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Are you wildfire ready? Knowing what to do before, during and after a wildfire can empower you to take action.
Be Informed
- Sign up for local emergency alerts.
- Visit your county emergency management website.
- Follow local emergency services on social media.
- Sign up for the FEMA app for real-time alerts from the National Weather Service for up to five locations nationwide.
- Pay attention to air quality alerts.
- Have a battery-powered AM/FM emergency radio.
- Create community by talking to your neighbors about emergency plans.
- Exchange contact information and ask for help if you need it or offer help if you can provide it during an emergency.
- If you must evacuate, follow the instructions from local authorities. They will provide the latest recommendations based on the threat to your community and appropriate safety measures.
Have a Plan
- Develop an Emergency Plan. Discuss the plan with your household, loved ones, friends and neighbors. Make sure everyone knows and understands what to do if you need to quickly evacuate. Practice the elements of the plan so you’ll be ready when disaster happens.
- Identify evacuation routes from home, work, school, daycare and other frequent locations.
- Establish a Family Communication Plan that designates an out-of-area contact, a family meeting place outside of the hazard area, and how you’ll contact each other if you are separated during an emergency.
- Make sure your insurance policies and personal documents, like ID, are up to date. Make copies and keep them in a secure password-protected digital space. Consider making a home inventory and take a video or photos of the inside and outside of your home for insurance purposes.
- Plan for pets and large animals such as horses and other livestock. Prepare a pet evacuation kit in a tote bag or pet crate. Pack food, water, leashes, bedding, identification, medication, vaccination or medical records. Plan for transportation of large animals and identify safe shelter options.
- Seniors, people with disabilities, and others who may need help to evacuate should consider individual circumstances and specific needs when planning for emergencies and disasters. Plan what to do and who to contact, especially if you need help from others to evacuate. Create a support network of people who can help you during an emergency. Make plans for how you will communicate, any equipment needed, transportation and service animal considerations.
Make a Go-Kit
- Visit Ready.gov or American Red Cross for recommended emergency kit items.
- Assemble a go-kit of essential supplies for your health, safety, and identification.
- Pack an easy-to-carry backpack or bag for each member of the family.
- Include the Six Ps for evacuation:
- People and pets (food, water, hygiene, sanitation, clothing, and comfort items).
- Prescriptions (medications, eyeglasses and medical devices).
- Phones, personal computers, hard drives or disks, and chargers.
- “Plastic” (ATM debit and credit cards) and cash.
- Papers and important documents (photo identification, birth certificates, social security cards, passports, visas, insurance policy, mortgage deed or rental agreement, medical records, banking or financial records).
- Priceless items, including pictures and other irreplaceable memorabilia.
Make Other Preparations
- If you have more time, gather and pack additional items.
- Don’t wait to evacuate if you feel unsafe.
- Keep your cell phone charged when wildfires could be in your area. Purchase backup charging devices to power electronics.
- Prepare your home: Find an outdoor water source with a hose that can reach any area of your property. Create a fire-resistant zone that is free of leaves, debris or flammable materials for at least 30 feet from your home. Clear needles, leaves, and other debris from roofs, gutters, porches, and decks.
- Keep your vehicle ready: Make sure the gas tank is full. Carry your keys with you at all times. Back your vehicle into your parking space to leave quickly. Load your emergency supplies into the vehicle. Be cautious when carrying flammable or combustible household products that can cause fires or explosions if handled wrong, such as aerosols, cooking oils, rubbing alcohol and hand sanitizer.
- Take or safeguard guns; remove ammunition and move 30 feet away from house.
- When smoky conditions exist but you don’t need to evacuate: Designate a room that can be closed off from outside air. Close all doors and windows. Set up a portable air cleaner to keep indoor pollution levels low. Use high efficiency filters in your central air conditioning system to capture fine particles from smoke. If your system has fresh air intake, set the system to “recirculate” mode and close the outdoor intake damper. If available, store an N95 mask to protect yourself from smoke inhalation.
Before You Evacuate (if you have time)
- Close all windows and doors, including interior doors to each room.
- Close fireplace dampers and pet doors.
- Seal your attic and ground/crawlspace vents. Use plywood, duct tape, aluminum foil or commercial seals.
- Turn off the air conditioning/HVAC to reduce airflow through the house.
- Turn off any pilot lights. Turn off propane tanks. Move propane appliances and gasoline cans away from structures if it is safe to do so. Do not shut off your natural gas. Utility companies can shut down systems when fire threatens an area. If your natural gas is shut off during a wildfire, do not turn it back on by yourself. Call your natural gas provider to restore your service.
- Remove flammable window coverings such as drapes and curtains. Move flammable furniture to the center of a room, away from windows and doors.
- Remove all flammable and combustible outdoor items from decks and porches (cushions, door mats, patio furniture, toys, grills, portable propane tanks). Bring them inside or in the garage, or move them at least 30 feet from the house. Close garage door.
- Leave interior and exterior lights on to make your home visible to firefighters in smoke or darkness.
- To help firefighters: prop a noncombustible ladder at the corner of the house, leave gates unlocked and propped open, connect garden hoses to outside water faucets and attach nozzles set on spray, fill trash cans and buckets with water and place where firefighters can find them. Don’t leave sprinklers on or water running, as that can affect critical water pressure.
- Leave your contact information on your dining table. Place an EVACUATED sign in the front window. Tell your non-local emergency contacts you are evacuating.
- Monitor your property and the fire situation. If you feel threatened, leave right away. Do not wait for an evacuation order.
After You Evacuate
- Do not return home until authorities say it is safe to do so.
- Seek medical help if you are injured.
- Inform loved ones that you are safe. Send text messages or use social media to reach out to family and friends. Phone systems are often busy following a disaster. Make calls only in emergencies.
- Continue to check for updates through local city, county and emergency service websites, social media, local news and radio.
- Avoid hot ash, charred trees, smoldering debris and live embers. The ground may contain heat pockets that can burn you or spark another fire.
- When cleaning, wear protective clothing – including a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, work gloves and sturdy thick-soled shoes – during clean-up efforts.
- Use a respirator to limit your exposure, and wet debris to minimize breathing dust particles. People with asthma, COPD and/or other lung conditions should take precautions in areas with poor air quality, as it can worsen symptoms.
- Document property damage with photographs. Conduct an inventory and contact your insurance company for assistance.