The Fires-Wildfires Support Center

Countless men, women and children have experienced the tragic nature of a fire and have survived and thrived. The following guide is designed to help you navigate your journey with the best information and resources that helped other survivors when they faced the same challenge.

TSC has scoured the Internet and assembled the links to the very best fires and wildfires resources: articles, blogs, forums and tools that can help you make better decisions and take action to overcome the range of physical, emotional and other challenges you may face.

As you'll see, we always welcome your ideas and suggestions to make this Fires-Wildfires Guide even more helpful to survivors like you.

Just Found Out

Survivors Say: Best Resources for Dealing with Fires-Wildfires

• FEMA
  
• CDC: Emergency Preparedness and Response - Wildfires
  
• USGS: Natural Hazards - Wildfires
  

The Big Picture

Fires and wildfires may have a number of different causes. Many fires are caused and spread naturally due to weather-related phenomena such as lightning and high winds, while others are sparked by things such as cigarettes, unlawful campfires, arson, fireworks, faulty electrical wiring and unsafe storage of chemical products. Annually, fires destroy everything from stretches of land to homes and buildings, and they are responsible for the loss of many lives. Discover the warning signs to make sure you are prepared when a fire or wildfire is imminent.

US Geological Survey Fact Sheet: Wildfire Hazards - A National Threat

Your Fire-Wildfire Experience

Understanding the implications of your fire-wildfire experience will depend greatly on where you live, total damage sustained and your insurance coverage.

NOVA Online: Escape! - Fire Survivor Stories

Your World

Escaping a fire physically is a blessing. However, the emotions associated with surviving a fire or wildfire can be overwhelming during and after the experience. Learn how to better handle the stress, as well as how to clean up after a fire. This site is for the State of Jersey, but the information on how to clean household items after a fire, and on how to manage traumatic stress, is relevant to all:

Community Fire Safety: After the Fire

Fires-Wildfires Myths

• Forest thinning beyond 200 feet of a home offers no additional protection.
• There's no real protection against wildfires.
  
• California's native shrub needs to burn to remain healthy.
  

Information and Recommended Links for Survivors

• About.com - Forestry
• US Forest Service: Fire and Aviation Management
• NOAA - Extreme Events - Wildfires

Creating a Support Circle

• Set up your TSC Survivor Profile
• Join support groups of other survivors or set up your own
• Interact and provide updates on your profile or our forums

Local Organizations That Can Help

Local charity chapters are in place to help those who have experienced tragedies, including fires and wildfires. If you are struggling to find help, consider contacting Direct Relief International.

Direct Relief International

If you attend a local church, or if you have a family member or friend who does, the church may be able to provide assistance, such as food and clothing, immediately after a fire strikes (or be able to connect you with resources who can provide help), but keep in mind that many families like yours could be asking for help at the same time.

FlockFinder.com: Churches by State

Insurance Matters

Understanding your home insurance policy will help you move in the proper direction before making an insurance claim after your fire-wildfire experience.

About.com: Personal Insurance - Understanding Your Home Owners Insurance Policy

An experience with an insurance provider will be unique to your policy, your area and your insurance company. You can move forward more expediently if you have a strategy in place:

• NOLO: After the Fire - Dealing with Your Insurance Company
• FreeAdvice: Fire Insurance & Home Damage - Rebuilding Your Home

Repairing and Rebuilding Your Home

If you need a contractor for household repairs, it helps if you can “speak their language.”  Here are 8 tips for dealing with contractors that should help you under any circumstances:

The Motley Fool: 8 Tips For Dealing With Contractors

The Federal Trade Commission has some words of cautionary advice on dealing with contractors following a natural disaster, such as a fire-wildfire.  Remember, following a fire-wildfire a lot of people are going to be looking for contractors, which may increase demand for less-qualified contractors. Know how to protect yourself:

The Federal Trade Commission’s Guide for Dealing with Contractors After a Disaster [PDF File]

Health-care Providers Who Can Help

If you or a loved one has sustained burn injuries, there are specialized burn treatment centers in the United States:

Specialized Burn Centers

If you experience pain or other physical ailments after the fire, contact your family doctor for a full check-up.

Those who fought the fire may also require medical attention or rehabilitation after the experience. The effects of all fires are far reaching.

FireRehab.com

Talk therapy may serve as an excellent tool for anyone involved in a fire or wildfire. In order to move on, it's necessary to deal with all emotions associated with the experience.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Mental Health Organizations by State

The Emotional Roller-coaster

Surviving a fire-wildfire can be emotionally challenging. Some people find that dealing with the emotional aftermath of the event is as challenging as the fire-wildfire was itself. To best process the emotions you're experiencing, and to be prepared should another natural disaster strike, learn what causes fire-wildfire, and how people dealt with fire-wildfires in the past.

Books Survivors Recommend

• Fire, Chaparral, And Survival In Southern California
  
• Fire Fighters: Stories of Survival from the Front Lines of Firefighting 
• Wildfire

What Survivors Wish They'd Known

Communicating with Health-care Providers, Contractors and Insurance Agents

• Bring a friend or family member with you to your appointments not only to provide support but to lend an extra ear to understand everything your health-care provider, contractor or insurance agent has to say and to think up any more questions you may not realize are important at the time.
• Don't be afraid to ask any questions you feel you need the answer to, even if you may be scared of the answer. Ignorance won't help you recover.
• Write down any questions you may have ahead of time and the answers to those questions as your health-care provider, contractor or insurance agent walks you through them.  Don't be afraid to ask for clarification on anything.

Dealing with Fires-Wildfires: Information and Recommended Links for Co-Survivors

How you can help

As a co-survivor, the best help that you can immediately offer relates to a person's basic needs. Losing a home or property in a fire will leave a survivor overwhelmed with emotions, tasks and unanswered questions. Offering food, shelter, an extra vehicle or clothing will allow the survivor to go about the business of recovery.

MPNNow.com: Family Gets Help from Locals After House Fire

What to say

• “I'm so sorry for your loss.”
  
• “What do you need while you're in transition?”
  
• “Thousands of people have survived this situation, and I know you can too.”
  

What not to say

• “That's the price of living in wildfire country.”
  
• “It's just a house.”
  
• “You better hope your insurance covers all of this.”
  

Things you can do for a survivor every day

• Surviving parents will need help in caring for their children so they can attend to the business of recovery. Offering even a few hours of sitting service will allow parents to focus on the tasks at hand.
• Sharing time and offering activities such as dinner and a movie will help fulfill a need and offer some distraction from inevitable tasks. Helping the survivor find balance between work, recovery and recreation will help greatly.
• If you're capable, you can help with the rebuilding process. If you're not able to do that, you can always lend an ear or some sort of emotional support. Whatever the case, the fire or wildfire survivor will need help to get through this very trying time.
  

How to build a support network

• Set up your TSC Co-Survivor profile
• Create a support group for your friend or family member
• Interact and provide updates

How to help a survivor deal with day-to-day challenges

• Transportation issues may arise during the insurance claims process. Helping survivors to and from school and work will greatly help reduce the mental and emotional stress of surviving a fire or wildfire.
• Oftentimes tragic events will help to create a special bond and firm resolve within families, yet with other families great stress and financial burdens can tear them apart. Offering encouragement, daily affirmation and free time for parents and spouses can help alleviate unnecessary and undesired stress.

Recovery / Recurrence

Statistically, most people will never deal with a fire or wildfire. However, many of those who have experienced such a life event may experience it again, especially if they live in an area prone to wildfires. Understanding the nature of fires and wildfires equates to understanding the chance of recurrence.

InterFire Online: Investigating Wildfires Part One

If you live in wildfire country, there are several ways to help prevent fires from threatening your property, home and other belongings. For those who have experienced house fires, there are preventative measures to avoid such an experience again.

Princeton University: Department of Public Safety - Surviving a Fire

After a wildfire or fire, you may choose to rebuild. The complete process of recovery is one that should be approached with patience and wisdom to help prevent future fires.

FEMA: Rebuilding Tips Follow Wildfires

Wildfires have ravaged the western United States in recent years, out of these disasters come stories of hope and inspiration:

CNN.com: Wildfire Evacuee Shelter Offers Lesson in Volunteerism

Give Back

What helped you while you were dealing with the fire-wildfire, processing the aftermath, and then realized you had recovered? Take a look back at your journey and share with other what helped you and what you wished you would have known/done during your fire-wildfire experience. You can create a profile, reach out to other survivors, join support circles or share your story by following the links at TheSurvivorsClub.org.  

If you are inspired to donate to organizations that specialize in caring for victims of catastrophes like fire-wildfires, here are two you might consider:

• The American Red Cross 
• Direct Relief International
  

There are instances in which wildfires or house fires result in more than a loss of property. Losing a loved one in a tragic accident such as a fire comes as a sudden shock, often leaving an incomparable grief in its wake. Learn how to process this pain and loss:

MedicineNet: Grief - Loss of a Loved One