Make a plan incase of a Wildfire
Wildfires |
Get a Wildfire Kit |
Make a Plan |
Prepare |
During the Fire |
After the Fire
Prepare Your Family
- Make a Family Emergency Plan. Your family may not be together when disaster strikes, so it is important to know how you will contact one another, how you will get back together and what you will do in case of an emergency.
- Plan places where your family will meet, both within and outside of your immediate neighborhood.
- It may be easier to make a long-distance phone call than to call across town, so an out-of-town contact may be in a better position to communicate among separated family members.
- You may also want to inquire about emergency plans at places where your family spends time: work, daycare and school. If no plans exist, consider volunteering to help create one.
- Be sure to consider the specific needs of your family members
- Notify caregivers and babysitters about your emergancy plan.
- Make plans for your pets
- Take a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) class from your local Citizen Corps chapter. Keep your training current.
Before the Fire Approaches Your House
- Evacuate - Evacuate your pets and all family members who are not essential to preparing the home. Anyone with medical or physical limitations and the young and the elderly should be evacuated immediately.
- Wear Protective Clothing - Sturdy shoes, cotton or woolen clothing, long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, gloves, and a handkerchief to protect your face.
- Remove Combustibles - Clear items that will burn from around the house, including wood piles, lawn furniture, barbecue grills, tarp coverings, etc. Move them outside of your defensible space.
- Close/Protect Openings - Close outside attic, eaves and basement vents, windows, doors, pet doors, etc. Remove flammable drapes and curtains. Close all shutters, blinds or heavy non-combustible window coverings to reduce radiant heat.
- Close Inside Doors/Open Damper. Close all doors inside the house to prevent draft. Open the damper on your fireplace, but close the fireplace screen.
- Shut Off Gas - Shut off any natural gas, propane or fuel oil supplies at the source.
- Water - Connect garden hoses. Fill any pools, hot tubs, garbage cans, tubs or other large containers with water.
- Pumps -If you have gas-powered pumps for water, make sure they are fueled and ready.
- Ladder- Place a ladder against the house in clear view.
- Car - Back your car into the driveway and roll up the windows.
- Garage Doors - Disconnect any automatic garage door openers so that doors can still be opened by hand if the power goes out. Close all garage doors.
- Valuables - Place valuable papers, mementos and anything "you can't live without" inside the car in the garage, ready for quick departure. Any pets still with you should also be put in the car.
Preparing to Leave
- Lights - Turn on outside lights and leave a light on in every room to make the house more visible in heavy smoke.
- Don't Lock Up - Leave doors and windows closed but unlocked. It may be necessary for firefighters to gain quick entry into your home to fight fire. The entire area will be isolated and patrolled by sheriff's deputies or police.
- Tell someone when you left and where you are going.
Evacuate
- Identify ahead of time where your family will meet, both within and outside of your immediate neighborhood.
- Identify several places you could go in an emergency, a friend's home in another town, a motel or public shelter.
- If you do not have a car, plan alternate means of evacuating.
- If you have a car, keep a half tank of gas in it at all times in case you need to evacuate.
- Take your Emergency Supply Kit.
- Take your pets with you, but understand that only service animals may be permitted in public shelters. Plan how you will care for your pets in an emergency.
Get a Kit
- Get an Emergency Supply Kit, which includes items like non-perishable food, water, a battery-powered or hand-crank radio, extra flashlights and batteries.
- Store it in your shelter location
For a Wildfire
In addition to your basic emergency plan, here's a few key items to keep in mind when preparing for a Wildfire:
- Report hazardous conditions that could cause a wildfire.
- Teach children about fire safety. Keep matches out of their reach.
- Teach each family member how to use the fire extinguisher (ABC type) and show them where it's kept.
- Talk to your neighbors about wildfire safety. Have a neighborhood plan that includes a list of your neigbors skills such as medical or techinal. Consider how to help neighbors with special needs such as elderly or disabled persons and make plans to take care of children who may be on thier own if parents can't get home.
- Keep important family documents in a waterproof container.