Revised Wrtiting # 7
here’s another revised piece of writing! i have three more to go!
Ashley Krolikowski
Ms. Alley
Eng. V01A
November 26, 2009
Rising From the Ashes/Wildfire Safety Talk
On September 10, 2009 I went to Guthrie hall for a wildfire safety talk and an art exhibit. The speakers at this event included Ron Oatman, Brian Clark, Lindsey Taggart, Dave Berry, and Hiroko Yoshimoto (who is the artist of this exhibit). The wildfire safety talk had various presentations that went from factual information to emotional information about wildfires through out the presentations. The first speaker, Ron Oatman, described some of the dangers of wildfires and also how to be safe in case of a wildfire. He described such things as the ember zone and survival tips. He explained that an ember zone is a half mile area that surrounds a wildfire, in which embers from the fire can fly onto one’s house and possibly set it on fire. He also explained that a particularly useful safety tip is to stay inside if caught in a wildfire.
The second speaker, Brian Clark, spoke of the stay and defend program. In this program one stays and defends their home in the case of a wildfire. If one does this then there is no turning backs; they cannot leave. A way to defend one’s house is to take a garden hose and put out any fires that can occur on their property. This program began n Australia and is moderately successful. The third speaker, Lindsey Taggart, described the ways one can, to a certain extent, prevent fire damage. Most of the materials used for these renovations are eco-friendly. For example, one can put watery plants around their home to prevent embers from setting their home on fire.
The second to last speaker was Dave Barry and he described his experience with the tea fire. His view was more emotional than the speakers before him. However it was still informative as he described the repairs he had to make to his home. The last speaker was the artist of the exhibit, Hiroko Yoshimoto. She described going to the burn site of one of the wildfires and how it inspired her to paint pictures of the site. She actually used ashes from the site in some of her pictures.
I would recommend seeing this show because the information given is very useful. I learned that I live in an ember zone so whenever the hill by my house is on fire my house is at risk. It’s kind of scary to think about but at least now I know that I should protect my home. I’m not usually into art but I like the pictures that were in this show. They reminded me of contorted trees that were set on fire. The pictures were also tall and they made me feel as if I was in the wilderness. The colors used in these pictures made the pictures have a contrasted feel; there was black and brown and then a shade of white. It also made me see the emotional aspect of the wildfires that occur in California. If I had the choice I would go again just to see the art work.
