Wildfire Wednesdays #76: Resolve to be Ready for Wildfires!

Happy New Year FACNM community!

We hope you enjoyed the holidays and are excited for the new year. The devastating Marshall fire in northern Colorado the day before New Year’s Eve was a harsh reminder that wildfire preparedness is something to be considered year-round. As you’re forming resolutions for this upcoming year, now is a great time to think about improvements you can make and good habits you can continue to be more prepared for wildfires.

This week’s Wildfire Wednesday features information on:

  • Planning for wildfire

  • Where to additional find resources to learn more and get new ideas

Best,

Liz

Planning for Wildfire

As was the case in the 2018 Camp Fire and the 2021 Marshall Fire, residents sometimes must evacuate with a moment’s notice. The steps you take before the threat of wildfire are critical to your family’s ability to evacuate effectively, protecting your home and property, and ensuring the safety of your neighbors and community. Check out this study published in 2021 examining the factors that influenced the survival or destruction of structures in the 2018 Camp Fire, demonstrating that actions can be taken to increase the likelihood of your home surviving a wildfire. Preparing for wildfire may seem like a daunting task but below are several resources that can serve as planning templates and break down the different stages/aspects of wildfire preparation.

Living with Fire

Since 1997, the Living with Fire Program has provided “recommendations to residents on preparing for wildfire and reducing wildfire threat to homes and communities.” A collaborative effort between “federal, state, local firefighting agencies, and resource management agencies”, the Living with Fire Program provides resources to a variety of individuals in addition to their community events and peer-reviewed publications. Their website includes a plethora of resources for different stages of wildfire preparedness planning such as: fire hazard assessments, improving defensible space, creating an evacuation plan, and more.

Ready, Set, Go!

Cal Fire provides a great resource for wildfire preparedness plans and action items. Their Ready, Set, Go! Campaign emphasizes the different stages of wildfire evacuations and preparation:

  • Be Ready: Create and maintain defensible space and harden your home against flying embers.

  • Get Set: Prepare your family and home ahead of time for the possibility of having to evacuate. Ensure you have a plan of what to take and where to go – evacuation plans will be different this year due to COVID-19. Ask friends or relatives outside your area if you would be able to stay with them, should the need arise. If you do need to evacuate and plan to stay with friends or relatives, ask first if they have symptoms of COVID-19 or have people in their home at higher risk for serious illness. If that is the case, make other arrangements. Check with hotels, motels and campgrounds to learn if they are open. Also get set by learning about your community’s response plan for each disaster and determine if these plans have been adapted because of COVID-19.

  • Be Ready to GO!: When wildfire strikes, go early for your safety. Take the evacuation steps necessary to give your family and home the best chance of surviving a wildfire.

Even though the video below and resources above were designed for California residents, the lessons are applicable across the Western US.

Ready.gov

The “wildfires” section of the Ready.gov website has some practical and important advice to make your life easier during an evacuation, such as: making electronic copies of important documents, downloading the FEMA app to receive National Weather Service alerts, and designating a room that can be closed off from outside air in case you need to shelter in place from smoke.

Additional Planning Resources

If you’ve already improved your defensible space and created an evacuation plan you may think you’re done enough, but there is always something more you can to be prepared for wildfires!