Wildfires can happen at any time, and as climate change fuels hotter, drier conditions, the risk of drought and wildfires continues to grow. Even if you aren’t in the direct path of a wildfire, the smoke can travel for miles, impacting the air quality and respiratory health in surrounding areas. Being prepared for wildfire evacuations and smoke impacts will help you protect yourself and make informed decisions quickly.
Heluna Health’s Research and Evaluation team, led by Jo Kay Ghosh, PhD, has created an informative resource to help you stay informed, prepare your home and supplies, and create a plan of action to keep yourself and your community safe:
Know How to Get Information:
Having good quality information is critical to making informed decisions during an emergency. Setting up your information sources before a wildfire will help you get the timely information you need when a wildfire happens.
Emergency Alerts
• Make sure your smartphone has emergency alerts enabled. This is typically found in your Settings > Notifications > Emergency Alerts. For more information on emergency alerts, please see here for iOS and here for Android phones.
• Sign up for Landline, Email, or TTY alerts: across California or Nationally (US, free text or email alerts, monthly fee for landline alerts).
Fire Locations
• Sign up for fire location alerts in your area using the Watch Duty app, a wildfire tracking app that provides real-time updates about wildfires.
Air Quality
• Check your local air quality using the EPA Fire and Smoke map.
• Follow outdoor activity guidance for children.
Prepare Your Home and Supplies:
Getting your home and supplies ready will help you be prepared for power outages (which may occur during wildfires), evacuation, and smoke events. Additionally, making changes to your home and yard can help reduce the chances of fire damage.
Emergency Kit
• Create a “Go Bag”, an emergency kit you can grab if you need to evacuate. Be sure to include important documents and prescription medications. Suggested kit contents can be found here.
Air Filters
• If you have an A/C system, have an extra filter (MERV-13 rating or higher) on hand and practice installing the filter. Portable room air purifiers with HEPA filters will also help reduce smoke exposures. More information about air filters can be found here.
• DIY air cleaners have been found to be reasonably effective in removing smoke particles. Here are some instructions on how to make a DIY air cleaner.
Home Weatherization & Hardening
• Seal off cracks and gaps around your doors, garage door, to keep embers and smoke out. See detailed instructions here.
• Use non-combustible materials for your roof, walls, decks, fences, etc. Install chimney and window screens to help keep embers out. More information here and here.
Clear Brush on Your Property
• Clear away flammable brush in your yard, including cleaning out gutters, sweeping up leaves, and trimming back trees and shrubs. Create and maintain defensible zones around your home.
Make Your Household Wildfire Action Plan:
Having a plan and practicing it with your family/household members will keep everyone calmer and more coordinated. Develop a plan with your family/household before an emergency happens
Communication Plan
• Write down your emergency contacts. Make a plan with your family to have a central contact person who lives outside the area; all family members should contact this person if you get separated and local communication systems are jammed. Make plans for where your family and pets might go in case of evacuation. A sample plan template can be found here and a fillable template here.
Evacuation Plan
• Define multiple escape routes from your home. If you don’t have your own transportation, make arrangements with someone who lives nearby who can help drive you to your evacuation location. This plan template includes a place to specify transportation to the evacuation location.
As we continue to face the increased threat of wildfires, it is critical to stay ahead of the risks. Preparation is the best to keep ourselves, our families, and our communities safe.
