SIP medical facts

The medical consequences of exposure to a wildland fire with associated smoke are well-known.

The smoke that is produced by fire is the major reason that people die. Smoke inhalation causes up to 80% of the deaths in wildland fire. The smoke can kill by suffocation (not allowing enough oxygen to reach the lungs) and by poisoning the body (gases such as hydrogen cyanide, phosgene, carbon monoxide produced by a fire can actually interfere with critical processes in the body and cause death). In addition, there are groups of people who are exposed to the irritant effects of smoke that are especially susceptible. They include:

    Infants - Infants have especially small airways and cannot tolerate smoke inhalation which causes the tissues lining the airways to swell. They also have a small reserve of lung capacity so that they are more susceptible to any interruption of the oxygen supply, resulting in life-threatening arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms). This can quickly have fatal consequences.

    Asthmatics - Asthmatics (composed of all age groups) react to the stress and irritant effects of fire and smoke. They can die under controlled circumstances when their airways go into spasm. When exposed to wildfire smoke, their chances of survival are small.

    Pulmonary (COPD) and Cardiovascular Disease - These groups are at the boundaries of survival without any negative influences. In fact, some require additional oxygen concentrations in normal circumstances. The stress and decreased oxygen content and the sheer experience of panic and chaos will lead many to succumb.

There is also the threat of radiant heat exposure to the human body within a wildland fire. The heat energy from a fire is actually transmitted as rays (similar to x-rays and microwaves), which can be either reflected or absorbed. The human body is a particularly effective absorber of these rays and will be cooked in a similar fashion to cooking an egg in a microwave.

When these rays get into the house, they will be reflected by certain materials and absorbed by others. When they are absorbed, they increase the temperature of the absorbing medium and cause "cooking" or fire (e.g., a curtain will ignite if it is near a window since windows easily allow these rays to pass through). Once the fire is in the house, more waves are produced. The house may be left standing but everything contained within may be destroyed. Since the human body easily absorbs radiant heat energy, being directly exposed to the rays of an intense wildfire for even a matter of seconds will cause death.

Shelter-in-Place has never been attempted in a planned community exposed to an actual wildland fire. There is no way to avoid a high percentage of injury and death unless exposure to smoke, radiant heat energy, and stress can be avoided. The proposed Shelter-in-Place strategy does none of this. Moreover, certain groups require mandatory early evacuation since harm to these at-risk people is unavoidable.

(Note: There is only one country in the world with any policy remotely resembling Shelter-in-Place. In Australia, a strategy called "Stay or Go Early" (SOGE) is used. Residents are given ample warning that a fire is coming. Small numbers of people living in the outback elect to attempt to defend their homesteads from bushfires by staying behind to actively fight the fire (stamping out firebrands, putting out ignitions, manning firehoses, etc.). It is emphasized, however, that infants, children, the elderly, those with physical disabilities, and those with any lung or heart disabilities must evacuate early.