It’s been a wet spring here in the Rockies this year, which can be a double-edged sword. For those of us residing in the mountains, it provides comfort regarding the oncoming wildfire season. The longer and the wetter it stays in spring, the better the chance of staving off wildfires. Traditionally, June and September pose the greatest risk of wildfires. You would think that the hottest months of July and August would be the most worrisome, but those are the time of Colorado’s “monsoon” season, when we can receive several inches of rain.
But a wet spring can lull me into a false sense of security, that I really don’t have to worry about fire season, when the truth is just a few days of dry, warm and windy weather can make all those tall green grasses turn tinder dry. That’s why I’m making sure our “fire boxes” are ready now. I’d never heard the term fire boxes before moving to Nederland. I was out walking the dogs a couple of years ago in late March and stopped to talk to our neighbors. They were one of the first residents in our neighborhood and have lived her for almost 30 years. She talked about it being the time to get the fire boxes together. So what exactly are “fire boxes”?
I wish I’d known about fire boxes before we ever moved into our home, because it would have saved some angst that first summer here in Nederland. The story of what happened when we first experienced wildfires is a good example of why fire boxes are important and what they are. The Four Mile Canyon Fire broke out just five weeks after we moved into our home. We were on pre-evacuation, but weren’t forced to leave. A week after that fire was contained, a small fire broke out a mere mile from our house. The police came by and told us we needed to be out in ten minutes.
My mind was racing — what should we take? With so little time to prepare, it was hard to think. We grabbed the pets, our lap tops, and for some ridiculous reason, I took my wedding dress. We didn’t have an necessities, like toiletries, medications, underwear or anything else, nor the irreplaceable items that carried the most meaning to me.
Packing fire boxes insures you have the things that are necessary, and the things that can’t get replaced. When I had time to think what I really wanted to take, it came down to just a few things. Furniture, clothing, and most other things could be replaced. What couldn’t be? It’s a good idea to put several days of clothing, prescriptions, etc. into a bag or box, so that if you do have to leave quickly, you’ll at least be able to get through a few days. But in addition to those, when I reflected on things that meant the most to me, it was photos that don’t have digital backups and can’t be replaced, and a collection of Christmas ornaments. The ornaments meant a lot to me, because many were given to me by my mom and dad over the years, or were collected by me during my travels around the world. They can’t be replaced, because of where they came from and the memories they represent. And the pictures are the same, they are symbols of wonderful times in my life, or of people (and even pets) that were and are special to me.
So, as I write this, I am reviewing and getting our fire boxes together. It usually amounts to 2-3 boxes that we stack in the front hall closet. We keep them close to the door, so that we can easily grab them, load them into the car and be out of the house within minutes. Every year, I hope we will never have to go through that experience, but have found solace from knowing that I will save the things that are truly important.
So what would you include in your fire boxes?
