How to Prepare Your Home for Evacuation Due to a Wildfire

You never know when a disaster will actually strike and the only thing you can do is plan ahead and be ready. While I believe in planning and preparing for disaster, a wildfire is not one of those things I prepared for. I discovered that I was not prepared for such an event when a field fire broke out close to my home, on a windy, warm and dry February afternoon. Now, after the fact, I will prepare my home, my family and my own mind for such an event and hope it never happens again.

Call 911
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a call to 911 is the first thing to do when you see a wildfire. Don't assume someone else has called. In the case of the wildfire near my home, I called the emergency number because I didn't see fire trucks on the scene yet. I was assured they were on their way and they arrived just a few minutes after my call.

Evacuate Pets and Family Members
Don't assume that you are safe just because a wildfire is not at your backdoor. Fires are unpredictable and in the case of the field fire near my home, wind gusts of around 40 miles per hour were making it hard to control. The wind direction was blowing the fire directly toward my home and thick smoke filled my yard. If there is time, evacuate pets and family members who are not essential to preparing your home then return to get your home ready before your final evacuation. As a precaution, I evacuated my children and my elderly grandmother to a safer place until the fire was under control and smoke had cleared significantly then I returned to do what was necessary at my home.

Preparation Before a Wildfire Reaches Your Home
After you have evacuated pets and family members, you will need to prepare your home prior to your final evacuation. FEMA recommends backing your car into your driveway or garage and leaving windows rolled up while you do home preparation. You should wear protective clothing and first remove combustibles from around your home.

Remove Combustibles--Move and clear away any items that could catch fire directly around your house--lawn furniture, wood piles, grills, tarps, trash.

Open/Close Openings--Close up all openings to your home. Close the attic, vents, windows, doors (including pet doors), interior doors (to prevent drafts) and close all blinds and shutters. Remove any flammable curtains and window coverings and draw any non-combustible drapes or window coverings closed. Covering the windows will help reduce radiant heat from a fire outside the home.

If you have a fireplace, open the damper but be sure to close the fireplace screen.

Water and Gas--Turn off any gas supply to the home (natural gas, propane, fuel oil) at the gas source. Connect all garden hoses and fill any large, outside containers with water--pools, hot tubs, trash cans, tubs or other large containers. Be sure any gas-powered water pumps are fueled and ready for use (in case fire fighters need to use them).

Other Preparations
Remember that preparations you do at your home before leaving may help save your home and will aid fire fighters as they work to save your home. If you have a ladder, place it against your home in open view in the event fire fighters need to use it.

Disconnect automatic garage door openers so the doors can be opened by hand if the power is cut off. Be sure to close your garage doors before leaving.

Gather any valuables or important papers and other items you need and place them in your car.

Finally, just before leaving your home for your final evacuation, turn on all the lights in your home--including all outside lights. The lights will help make your home more visible in heavy smoke.

Don't lock your doors but be sure to close them (along with all windows). Remember that fire fighters may need to get inside to save your home and most likely, the area will be closed off by the authorities and all residents will be evacuated.

Thankfully, the field fire near my home was brought under control in a matter of hours and my family members and I were able to return home. In preparation for future possibilities of wildfire though, I will now know exactly what to do and be ready in the event it happens again.