Some fire chiefs in California say that residents should always be encouraged to evacuate, but Naomi Brown, from the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council, says installing effective early warning systems is the key.
VOA: standard.2009.06.24
"When they put fire retardant down on the leading edge of the fire, it's very effective in keeping the fire from advancing, " the lieutenant colonel said.
He said that the combination of an ageing population and fire service cuts meant that "the installation of sprinklers is perhaps the single most effective measure in protecting occupants of dwellings from fire".