It's Fire Season: Be Prepared!

It's Fire Season around here, and while I've been trying to keep up with things year round this is always the time to really push things. Thunderstorms have already started to pop up, but they don't always bring rain to all parts of the area, so fires can easily spark. The wildflowers were intense this year, but that just added more fuel for those fires and more brush to clear out now. I always make sure to check the warnings before I even do yardwork however, as a stray spark from equipment can do serious damage. Same goes for grilling or even lighting anything outside, really. Make sure you don't need a permit for whatever you're going to be using flame/heat/etc. for, as some areas require permits for different things.  People move around or travel so much now that it can be hard to keep up with all the local laws, but you don't want to be that jerk that comes along and burns down a whole town and/or forest, do you? :/

Of course, Fire Season is more than just here in the Southwest.  Maine gets fires. FLORIDA, with all of its water, gets massive fires (we used to live near some particularly nasty ones in the swamps and glades). I still remember the flames in Greece when my father was driving us back from our family's village to go back to Athens and that was INTENSE. There are bad fires all over this world, and we can all try to do what we can for preventative care as much as we can having contingency plans for when the σκατά hits the fan.

You see, it isn't just the outside that needs care... Spring Cleaning inside, especially decluttering, can help keep fire fuel to a minimum. You never want to think about your home, office, shed, garage, or whatever catching fire, but accidents - and wildfires - happen. Keep fire extinguishers handy throughout your home, around your grill, in your car(s), garage, and anywhere else a fire could occur. Keep go bags ready along with documents you may need in a safe storage box so you can escape with the important things quickly. Know where everything for your pets are (documents, extra food/water, travel bowls, extra leashes/harnesses, pet carriers, gates...) so you can keep them safe if you must evacuate. You don't have to have been a Boy Scout to know that you should ALWAYS be prepared, so if you haven't gotten even just one iota of these things done for your own fire plans, what are you waiting for!? (Same goes for Hurricane-Preparedness... Hurricane Season is a'comin', after all!