How Wildfires Can Be Prevented? Free Essay Example

Wildfire’s begins 420 million years ago suddenly after the appearance of terrestrial plants. Due to the sudden changes in the climate, wildfires are increasing with greater intensity and are occurring more. Wildfires can be very dangerous for the property and human life. Missoula named as “Garden City” is at higher risk due to its location. It has a variety of lush trees and plants which are more likely to cause fire and damage. In this article we are going to present how wildfires can be prevented and handled to reduce damage.

Introduction

“Smoke” is a collection of particles. Particles can be solid, liquid and gas. “Wildfire” is a combination of complex mixtures of gases and particles. Wildfires can be classified and divided into hill fire, forest fire, desert fire and bush fire. It is a fire which cannot be controlled and it mostly occurs in the rural areas.

The dangerous particles in the wildfire can be very harmful for the lungs and blood.

Mostly the lungs are directly affected which also increases the cardiac issues, respiratory issues and asthma. Heart attack and stroke are more likely to occur which increase the death rate. The chemicals like benzene and formaldehyde are present in wildfire smoke, they can be very harmful and cause headache, throat issues and stomach problems etc.

Causes

The major causes of wildfire are as follows:

• Dry climate
• Lightning
• Volcanic eruption

Human plays an important role in increasing wildfires such as discarded cigarettes, sparks from electrical equipment and power line arcs etc.

The causes of wildfire varies such as in Canada lightning is the major cause of wildfire. In United States, the major source of wildfire can be both lightning and human carelessness.

Prevention

Wildfire prevention aims to reduce the risk of fires and lessen its severity and spread. It also aims to protect resources, better quality of air and maintain the balance between living organisms and their environment. The effective means to reduce unwanted wildfire is to reduce human-caused ignitions.

Following are some prevention that must be followed to protect yourself:

• Maintain the quality of local air
• Consult your guidelines
• Try to keep your indoor air as clean as possible
• Activities that increases the indoor pollution try to avoid them
• Prevent wildfires to start
• Try to follow the guidelines of your doctor
• You shouldn’t rely on dust mask for protection
• Follow the instruction of local officials
• Hide yourself from wildfire
• After fire try to protect yourself from ash and other products.
• Get a dust mask
• Avoid outdoor exercise until air becomes clear
• Purchase heap air filtration unit to reduce smoke exposure
• If you are asthma patient, be aware of taking your medicines

Who is at more risk during a wildfire

Wildfire can be more dangerous to these:

Potential effect from smoke:

For lungs:

• Chest tightness
• Shortness of breath
• Unusual fatigue
• Body pain such as pain in neck, arms, shoulders

For adults:

• Viral infections can be more severe
• Increased chances of bacteria
• Cough

For children:

• Severe damage to lungs which are in development phase
• Inhale more chemicals while playing outdoor such as running

How to Fight With Wildfire Smoke

In the lifecycle of forests, the most important part is forest fires. Main reason of wildfire smoke is human negligence. If a forest fire begins, you should contact the authorities and try to keep yourself safe.

Following are some ways to fight with wildfire smoke quickly and safely:

Control Line

The most important component of wildfire crackdown is control lines. Control lines are the boundaries which are made by man or naturally. These are helpful to know where and how a wildfire spreads.

Burning Out

A burnout is one of a few different ways to support a control line and further keep a burst from getting away from the built up limits.

Mop-Up

When there is a wildfire, the firefighters go back and clean up along a completed control line is known as mop-up.

Fireline Explosives

Firefighter use explosives to break the dense trees, brush and plants. Explosives can be very helpful to break the trees which are more likely to cross the control line.