Southern California fire chiefs debate stay-and-defend program

He noted that it will take a sustained campaign to educate the public on the method's intricacies.

"We can't willy-nilly this thing or it could have bad consequences," he said.

But not everyone is convinced it will work.

Firefighter unions have voiced safety concerns, saying not all residents are physically or mentally strong enough to endure the rigors and trauma of a wildfire. A message that gives residents a choice on whether to stay or evacuate could be confusing, resulting in last-minute exoduses that clog streets, say representatives for firefighters.

That could lead to panic and hinder firefighting efforts, said Pat McOsker, president of the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City. Studies show that most wildfire-related fatalities occur as residents are belatedly trying to flee, he said.

"People will make the decision to stay and then when the 40-foot wall of flame comes toward them, they will want to get out and we will have a disaster," McOsker said. "People will be putting their lives at risk needlessly."

Freeman, the L.A. County fire chief, is still advising residents to clear brush around homes, install fire-resistant roof tiles and follow evacuation orders when issued, said Los Angeles County Deputy Fire Chief Daryl Osby.

People with property in wild-land areas have experience with fires and are better equipped to decide whether to fight or flee, Osby said, adding that the call is more risky in urban environments.

"It takes a lot of public education and training to bring about a change like that," Osby said.

The National Wildfire Coordinating Group, a policy forum for fire agencies serving federal, state and tribal lands, researched shelter-in-place tactics and next week will consider offering qualified support for the concept, said Will May, chairman of a committee that researched the policies.

"It's not a solution in every community," he said. "And where it is done, there has to be a lot of local support and education before it can be done."

Stay-and-defend has it roots in Australia, where government policy leaves homeowners in rural areas to fight fires on their own. It's a recognition of the country's limited resources, said Sarah McCaffrey, a fire researcher for the U.S. Forest Service. But it's also based on research showing that it's safer to fight a fire than to run at the last minute.

"Studies showed that most civilians died while evacuating and most houses were lost from ember attacks that could have been easily extinguished," McCaffrey said.

But the strain of staying can be high. Residents must arm themselves with hoses and wet mops and actively look for flare-ups -- sometimes for as long as 10 hours.

"It's not a simple thing," McCaffrey said. "It takes a certain personality."

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catherine.saillant@latimes.com