Flee, or Stay and Defend?
Flee, or Stay and Defend?
14 January 2009
published by www.voiceofsandiego.org
USA — There’s a debate brewing in Southern California about whether it’s better to evacuate during wildfires or encourage home owners to stay behind to defend their houses from stray embers.
The Los Angeles Timestook a look at the issue yesterday:
Fire chiefs in tinder-dry Southern California, faced with lean budgets while more people squeeze into the region, are starting to rethink long-standing policies on ordering mass evacuations in a wildfire, debating whether it may be wiser in some situations to let residents stay and defend their homes.
“We don’t have enough resources to put an engine at every house in harm’s way,” said Ventura County Fire Chief Bob Roper. “We figure, if people are going to stay, maybe they can become part of the solution.”
