Check out these tips to help this wildfire season and connect with your county’s Office of Emergency Management to help keep you and your entity safe.
Stay updated on weather conditions that lead to higher wildfire chances.
- Earlier snowmelts than normal.
- Dry, arid conditions with warm air and high winds.
- Dried and dead plants and trees are fuels for fire.
- Check with the state’s division at the National Weather Service for critical fire conditions.
Understand the fire evacuation levels
Level 1: Warning of current or projected threats from hazards from an approaching fire are severe.
- Residents should be alert
- People should prepare to leave and those with people with special needs should take precautionary movements to avoid the fire. This can include mobile property and livestock as well.
- Tune into public radio and television stations for updates.
- Should conditions worsen, emergency response and fire rescue will attempt to contact residents at home of any changes. Residents should leave your contact info on your door if you will be out, that way they can contact residents by phone.
Level 2: It is a good probability that hazards from the approaching fire will limit the ability for emergency services to assist you. Dangerous conditions threaten your area.
- Get set to leave at a moment’s notice.
- This could be the only notice residents receive, be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice.
- Fire and law enforcement are likely working in the area to provide information on evacuation times and routes.
- Check for emergency response personnel and public radio and television for any further updates.
Level 3: Current conditions present an immediate threat to the life and safety of people in the area.
- Go. Leave now.
- Evacuate immediately.
- Fire and law enforcement personnel are in the area working to provide evacuation information and routes.
- Should residents ignore the warning, they must understand that Emergency Services may not be able to help them and volunteers will not be allowed to enter the area to assist.
- Roadblocks and 24-hour patrols will be established, and residents will not be allowed to return until the area and conditions are safe.
- Public area radio and television will provide updates.
Help prevent human-made wildfires.
- Keep all fuel-powered vehicles and equipment off grass, the hot surface of an exhaust or catalytic converter can easily start a fire.
- Keep trailer chains off the ground when driving, dragging them across pavement could cause sparks.
- Clear perimeters around buildings from pine needles, plants, brush, branches and yard waste.
Prepare your properties and community.
- Create a defensible space by removing unwanted and dead trees and brush. Clear roofs and gutters of any plant and combustible debris.
- Develop hard landscapes like stone or concrete rather than grass or shrubs and use fire resistant vegetation.
- Create a zone of at least 10ft around free of hanging branches that could lead fires directly to the property.
- Activate irrigation systems prior to a wildfire's arrival to help stop the spread and before any potential power outages.
- Utilize social media for emergency notification processes. Develop evacuation processes and routes and post them on social media and throughout the community.
Connect with the State and your County’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM)
- Get to know and establish communication with your county’s office and local fire district to be a part of wildfire emergency preparedness.
- OEMs coordinate regional emergency planning, response and recovery with municipalities. They can help manage resources and info sharing before, during, and after disasters.
- They can provide training exercises, strategies, standards, and policies to help municipalities prepare for emergencies.
- The State Emergency Management Division can also help local governments find disaster assistance grants following a fire and grants to fund hazard mitigation to prevent future fires.
- OEMs can also assist regional alerts and notifications and provide burn ban statuses.
- They work with the State Patrol on the State Mobilization Plan.