# Bugging out from the bug out location



## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

There is presently a wild fire that is concerningly close to our bug out cabin. It got me to thinking about what we would do it we were actually at the cabin and needed to evacuate. When I made up my bug out bags, I made more that we needed. I now plan to take those extras to the cabin so if we ever had to evacuate due to fire or some other emergency, we would have our own supplies.

I have medical co-workers who are part of the national response team. They responded to Katrina, Hurricane Sandy, and other disasters, providing medical attention in the evacuation centers. Each one of them say that if at all possible, they would NEVER personally hole up in one of the government run evacuation centers. Things get dangerous after dark, sanitation is always an issue, and it is just never a great environment when many, many desperate people are packed into small areas with limited supplies.

Their experience is strong motivation for always being ready to meet the needs of ones own family in the event of a disaster. So, the bug out location is also going to be stocked with bug out supplies. Just because the cabin is a designated bug out location doesn't mean it is immune to disasters of its own kind. There needs to be a plan for when we are there, as well.


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## pheniox17 (Dec 12, 2013)

if fire is a issue, learn about fire brakes, and other ways to protect your land so you don't need to bug out

Publications - Country Fire Authority

a good resource for you (our guides are used all over the west just reworded)

but the idea of a pre set bol is so you don't need to bug out from it, but if you need to, your looking at E&E as well as other tactics to survive, and you become another refugee, its something worth thinking about, but each scenario you can still find a defense for, good luck, and hope the wildfire is contained soon


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## Notsoyoung (Dec 2, 2013)

I have always worried about having to evacuate you place in an emergency. Not so much from someone overrunning your location and you have to evacuate through hordes of pillagers, but from a more mundane problem. If the SHTF I would eventually have to heat my home and cook using wood fires or a flame from another source. If in the middle of the Winter, the temperature is -20 degrees, there is a snow storm, and at 2 in the morning the dogs wake you up and you discover that the house is on fire, what are you going to do then? You can't call 911 or hop in your car after the fire is out and drive to a motel. You need shelter NOW. You need warmth NOW. You will need supplies to last at least through the storm. I think that it would be a very good idea to have a stash of supplies and weapons very close to your location if only to tide you over until you can move to an alternative location. If you have an out shed like a barn or some type of storage shed. Maybe a tent with sleeping bags, a couple of days of food, thing like that. I like storing things in metal garbage cans with lids so I don't have to worry about vermin getting into things.


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## PalmettoTree (Jun 8, 2013)

This is a though question. No doubt some here have this well thought out. Looking forward to suggestions.


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## pheniox17 (Dec 12, 2013)

fyi on house fires, talk to fire command and request to have a meeting with a fire investigator, all you want to know top causes in the state of house fires, they are more than happy to talk about it (here anyway) 

but current in my area

washing machines
roof solar setups
heaters
old electrical goods
then candles and such

post shtf I expect a shit load more solar and candle based fires, than anything else, my 2 cents anyway


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## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

As you know, Pheniox, wild fires can travel very fast, and it is not always the fire that gets you. Smoke and suffocation from oxygen being sucked out by the fire are also killers even if fire never touches a house. We lost 18 hot shot firefighters last year - the best of the best - in a fire that suddenly changed direction. When evacuation orders come, it is time to get out. Staying in place puts additional lives at risk. I do not want to be a refugee..... but if that scenario ever came about, I want to be prepared and in control of my own supplies and movement. They would never let us into a shelter with weapons anyway. Part of prepper flexibility means being able to utilize resources that are available. If food/water are available at a Red Cross center, then we will utilize that, without having to stay there. Continual assessment is part of the big picture. The ability to move out quickly is a good thing to think about, no matter where the location.

We will be up at the cabin this weekend and will be doing everything we can to ensure that the place is as "fireproof" as possible. Thanks for the information. I also have very good guidelines from the state of Colorado. I guess I had the notion in my head that a BOL is the end of the line retreat. Depending on what happens, that may not be the case. One must be flexible enough to move and adjust no matter what.


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## pheniox17 (Dec 12, 2013)

yes, there is a nature of fire, we lost a CFA truck last year fighting similar fires 

where I am this year I expect loss of life this fire season (starts early September)

but there are simple measures you can put in place to improve your survival and your home survival, have a good look through that site I posted for you, Victoria, south Australia, and new south wales all suffer what we call "crown" fires, after going through that link and you have any questions feel free to pm me, if I can't awnser the question, give me around a week, members of upper command in fire com are active in my station so I have access to a huge knowledge base.

but to add more credibility to CFA publications, they had a huge federal funded overhaul after the mass casualties of black Saturday (?? can't remember the exact one but 05) 

its not easy, but one of the biggest killers was tunnel vision and ignorance

the top fire fighters may that rest in peace, but your guys are nuts (those same fire fighters call us insane)


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## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

I will definitely look at your guidelines and incorporate all we can. We also have crown fires and many home strategies involve removing low lying fuel sources and trimming up the trees to keep fire at ground level. Fortunately for us, our cabin is at the edge of a meadow - not completely engulfed by trees or on a knoll. I think we have a pretty good, open, defensible perimeter around the place, but we will definitely be removing dead wood and duff, trimming up trees, and relocating the firewood stack. We are also putting on a new roof this weekend with A rated materials. The meadow is just starting to grow, but we will also be keeping the perimeter around the house trimmed down this summer. But... I will also be taking the extra bug out bags to store there - just in case.

I will also be exploring different evacuation routes. If the road was blocked for some reason, I have to be able to get my mules out. I have a couple of routes that I will be checking out, both involving water sources including a lake.


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## pheniox17 (Dec 12, 2013)

don't let it give you a false sense of security... 

a lot of houses that were lost were more than 2.5kms from the fire front in black sat, (Its either sat or sun)

if you can, prepare a evac point on your land, a good fox hole with fire blankets is a good temp/first steep for today/now 

and correct clothing, I can't stress enough, the right underwear is key (anything that melts and underwire bras to be avoided at all costs, metal attracts heat...) 

being "safe" when a fire hits dose not take much, as you only need to worry about the fire front, that will take no longer than 15 mins to pass.... it will be the longest 15 mins of your life...

and one line that has stuck with me over the years "treat a fire as a living thing, it will do anything to survive" remember that and act accordingly...

oh when escaping fire, remember fire travels faster up hill than down (like every 10 degrees speed doubles up hill, the numbers are reversed down hill)


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## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

Believe me, I have NO sense of security when it comes to fire. We have had a very large ones with many lost homes and lives. Firefighters will foam and try to save homes that they determine are possibly defensible (fire resistant roofing, trees and brush cleared back, no firewood next to house, etc.) The others are marked with a red "X" - meaning let this one go - it can't be saved and is not worth the resources trying to do so. We will do everything possible to make our place defensible, but I do not ever intend to ride out a fire at home. The best foxhole in the world will not save you if the O2 is sucked out of the air. That being said, prepping involves taking all possible scenarios into account. If there was a huge lightening strike close by that started a fast moving fire near us, without time to evacuate, I would flee to the natural "foxhole" at the bottom of the meadow. It is the steep, narrow gully where the seasonal stream flows. It is the lowest spot, would have the coolest air drainage, and would provide some degree of protection, and could even have water or wet dirt.


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## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

Believe me, I have NO sense of security when it comes to fire. We have had a very large ones with many lost homes and lives. Firefighters will foam and try to save homes that they determine are possibly defensible (fire resistant roofing, trees and brush cleared back, no firewood next to house, etc.) The others are marked with a red "X" - meaning let this one go - it can't be saved and is not worth the resources trying to do so. We will do everything possible to make our place defensible, but the reality is that we are far too remote to expect professional intervention. With large animals to consider, I will always lean toward early evacuation rather than waiting. I do not ever intend to ride out a fire at home. The best foxhole in the world will not save you if the O2 is sucked out of the air. That being said, prepping involves taking all possible scenarios into account. If there was a huge lightening strike close by that started a fast moving fire near us, without time to evacuate, I would flee to the natural "foxhole" at the bottom of the meadow. It is the steep, narrow gully where the seasonal stream flows. It is the lowest spot, would have the coolest air drainage, and would provide some degree of protection, and could even have water or wet dirt. As for the mules, the choice would be to turn them loose, or shoot them. I won't watch them burn.
PS: I don't wear underwire bras, thank goodness! Nothing like being prepared!


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## PalmettoTree (Jun 8, 2013)

Earthquakes, tornados and all consuming fires are three disasters I have never experienced. Knowing what has happened to strangers is just does not give one the respect they deserve. It is difficult for me to understand why such large numbers of people settle in areas where these disasters are so prone.


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## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

Everyone chooses their own poisen. Fires, hurricanes, tsunamis, tornados, earthquakes, drought, floods, sink holes, malaria, grizzly bears, rattlesnakes, nuclear reactors, +115 degree summer heat, -80 degrees winter cold, etc, etc, etc. I doubt there is a place on earth that has not had a disaster of historic proportions at one time or another. The key is to mitigate the risk wherever you happen to be. 

The weakness I discovered in my own thought process was to think of a bugout location as my safe haven, away from disasters and danger. I mean, it is the place I will bug out TO, not bug out FROM, right? Flawed thinking. EVERY place needs to have a risk assessment done and an evacuation plan with supplies ready to go. I've seen the youtubes of "perfect" BOLs, all stocked and supplied and live-in ready. However..... are the residents also ready to leave the BOL in a moment's notice if need be? Are there BOBs in the closet ready to go? Just food for thought.


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## pheniox17 (Dec 12, 2013)

RNprepper said:


> The best foxhole in the world will not save you if the O2 is sucked out of the air


2 things on this (being a fire fighter and all)

1 the fox hole once covered can retain just enough o2 to save your life, combine a fire blanket and some forward thinking, (like a few reinforced pockets for air) you stand a better chance of survival (and that's what its all about, chance)

2 avoid water sources at all costs, hiding in a pond, river, stream is very super dangerous, have issues like been picked up by a helo bucket, been boiled alive, and so on

what they train us to do in a burn over is all about improving our chance of survival nothing more, as once it happens you're ****ed....

and this info is not just for you  even tho your asking the questions....


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## pheniox17 (Dec 12, 2013)

RNprepper said:


> Everyone chooses their own poisen. Fires, hurricanes, tsunamis, tornados, earthquakes, drought, floods, sink holes, malaria, grizzly bears, rattlesnakes, nuclear reactors, +115 degree summer heat, -80 degrees winter cold, etc, etc, etc. I doubt there is a place on earth that has not had a disaster of historic proportions at one time or another. The key is to mitigate the risk wherever you happen to be.
> 
> The weakness I discovered in my own thought process was to think of a bugout location as my safe haven, away from disasters and danger. I mean, it is the place I will bug out TO, not bug out FROM, right? Flawed thinking. EVERY place needs to have a risk assessment done and an evacuation plan with supplies ready to go. I've seen the youtubes of "perfect" BOLs, all stocked and supplied and live-in ready. However..... are the residents also ready to leave the BOL in a moment's notice if need be? Are there BOBs in the closet ready to go? Just food for thought.


exactly  but you know where your bol is, you have accepted the risk of having it where it is, with the reward suiting you (I hope so anyway)

but you can manage all risks and have plans in place, I also suggest putting supplies in the ground or use a fire safe just in case

oh that red x thing just to let you know, is if they can save your home, they can only fight that fire using containment methods, best example is ww1 trench warfare, understand that... and you will be fine 

if I was in your situation (with what I know today) I will do everything to reduce fire risk, have a safe point (even Google fire bunkers) and have a few drills, and done  even you tube Victoria bush fires and local ones in the USA, there is another thread on this forum on the topic

your bol is your castle, a pre set up location that can keep you alive in every event, a evac from here is the last thing you should ever do, plan for it, but manage your risks and threats to improve your chances, as your doing

and if there is a end of the world as we know it event, there will be lots of wild fires, but no one combating them


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