Conventionally, evacuation means to remove people from a source of danger to a safe area where they remain until the danger is past.

This is not an adequate definition either to cover the meaning of evacuation in Topanga or all the complexities a real situation may create. A model for evacuation that may be more applicable is one created by the Tasmanian Fire Service (that's right, Tasmania, as in Australia). Tasmania has a climate and terrain somewhat like ours only their forests are mostly eucalypts. They have evolved a very different strategy for dealing with wildfires. The word "evacuation" is reserved strictly for a situation where there is a clear and present threat to life and where the evacuation is mandatory and carried out by police, by force if necessary.

In the Tasmanian system, prior to an evacuation order there is a level of voluntary movement in which residents are advised to move to pre-designated safe areas until the fire has moved through. These areas may consist of playing fields, parking lots, etc., and may be close to where people live. This enables people to avoid the worst of the fire, yet be close enough to their homes to return quickly and help deal with hot spots, small fires and the delayed outbreak of smoldering embers.

In the event of wildfire in Topanga, the evacuation order would be issued by the senior responsible official of the Fire Department in overall command of the effort to deal with the fire and its consequences. That order is mandatory and enforceable under current California law. As a practical matter, however, there is unlikely to be enough time and personnel to remove people who refuse to cooperate unless they interfere with the firefighting effort or endanger others. In fact the firefighters would welcome the help of residents who stayed behind to the extent they were able to be of help. What no one wants and everyone fears is that some people will stay who are unable to help, or who get in over their heads and become rescue cases, diverting resources from firefighting.

There are three surveyed and sanctioned "Public Refuge Areas" in Topanga listed in the Los Angeles County Fire Department brochure titled, "Operation Evacuation." They are the Topanga Elementary School, the Community House and the Big Rock Recreation Area/Calmont School area. There is no doubt these three are better than none. The question is, might it be possible to define-or even create-additional areas? Then people wishing to stay close to their homes in order to help protect them from fire could do so in relative safety.

The desire to increase the number of refuge areas responds to the three main deterrents to evacuation:
1. Evacuation becomes more dangerous as time passes, given the nature of the roads, the stress people would be operating under, and likely poor visibility due to smoke.
2. If the roads are closed after a resident has evacuated her family or before she is able to get home, she may be unable to reach home until days later whether her home was directly threatened or not.
3. It often happens that a home will survive the first exposure to the wildfire, even if unattended. But hours later, smoldering embers may reignite to destroy a home.