One lesson learned from the Labor Day fires of 2020 is individual preparation is key. For example, officials in Southern Oregon recommend residents have a “go bag” in case of a quick evacuation.
You have your basic version: a backpack with a first-aid kit, personal documents and a flashlight.
Then you have John Mullowney’s version.
“I have everything separated. This mostly is clothing,” Mullowney said, unzipping a duffel containing tightly-packed shirts and trousers.
Mullowney recommends making a list of items someone might need if leaving in a hurry. His own list is extensive.
“There’s over 100 things on it,” he said. “It’s got everything.”
Mullowney has lived in Ashland for over 30 years. He’s spent nearly half that time as a wildland firefighter. So he knows the importance of being prepared.
He had a friend evacuating during the deadly Camp Fire in Paradise, California.
“Going out the door, for some reason, he grabbed a pineapple,” Mullowney recalled. “His wife reminded him of that. He didn’t even know he had done it.”
After the Almeda Fire, which destroyed around 2,500 homes in Jackson County, he said he shares his evacuation tips with anyone new in town.
“I bring it up whenever I can,” Mullowney said. “A lot of people are interested in the Almeda Fire and what happened.”
Mullowney isn’t the only proselytizer of preparedness in the Rogue Valley.
How the Almeda Fire reshaped local response
The disaster five years ago was a literal trial by fire for first responders.
Kelly Burns, Ashland’s emergency management coordinator, was fighting that fire in 2020. He said first responders experienced “all kinds of interesting things that had never happened before.”
His current position didn’t exist back then. In fact, there wasn’t even a clear plan for evacuations in the city.
“I know people that evacuated to Talent and then an hour later evacuated to Phoenix,” Burns said. “Then they got to evacuate to Medford.”
Many never even received a message to evacuate.
Last May, Jackson County published evacuation zones. Officials also retooled the county-wide alert system.
Mike Hussey, Jackson County Fire District 5 chief, said collaboration between different departments has also become easier.
“Doesn’t matter whose logo is on the door, all communities are sharing resources freely across jurisdictions,” Hussey said.
Fire engines are now equipped with GPS and tablets, allowing the closest available vehicle to respond more quickly to a fire.
“We can see in real time where the units are being assigned,” Hussey said. “Before, we were relying on dry-erase boards or the hood of a vehicle to keep track of our resources.”
Technology can’t fix everything
Still, some of the same challenges from five years ago remain.
Ashland Fire Chief Marshall Rasor said his department will never have unlimited resources.
“Our staffing size has not changed, nor will it,” he said. “We are going to be all hands on deck, and we are going to more than likely be task saturated.”
Burns said firefighters saved a lot of people during the Almeda Fire, which claimed three lives. The police, he said, saved even more by going door-to-door to help people evacuate.
“But you know who saved more people than both of us combined? It was just citizens helping citizens,” Burns said.
Ashland’s new wildfire protection plan
Ashland recently passed a Community Wildfire Protection Plan. Previous versions prioritized treating the forests surrounding the city. This new plan focuses on community engagement.
Residents are encouraged to fire harden their homes and create defensible spaces in their yards.
The plan echoes the idea of a “go bag” — the best results during an emergency will come after residents have prepared.
“If you can be as self-reliant as possible as you’re evacuating and after you’re evacuated, it’s indeed empowering,” Mullowney said.
In October, there will be a city-wide evacuation drill in Ashland. Data from that exercise will be analyzed and used to improve plans.
The hope is that with enough preparation, when the next big fire occurs, no one will be left with a pineapple in their hand.
