Wildfires often begin unnoticed. They spread quickly, igniting brush, trees, and homes. Reduce your risk by preparing now - before wildfire strikes. Meet with your family to decide what to do and where to go if wildfires threaten your area. Follow the steps listed below to protect your family, home, and property.

• Fireworks Flyer (PDF)
• Prevention Flyer (PDF)

Practice Wildfire Safety

Many wildfires are started by people.  To do your part in preventing them:

• Contact your local fire department, or forestry office for information on fire laws.
• Make sure that fire vehicles can get to your home. Clearly mark all driveway entrances and display your name and address.
• Report hazardous conditions that could cause a wildfire.
• Teach children about fire safety. Keep matches out of their reach.
• Post fire emergency telephone numbers.
• Ensure adequate accessibility by large fire vehicles to your property.
• Plan several escape routes away from your home - by car and by foot.
• Talk to your neighbors about wildfire safety. Plan how the neighborhood could work together after a wildfire. Consider how you could help neighbors who have special needs such as elderly or disabled persons. Make plans to take care of children who may be on their own if parents can't get home.

Before Wildfire Threatens

Design and landscape your home with wildfire safety in mind. Select materials and plants that can help contain fire rather than fuel it. Use fire-resistant or noncombustible materials on the roof and exterior structure of the dwelling, or treat wood or combustible material used in roofs, siding, decking, or trim with fire-retardant chemicals evaluated by a nationally recognized laboratory. Plant fire-resistant shrubs and trees. For example, hardwood trees are less flammable than pine, evergreen, eucalyptus or fir trees.

Create a 30- to 100-Foot Safety Zone around Your Home

Within this area, you can take steps to reduce potential exposure to flames and radiant heat. Homes built in pine forests should have a minimum safety zone of 100 feet. If your home sits on a steep slope, standard protective measures may not suffice. Contact your local fire department or forestry office for additional information.

• Rake leaves, dead limbs and twigs. Clear all flammable vegetation.
• Remove leaves and rubbish from under structures.
• Thin a 15-foot space between tree crowns, and remove limbs within 15 feet of the ground.
• Remove dead branches that extend over the roof.
• Remove tree branches and shrubs within 15 feet of a stovepipe or chimney outlet.
• Ask the power company to clear branches from powerlines.
• Remove vines from the walls of the home.
• Mow grass regularly.
• Clear a 10-foot area around propane tanks, grills, and fire pits. Place a screen over fire pits and grills - use nonflammable material with mesh no coarser than one-quarter inch.
• Regularly dispose of newspapers and rubbish at an approved site. Follow local burning regulations.
• Place stove, fireplace and grill ashes in a metal bucket, soak in water for 2 days; then bury the cold ashes in mineral soil.
• Store gasoline, oily rags and other flammable materials in approved safety cans. Place cans in a safe location away from the base of buildings.
• Stack firewood at least 100 feet away and uphill from your home. Clear combustible material within 20 feet. Use only wood-burning devices evaluated by a nationally recognized laboratory.

Protect Your Home

• Regularly clean roof and gutters.
• Inspect chimneys at least twice a year. Clean them at least once a year. Keep the dampers in good working order.
• Use 1/8-inch mesh screen beneath porches, decks, floor areas, and the home itself. Also, screen openings to floors, roof and attic.
• Install a dual-sensor smoke alarm on each level of your home, especially near bedrooms; test monthly and change the batteries at least once each year.
• Teach each family member how to use a fire extinguisher (ABC type) and show them where it's kept.
• Keep handy household items that can be used as fire tools: a rake, axe, handsaw or chain saw, bucket and shovel.
• Keep a ladder that will reach the roof.
• Consider installing protective shutters or heavy fire-resistant drapes.
• Review your homeowner's insurance policy and prepare/update a list of your home's contents.

Plan Your Water Needs

• Have a garden hose that is long enough to reach any area of the home and other structures on the property.
• Install freeze-proof exterior water outlets on at least two sides of the home and near other structures on the property. Install additional outlets at least 50 feet from the home.
• If you rely on a water pump to provide your water supply or pressure, consider obtaining a portable gasoline powered pump in case electrical power is cut off.

When Wildfire Threatens

When wildfires threaten populated areas, emergency managers will often provide warnings based on 3 stages:

READY:  You are not in danger yet, but could be.  Now is the time to review your plans, make sure your 100' zone is clear around your house, and communicate with family and friends.  Wet down your lawn and landscaping near your home.  Pay close attention to news, alerts, and warnings.  If there is only one way in or out of where you live, you might choose to leave now if wildfire might cut off your means of exit.  If you have people or livestock that might take a while to get loaded up and out, you might also want to consider leaving at this stage.

SET:  Wildfire is getting closer, but you are still not in danger yet.  Now is the time to gather essentials like food (including for your pets), medicine, clothing, and family members.  Make sure your vehicle(s) is fueled up, and consider which roads/paths you will take when leaving.  If you have any family mementos or documents you might want to take with you, have them loaded up so you aren't thinking about them later.  Put on clothing and shoes that cover your skin and offer protection from cuts.  (See below for additional preparation steps.)  Be ready to leave if you get the "GO" order.

GO:  Get out now!  Do not spend any more time getting things together.  Your life is in immediate danger.

If Advised to Evacuate, Do so Immediately

• Take your Disaster Supplies Kit.
• Lock your home.
• Tell someone when you left and where you are going.
• Choose a route away from fire hazards. Watch for changes in the speed and direction of fire and smoke.

If You're Sure You Have Time, Take Steps to Protect Your Home

• Close windows, vents, doors, blinds, or noncombustible window coverings and heavy drapes. Remove lightweight curtains.
• Seal attic and ground vents with precut noncombustible coverings.
• Shut off all utilities, if possible, including propane and bottled gas.
• Move flammable furniture into the center of the home away from windows and sliding glass doors. Place combustible patio furniture inside.
• Confine pets to one room, and have pet carriers or leashes ready for use. 
• Connect garden hoses to outside taps.
• Place lawn sprinklers on the roof and near aboveground fuel tanks. Wetting the roof may help if it is made of combustible materials.
• Wet or remove shrubs within 15 feet of the home.
• Gather fire tools.
• Back your car into the garage or park it in an open space facing the direction of escape. Shut doors and roll up windows. Close garage windows and doors, but leave them unlocked. Disconnect automatic garage door openers.
• Arrange temporary housing at a friend or relative's home, a hotel, or a shelter outside the threatened area.

Emergency Supplies

When wildfire threatens, you won't have time to shop or search for supplies. Assemble a Disaster Supplies Kit with items you may need if advised to evacuate. Store these supplies in sturdy, easy-to-carry containers such as backpacks, duffle bags, or trash containers. Include:

• A three-day supply of water (one gallon per person and per pet per day) and food that won't spoil.
• At least one change of clothing and footwear per person and a blanket or sleeping bag for each.
• A first aid kit that includes your family's prescription medications.
• Emergency tools including a battery-powered radio, flashlight, and plenty of extra batteries.
• An extra set of car keys and a credit card, cash, or traveler's checks.
• Sanitation supplies.
• Special items for infants (including diapers and formula), elderly, or disabled family members.
• An extra pair of eye-glasses or contact lenses.
• Keep important family documents in a waterproof container. Assemble a smaller version of your kit to keep in the trunk of your car.

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