Are Fire Safety and Energy Conservation Related Concerns?
If there’s anything we’ve learned in recent months, it is that we should be energy smart whenever possible. Conserving energy in our homes and driving is very worthwhile. Crude oil prices could go back to their peak in no time if demand exceeds supply.
My vehicle is a large Yukon, which is great for hauling things. Mileage is not so good, but I’ve cut back to making three trips to the office weekly whenever possible. That has helped my fuel budget. I would get a smaller car, but this baby is pretty useful for carrying loads and large groups of people on a trip.
Several years ago we put in extra insulation in our home, and we use a whole house fan to reduce the amount of air conditioning we use. When we hear so much energy talk on the news, it does have the effect of getting us to at least think about ways to cut back on energy usage.
Talk about a waste of energy—the fuel spent on airplanes, helicopters and trucks in fighting wildfires in California is insane. Even the evacuation of thousands of families is an unfortunate waste of gasoline. There is some related discussion of this on the Minutemanfire website, which includes wildfire prevention in its sphere of interest. Even when fire buffers had been created, homes with tile roofs have been destroyed in fires, surprisingly.
Rebuilding a fire-damaged home likewise utilizes energy that would otherwise be saved, a further link between fires and energy usage. So there is a relationship between energy conservation and fire prevention, that we often don’t think much about.