Netflix’s Fire in Paradise is a touching look at the cost of being unprepared

John AdamaStaff - November 23, 2019

The 2018 Camp Fire was the deadliest US wildfire in the last century, killing 85 people, destroying almost 19,000 buildings, and burning 153,000 acres
[See the full post at: Netflix’s Fire in Paradise is a touching look at the cost of being unprepared]

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I am an emergency department travel nurse that has been working in NorCal for the past two years. I have not directly lived or worked in an area of one of the wildfires, but I have worked in areas very close to these communities. I have taken care of displaced residents and experienced one of PG & E’s power outages that last days. Even though they were sending out warnings, most people are not prepared. Not being prepared not only puts your life in danger, but it also puts a strain on the resources of people and organizations who are trying to help everyone meet their needs. I just wish more people would take it seriously and realized it CAN happen to you.

 

Well said, and thanks for the work you do. I agree, expecting others to help you in a crisis is selfish (when you’re otherwise capable of taking care of yourself). And as these documentaries show, it’s really not hard/expensive to get your basic preps in order in a way that would make a big difference if disaster strikes.

 

The Carr Fire and the Camp Fire occurred within 3 months of each other. I’m a lifetime resident of Northern California and very used to wildfire, but after these two,….😳 total game changer!

Also, now being subject to Public Safety Power Shut Offs, I’ve decided to update my preparations. Thanks for a great site to help me out.

 

 

Kudos on taking action, and glad it’s been helpful!

 

I’m late to the party, but kudos on you for taking your prep seriously. Out of curiousity: How many of your neighbors or people you know in your county are taking prepping seriously, after all that happened?

 

In regards to fire, it seems so.

The power shut offs really spun people out though,…(even though we had ample warning 🙄)

 

I’ve just watched the doc as well and was really struck by the scene that showed the two charred bodies sitting in their car. It was a slap in the face and a reminder that prepping is to be taken seriously.

 

Everything that we saw in these documentaries just happened again in Lahaina, but this time the death toll was much higher.

https://theprepared.com/forum/thread/lahaina-fire-deadliest-us-fire-in-a-century/

 

Yeah, lots of similarities, like the phone videos of people fleeing through the fast-moving flames. Wonder what the final death toll will be.

 

“Wonder what the final death toll will be.”

There are still 850 people missing after almost two weeks of searching. I expect the final death count to be close to that number.

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2023/08/21/ahead-maui-visit-president-biden-says-my-heart-my-focus-are-with-lahaina-victims/

 

NIST just issued two reports related to the Paradise fire. One is a case study of that fire. The other is updated guidance for wildfire preparedness. A key lesson learned was the importance of temporary refuge areas within the community (such as parking lots) where people can survive when their escape routes are cut off.

https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2023/08/nist-issues-new-guidance-emergency-response-during-wildfires

“A new report, A Case Study of the Camp Fire: Notification, Evacuation, Traffic, and Temporary Refuge Areas, meshes 2,600 observations and data points with the timeline of the spread of the Camp Fire to examine how first responders performed lifesaving actions during the historic blaze.”

“In addition, NIST researchers and their colleagues distilled the lessons from the Camp Fire into a second report that provides general guidance on wildfire response and makes it easier for communities to apply the research findings. The WUI Fire Evacuation and Sheltering Considerations: Assessment, Planning, and Execution (ESCAPE) report helps communities develop advance plans and process new information during wildfires, all while considering a community’s resources and conditions.”