As California’s Mother of the Year, I’d like to make sure that we’re prepared to protect our homes, families, and pets as we enter FIRE SEASON. Everyone knows that it’s a matter of “WHEN” not “IF” there will be another catastrophic wildfire like had last year when both northern (Paradise Camp Fire) and southern (Woolsey Fire) destroyed almost 20,000 structures, burned almost 250,000 acres, and killed 88 people. So let’s work together to prevent a fire from taking out your homes and neighborhoods.
#1: PUT TOGETHER GO-BAGS
Fill an old backpack or suitcase with things you’ll need to survive in the case of an evacuation. I created 2 Go-Bags.
Go-Bag #1: In my car trunk
This bag has things that I need to survive for 3-5 days:
__ First aid kit
__ Food (high protein, energy boosting, non-perishable, plates/utensils)
__ Personal hygiene (toothbrush/paste, shampoo/conditioner, tampons/pads, contact lens cases/solution, medications, etc.)
__ Water (3 gal/person; water purification tablets)
__ Tools (wrench, screwdriver, saw, hammer, can opener, phone chargers)
__ Battery-powered radio and flashlight
__ Clothes (long pants, sweatshirts/jackets, sturdy shoes, hats, etc)
__ Sleeping bags/pillows
__ Paperwork (copies of IDs, insurance policies, prescriptions, important phone numbers, back-up drives, and Cash (small bills))
__ Pet plans (dog bowls, vaccination records, leash)
Go-Bag #2: In my house
This bag contains a list of things for me to grab before I evacuate my house. This prevents you from forgetting precious items during the chaos.
__ Precious jewelry
__ Cash
__ Medications/Medical equipment
__ Important documents (mortgage, insurance, investments, etc)
__ Computer drives/laptops/back-up drives
__ Photo albums
__ Videotapes/drives
__ Framed photos
__ Artwork
#2: SIGN UP FOR CodeRED
By signing up for CodeRED, this reverse 9-1-1 system will alert you of important messages in your county. All you need to do is sign up with your cell or VOIP phone number as well as GPS service,and you’ll automatically receive emergency messages (evacuation and disaster updates).
#3: UPDATE YOUR STATUS WITH LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT
During an emergency, your local fire department will have limited time to reach out to affected residents. If you inform them of who lives in your home (including how many disabled or elderly people), how many indoor and outdoor pets/livestock, gas tanks, electricity meters, water storage tanks, etc, they can more efficiently rescue victims.
__ Full names of each resident
__ Street address (including specific directions if the house is not on the main road)
__ Contact info (landline, cell phone, email)
__ Ages of residents who are disabled, elderly, or children
__ Pet names, breeds, ages, and location (indoor/outdoor)
__ Number and location of propane/gas tanks
__ Number and location of PG&E meters/shut-off valves
__ Number, location, and size of water tanks (specify valve type, pump, and hose) (current level of water)
__ Medical/Paramedic/EMT/CPR training
__ Access roads for evacuation (describe and indicate if a fire truck and/or vehicle can use in case of an emergency)
__ Ham radio (licensed)
#4: ORGANIZE EVACUATION PLAN AND MEETING LOCATION
Every household should set up an evacuation plan that consists of collecting go-bags, pets, and family members/neighbors. Know your evacuation routes, and if you have only exit route by car, know other routes that you can take on foot. Practice this with your family.
Plan to meet at one central location after a disaster. Assume that cell phone service will be down and that everyone will be hoofing it to this location. Choose a place that will be safe in the case of a fire or earthquake. My family meets in the Safeway parking lot where there is plenty of asphalt and few structures. We’ve agreed that if we should move from the lot, that we would post a note with the new destination on a light pole.
Sometimes you can reach people out of state, even when local calls won’t go through. Choose a family member or friend who lives out of state to be the contact person. Tell all family and friends to give updates on location and physical condition to that emergency contact person and make sure that their name and contact info is in each of the go-bags.
#5: BUDDY COMMUNICATION SYSTEM
Now that we’ve discussed your plans with your immediate family and household members, let’s consider your neighborhoods. First create a neighborhood group that consists of no more than a dozen households. Get #3 information from each household. Select the group leader who will be responsible for making sure that all 12 households are informed, prepared, and evacuated should there be an emergency. The group leader can set up a phone tree by selecting 3 reliable volunteers to reach the households quickly. These 3 volunteers then contact 4 of the other families in the neighborhood and report back to the volunteers, who in turn report back to the group leader. If there any dead ends (no contact or responses), then volunteers will go to the house to assess the situation and leave notification of the emergency.
#6: FIRE PREVENTION
Within Your Home:
__ Install smoke detectors/alarms and test once per month
__ Maintain a fire extinguisher on every level of your house and in the kitchen, near fireplace/wood-burning stoves, and in the garage
__ Set alarm when heating a pan so you don’t forget it’s on
__ Clean dryer ducts
__ Clean heating ducts
__ Use and maintain appropriate extension cords
__ Store flammable liquid properly (ventilated space away from sparks and sunlight)
__ Place candles on ceramic/glass bowls large enough to hold all liquid wax
__ Use metal fire screen in front of fireplace to prevent flying embers
Around Your Home:
There are 2 defensible spaces to consider when evaluating your home.
Defensible Space Zone 1: Out to 30 feet from building
__ Remove all dead plants, grass and weeds
__ Clean rain gutters (leaves, pine needles)
__ Trim tree limbs up to 10 feet from ground and other trees
__ Remove tree branches that hang over roof, decks, and chimneys
__ Move wood piles to Zone 2 or further away
__ Remove flammable plants near windows and decks
__ Move wooden patio furniture and play structures to Zone 2
Defensible Space Zone 2: Out to 100 feet from building
__ Cut or weedwhack grass down to maximum 4 inches
__ Remove fallen leaves, twigs, and small branches over 3 inches in depth
__ Create horizontal spacing between shrubs (2-4 times the height) and trees (10-20 feet between)
__ Create vertical spacing between grass, shrubs and trees (3 times the height of the shrub, and 6-foot minimum clearance from ground to first branches)
https://www.readyforwildfire.org/prepare-for-wildfire/get-ready/defensible-space/
In Your Neighborhood:
If you’re doing all you can to protect your home but your neighbors are not, have a block party or meeting to layout plans to work together to protect everyone. After all, your house could go up in flames regardless of how many hours you’ve spent shoring it up. There are grants and other funds available to prevent wildland fires; check with your local fire department, CalFire and Resource Conservation District for your county. We are fortunate to have a free wood chipper service to help us chip tree branches to create the defensible 6-foot space for all of our trees in Santa Cruz County.