When Wildland Fire Threatens

Planning for a Wildland Fire

Pre-planning for a wildland fire threat or evacuation is imperative. The most dangerous predictability of a wildland fire is that it is not predictable. You could be watching the smoke from a distant fire for days or find yourself in the freight-train path of a fire storm.

The smoke has settled over your neighborhood; you’ve been watching the helicopters and water droppers overhead for the last few hours; now police cars are cruising your street with bullhorns warning an evacuation may be necessary.

Your plan includes evacuating when the official word comes, so you grab your emergency disaster kit and…. What, no disaster kit? Okay, we’ll rewind this film.

We’ve talked about escape plansfrom homes. Now, we need to talk about evacuation plans when you don’t really know how you’re getting out of your area or how long you’ll be gone. In the 2007 Southern California wildland fires, San Diego County was so severely impacted all the logical evacuation centers were full by the time the North County town of Fallbrook was hit. Residents ended up being sent 50+ miles north into Orange County. Nearly a week after the first communities were evacuated, families were still sleeping on cots in gymnasiums.

Good pre-planning comes down to two exercises:

• Make an evacuation plan. This includes scouting all the available routes out of your community. If possible, both logistically and economically, identify where you’ll end up at the end of each route. This could be with friends or relatives or a motel. The last resort would be an official evacuation center.
• Assemble an emergency kit. The best kits will include the list of supplies that follow. Put aside these items so you won’t have to scramble around pulling clothes out of drawers or medications out of cabinets. Stash your supplies in duffel bags, backpacks, suitcases or trash bags. It doesn’t matter as long as the container is sturdy. If duplicating items is not feasible, tack a list of what’s missing to the kit for quick retrieval.

Emergency Kit

• A three day supply of water (one gallon per person per day) and food that won’t spoil. This is your worst case scenario and can be adjusted down in communities near large metropolitan areas.
• A change of clothing and shoes for each person plus blankets or one sleeping bag per person.
• A first aid kit including family member prescriptions and medications for a week.
• Emergency tools: battery powered radio, flashlight and extra batteries for both.
• An extra set of car keys, a credit card, cash or traveler’s checks.
• Sanitation supplies and special items for infants, the elderly or disabled family members.
• An extra set of eyeglasses, a cleaning kit for contact lens wearers.

Documents and Important Papers

This could be a challenge for some of us. Find all your important papers: taxes, birth certificates, home documents, insurance policies, pink slips on vehicles, etc. A good way to figure out what is important beyond this brief list is to think back to the last time you applied for a job or a credit card or loan: what did you have to scrounge around to find? Take last month’s credit cards and any other monthly billing statement and write down account numbers and phone numbers to call to replace or provide a change of address. If you have any insurance coverage on jewelry, art or collectibles, etc., take photos of the items and put them with sales receipts. Put all these documents and lists and photos in one place–preferably a metal box you can grab quickly. If you keep them in a file cabinet, keep them grouped together and indicate on the tab that the contents go with you in an evacuation.

Other Considerations

• Take some time and discussion to identify what else you want to take. Most disaster victims admit they grabbed family photos. Keep this list of personal valuables as short as possible. If your computer hard drive is on that list, make sure you know how to disconnect all of its peripheral equipment quickly. If a breakable heirloom is on the list, put a box and packing material with your emergency kit.
• Figure out in advance what to do with house pets. Many evacuation centers will not take them. If your evacuation destination will be friends or family, make sure they realize in advance they’ll also be housing your pets. Do a little research to identify motels that will take animals. The alternative will be an animal shelter or boarding facility. Put your pet’s inoculation records with your “important papers.” Give them all collars with ID tags. Purchase carriers for your cats and cage covers for birds. Portable kennels are a good idea for dogs. Bring water bowls.

Tagged as: Evacuating Yourself and Your Family, When Fire Threatens