Oregon wildfires: What to know about flame

Wrangler has a line of flame-resistant (FR) jeans, pants, shirts, pullovers, hoodies and hats.Wrangler

It’s important to have an emergency “go bag” packed with essentials and ready to be grabbed quickly if you have to flee your home because of a wildfire or other disaster.

Most emergency preparedness checklists say to have hard-soled shoes to wear to protect your feet from embers or glass shattered by heat.

Fire experts also suggest wearing flame-resistant garments, from head to toe, if possible.

But don’t spend time during an emergency looking for the right clothing, said Stacey Todd, an emergency management specialist for Klamath County, Oregon. It’s more important that you leave your home quickly.

If you want to assemble a set of low-flammable clothes in advance of an emergency, here is information about fabrics that are less combustible than others.

No fabric is fireproof, but some are more resilient to heat. People who work in fire service, research labs, electrical utilities and oil and gas industries wear specially engineered flame-resistant clothing made of materials such as Nomex, Kevlar and modacrylic.

Materials that are naturally flame resistant such as wool and those that are treated with specialty chemicals won’t keep burning when the source of combustion is removed, won’t ignite easily and won’t melt, according to Nick Warrick, the sales manager at All Seasons Uniforms, who wrote an article published in Power magazine, which covers the global energy industry.

Check the label on your clothes: Underwear, T-shirts and other items made of flammable synthetic materials can melt and cause serious injury, even if the outer layers you are wearing are flame resistant.

Recommended clothing for minimum flammability are sturdy jeans, blouses without frills, jersey pajamas (no ruffled nightgowns) and garments made from flame-retardant fabrics, according to fire experts with the City of Phoenix, Arizona.

Wrangler has a men’s line of flame-resistant (FR) clothing:

Women’s flame-resistant (FR) Wrangler clothing include utility pants, bootcut work jeans, long-sleeve shirts and pullovers.

Carhartt's iconic A18 hat is now made flame-resistant stretchy rib knit that keeps out the cold.Carhartt

Carhartt also has flame-resistant clothing.

For men

There are also flame-resistant knit hats, face covering-hat combinations and balaclavas.

Amazon sells flame-resistant, 100% cotton lightweight, long-sleeve men’s shirts, washed work jeans and other items from brands such as Bulwark, Carhartt, Konreco and Titicaca for men.

Amazon’s flame-resistant clothing for women includes Ariat’s long-sleeve base-layer shirts, Carhartt’s flex jeans and Wrangler’s Riggs mid-rise boot-cut jeans.

Sleepwear for children above size 9 months and up to size 14 must be flame resistant and self-extinguishing, or tight fitting as defined by specified dimensions, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Here are more fabric facts posted on Phoenix.gov/fire:

Other tips to be ready if you ever have to evacuate:

Portland Fire & Rescue has a safety checklist that includes making sure electrical and heating equipment are in good working condition and not overheating.

Here’s what you should do to make sure your family and your home are prepared for fires:

— Janet Eastman | 503-294-4072

[email protected] | @janeteastman

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More wildfire prevention tips:

· 5 steps you can take right now to be ready for Oregon wildfire season

· Update your emergency ‘go bag’ with these essentials before a wildfire or disaster strikes

· What you need to know about home inventory and insurance after a fire or other disaster

· Wildfire risk when buying an Oregon home: How to evaluate fire safety, or prepare your current property

· Fire-resistant siding, windows, more house materials become popular as Northwest home builders adapt to persistent wildfires

· Fire prevention starts in the yard: ‘I don’t know which precaution will save my house so I do as much as I can’

· Fire experts prefer these high-moisture plants

· Prepare your yard for wildfire season by creating a low-flammable landscaping plan, finding fire-resistant plants with new database

More information on fire prevention can be found at the Oregon Department of Forestry YouTube channel and website:

· Your Home Can Survive a Wildfire

· How to Make Your Home and Property Fire Safe

· Oregon Wildfire Risk Explorer digital library

· How to Become a Fire-wise Community

· Community Wildfire Protection Plans

· Fire-wise landscaping checklist

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