Preparing For Possible Evacuation
BE PREPARED:
If you choose to stay against recommendations:
If you choose to stay against recommendations:
- If you are able, evacuate your pets and all family members who are not essential to protecting your home, but do not jeopardize your life. Know where your family members are. Make certain everyone knows where you will meet if you must evacuate. Know at least two different ways to get from your home to safety. Make sure everyone in the family knows the evacuation routes. Make arrangements with a friend or family far from the fire to serve as a telephone message center to allow you to stay in touch with your family. Provide that person’s telephone number to friends or relatives who might worry. If you are staying with your home be properly dressed to survive the fire. Cotton and wool fabrics are preferable to synthetics. Wear long pants and boots, and carry with you for protection long-sleeved shirt or jacket gloves, a handkerchief to shield your face and goggles Please contact the Red Cross regarding relocation assistance for pets and livestock.
- Remove combustible items from around the structure. This includes lawn furniture, umbrellas, and tarp coverings. If they catch fire, the added heat could ignite your home. If possible close outside attics and vents. This will eliminate the possibility of sparks blowing into hidden areas within the structure. Close windows and shutters. Locate garden hoses so they will reach around the structure. Use a spray-gun type nozzle. Place large trash cans or buckets around the perimeter of the house and fill them with water. Soak burlap sacks, small rugs or large rags as this can be helpful in beating g out burning embers or small fires. Place a ladder against the roof of the house opposite the side of the approaching fire. If you have a combustible roof, set a lawn sprinkler on it. This will be more effective than a hose. However, do not turn the water on ahead of time, as wood shingles will dry quickly and you will have wasted water. If you have a portable gasoline powered pump to take water from a swimming pool or tank, make sure it is operational and in place.
- Close all windows and doors to prevent sparks from blowing inside, but do not lock them. If firefighters arrive to help save your home they may need to gain instant access. Close all doors inside the house to block the circulation of air and movement of fire from room to room. Open the damper on your fireplace to help stabilize outside/inside pressure, but close the fireplace screen so sparks will not ignite the room. Turn on a light in each room of the house, the porch, in the garden and in the yard. This will make the house more visible in heavy smoke and at night. Fill bathtubs, sinks, and other containers with water. Toilet tanks and water heaters are important water reservoirs. Shut off natural gas at the meter or propane gas at the tank. If you have time, take down your curtains. If you don’t have time, leave them open. Close all Venetian blinds or fire resistive window coverings to reduce the amount of heat radiating into your home. More overstuffed furniture away from windows and sliding glass doors and into the center of the house. Park your car in the garage, heading out; close care windows; leave the keys in the ignition Close garage doors but leave them unlocked. Disconnect the automatic garage door opener. Place valuable documents and mementos inside the car in the garage for quick departure, if necessary. Think about the most important, irreplaceable things you will take and get them together so you can pack them easily. Remember prescription medications, eyeglasses, or anything else you made need if you are away from home for a period of time.
