to provide
updates throughout the evacuation process,
especially if camp is in session. Posting
regular updates on your Web site, or via
social networking sites will help answer
questions and ease concerns for parents
and families.
Resources
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