When every minute counts, our Evacuation Checklist will help you stay calm and get out quickly. We advise keeping a print-out handy (on your fridge door, for instance).
Important: If your household includes elders, disabled folk, children, and/or livestock, evacuate as soon as possible if conditions warrant it, even before the official call. Don't wait. Leaving early means less risk of bottlenecks and traffic congestion.
Know that the fire may come at any time, without warning, even in the middle of the night. Are you ready? Get ready!
It's hard to think clearly in an emergency. The more you can prepare yourself, the better you will fare in a crisis. Let's look at what you need to assemble, organize, and practice before the fire comes.
When there's a fire, things can get hectic. You'll be better able to understand emergency directives and information when you know your home's evacuation code. Go to Sonoma County's new interactive Evacuation Zone Map. Type in your address to see your spot on the map. You might want to jot down your evac zone code on a stickie note where you can easily find it later.
Fort Ross VFD's response area includes zones 1E2 and 1D2 (divided by Fort Ross Road, east to west), and stretches north into parts of 1C2 and 1C3. (The SON- part of the code means Sonoma.)
Your Grab and Go kit serves three functions. First, it's a survival kit when you and your family are away from home. So pack extras of everyday items and medications. Second, you're pulling together documentation (see "Paper Trail," below). Third, you're preserving irreplaceables like photos and love letters.
Here's what goes in your kit:
Collect your items and put them in a container: plastic garbage cans or boxes with handles work well. Be sure your finished Grab and Go kit isn’t too heavy to move or too big to fit in your car. Keep your Grab and Go kit by the door or in your vehicle during fire season, or in a place where you can indeed grab it in a flash. You might split your kit into two boxes, one that stays in the car and one that stays by the door, depending on what's in each.
Make a list of things you would want to save from your home, given time. Prioritize items and plan how much you will be able to transport. Tape a list of crucial items to the lid of your Grab and Go kit, so it will be right there when you're rushing.
In addition, for each family member, have a bundle of evacuation clothes appropriate for fire, ready to wear as you get out. Avoid any synthetic fabrics (they can melt onto your skin). Go for heavy cotton, linen, or wool. You'll want pants, a long-sleeved shirt, a protective jacket, sturdy shoes or boots, heavy work gloves, N95 or PM2.5 masks (for smoke), a hood or a hat, and goggles or glasses.
Have leashes and/or carriers for every one of your pets. If fire is near, keep those carriers and leashes handy and accessible at a moment's notice.
If there is an evacuation call with sufficient notice, consider evacuating early with big animals like horses. Have a plan for where to take them.
Where will you and your family go? What if you aren’t together? Have a plan, and choose a few out-of-area phone numbers where separated family members can call to leave messages and check in.
A devastating wildfire will turn your life upside down if your home is lost. Having needed documents at hand will help.
Do you want to pack the originals or make copies? Think about what works best for you. Duplicates are an excellent idea in any case. At the same time, you want to keep important documents secure. Consider a safe deposit box for original documents or a fireproof home safe. And/or make copies to stash with close friends or family. And/or scan documents and photos to a flash drive, external hard drive, or "the cloud."
Include:
Video and/or make an inventory list of home contents and exterior of your house for insurance claims. United Policyholders, a nonprofit devoted to helping people with home insurance issues in disasters such as wildfire, has downloads and an app to help with the all-important inventory. www.uphelp.org.
Keep paper maps of local roads in your vehicle. GPS may go out in a wildfire.
It's a good idea to keep several gallons of water in your car, for emergency drinking and wash up. Also a heavy wool or cotton blanket (not synthetic) can come in very handy.
Always keep your vehicle's fuel tank full during fire season. Evacuation is a bad time to run out of gas.
If you do not drive, make other arrangements for transportation well in advance.
If you don't already have them, buy fire extinguishers and extra big hoes (such as these) for ember snuffing. If you already have fire extinguishers, check that they're fully charged — if not, take them in for charging (here, for instance).
Old towels and wool blankets have many uses, see below.
Yes, we know, we don't have time for this either. But… really, truly: having a little practice under your belt will reward you with more time and confidence when the call comes for real. Remember, it's not if, but when.
Take one hour to run through the steps below.
Hit the road and drive your preplanned routes — you should have at least two ways out, try them all.
Now evaluate: What problems do you encounter? How long does it take you? Can you shave some time off the next fire drill? Can you rearrange prep materials and tools so they're easier to find and handle? Are some things missing from your essential kit? Take the time now to work out how you can make evacuation go smoother and faster.
Due to steep slopes and/or fuel load, many of the homes in our neighborhood are in dangerous spots. In major fires, most deaths occur when people are in their cars attempting a late escape. Evacuate immediately if asked, and understand that in extreme fire conditions, walls of flame may reach 200 feet, and move at speeds of over 60 MPH. Your garden hose won’t save you or your home in conditions like that.
Remember, YOU are way more important than your stuff.
We'll say it again: the fire may come in the middle of the night, or any time, without warning. Are you really ready? Be ready!
Gather & confine pets in carriers or on-leash, before they panic and hide. Secure them inside house, give them water. If you can't evacuate livestock, spray paint your name on them before you leave.
Change into your evacuation clothes: heavy cotton clothing and boots.
Monitor the emergency scanner as you work to evacuate. Know where the fire is before you leave and have a clear and safe exit route and destination in mind.
Get your Grab and Go kit and load it in your vehicle. Pack in your other essential items, if you can. Be sure to leave room for your pets.
If you have a pre-2019 automatic garage door, disconnect the electric opener so that the door can be opened manually. Close the garage door when you leave, but don't lock (so firefighters can get in).
Move your car so it is pointed in the direction you need to go to escape (in fire season, try parking it in this position every day). Roll up windows and shut the doors. Leave keys in the ignition and doors unlocked. Be sure you're not blocking incoming fire vehicles.
Remember to drink lots of water as you work. It’ll be hot. Don’t let yourself get dehydrated and become a medical emergency!
Fill bathtub, sinks, and buckets with water. Get old towels and rags ready to soak.
Close all windows, skylights, and interior doors — don't forget to cover pet doors.
Close fire-resistant drapes or metal blinds, but remove lightweight curtains or bamboo blinds. Move overstuffed furniture and rugs well away from windows.
Close fireplace damper and woodstove doors.
Turn off all pilot lights.
Leave a light on in each room.
Close all exterior doors, windows, and louvered vents.
Vents: If you haven't already upgraded your house vents with 1/8" hardware cloth or WUI-approved vents, cover vents with heavy aluminum foil, well secured with HVAC aluminum tape. Cover foundation vents, soffits, roof cap, stovepipe, attic vents, and fans.
If you have fire shutters, deploy them. If not, cover windows and glass doors with plywood or several layers of aluminum foil secured with HVAC aluminum tape.
Remove excelsior pads from window swamp coolers and toss them away from the house. Tightly cover the swamp cooler with foil.
Fill barrels, garbage cans, and buckets with water. Add towels and rags to soak. Leave where firefighters can find them, in different places around your house.
Save water for when you really need it. Unless you have a truly tremendous water supply, don’t use much water wetting down your house or roof in advance of the fire.
Top off your water tank if possible.
Turn off propane at main tank. If you have portable tanks, move them 30’ or more from structure.
Move all flammable substances away from the house: Gas cans, propane cylinders (don’t forget the barbeque). Make sure they are clearly visible to firefighters and away from vegetation. You can (carefully!) add gas to your car’s gas tank.
Move everything that can burn inside or away from the structure: Patio furniture, door mats, dog beds, etc.
Gather tools for fighting stray embers and flare-ups, distribute around house:
Place ladder against roof to give firefighters fast access.
Turn on outside lights.
Watch for incoming embers and extinguish immediately if you can. Embers are a sign to get out now: evacuate!
If you can safely evacuate, do so. However, if the fire traps you and you don’t have a safe evacuation route, you will probably be safer in your home than in your car. You need to be prepared in advance to shelter in place, both physically and psychologically. DEFENSIBLE SPACE IS CRUCIAL!
If possible, follow all recommendations for "If You Have Time to Prepare," above.
Fill everything you can with water in case you lose your water pressure in the fire. Use water in tubs to soak towels and blankets that can be used to beat out embers and flare-ups. Save water for when you really need it, don’t use much water wetting down your house or roof in advance of the fire.
Place wet towels or rags under doors and other openings to prevent entry of embers and smoke.
When the fire gets close, inside is far safer than outside. Don’t get trapped outside, where it will be much hotter and more dangerous. Make sure the house is closed up tight but unlocked. As the fire approaches, it will be very windy, hot, noisy and terrifying, but the most powerful part of the fire front will pass by fairly quickly, within a few minutes.
Make sure you can exit the house if it catches fire.
Constantly patrol inside the house so that you know if a fire is starting somewhere. If you can put it out with extinguishers or wet towels, do so. If not, close off that section of the house and be prepared to get back outside when the smoke and heat in the house make it impossible to stay any longer.
Carefully check entire building inside and out for embers and smoldering items. Ember control is critical. Hunt for them in every possible place. Check roof, gutters, flower beds, attic, crawl space. Use hoses and wet towels to extinguish.
If low on water, remember alternate sources. If you have a conventional water heater, attach hose to drain for extra water. If you have a hot tub or swimming pool, pump it out.
Keep windows and doors closed.
Be alert for next 12 hours for hot spots, or embers that blow in fresh.
In the event of a disaster, the Sonoma County Office of Emergency Services maintains a line to help disaster victims and their families. 565-3856.
Federal Emergency Management Agency: http://www.fema.gov