Week 7: Establish a Pre-Evacuation, Around-the-House Checklist

May is Wildfire Awareness Month and, since Saturday May 3rd was Wildfire Community Preparedness Day (#WildfirePrepDay2025), what better way to keep the activities going than to learn what to do around your property just prior to an evacuation (the pre-evacuation stage)? These are the steps that will hopefully help reduce damage to your structure but, very importantly, will also support the responding firefighters.
 
Days-to-Hours Before Evacuation:
If you anticipate an evacuation alert, or if you choose to evacuate on your own and there is time after you’ve packed everything in your vehicle:

• Check on Zone 0 (refer to Week 4’s tips). Clear away anything combustible in that 0-to-5-foot zone around your house. This includes any dry or dead plants, toys, patio furniture, doormats, trash cans, grills, and propane tanks.
• Remove debris from your roof and gutter.
• If you have vent screens, remove any debris buildup.
• If you do not have screens, cover all outdoor vents with duct tape, metal, or pre-cut plywood – the goal is to block embers from entering the building. Remove the covering after the threat of embers and wildfire passes.
• Seal dryer vents and wall-mounted make-up air openings for furnaces with metal tape or duct tape.

 
Hours-to-Minutes Before Evacuation:
If you only have a little time to do a few things after the vehicle is packed, here is what is recommended:

• Shut off the gas supply to your home. Shut it off at the meter and turn off pilot lights.
• Close all doors and windows to prevent embers from entering your house. But leave the doors and windows unlocked in the event firefighters need to enter to put out flames ignited by embers that made it indoors.
• Remove flammable curtains and window coverings. Close any metal shutters.
• Move any flammable items away from the windows and to the centers of the rooms.
• Turn off attic fans, whole house fans, and air conditioning, if you have them.
• Place a metal (not wooden) ladder near your home so that firefighters can access your roof faster, if needed.
• Connect garden hoses to the spigots. Do not turn the water on.
• Turn off sprinklers. Leaving water on negatively affects the water pressure and decreases the volume of water available to firefighters.
• Leave buckets of water around your home.
• Leave any gates unlocked.
• Close the garage door.
• Leave your indoor and exterior lights on so firefighters can see your home under smoky conditions.

 
Cost: $0 - $$$$ (Depending on the supplies you need to buy now, such as hoses, a ladder, buckets, and materials to cover vents)
Frequency: Check your supplies annually, but you’ll only need to take the listed steps if you prepare to evacuate.
 
Even though this isn’t a particularly long list, this is a lot to remember if you’re experiencing a great deal of stress due to the potential threat of wildfire. What tips do you have to remember what to do when it officially becomes pre-evacuation time? For example, will you create a checklist and tape it to a door or include it in your “In Case of Emergency” binder? Do you have a mnemonic or a song that helps you remember the important steps? Let me know in the Comments.
 
References:

• CAL FIRE. “Go! Evacuation Guide.” Link: https://readyforwildfire.org/prepare-for-wildfire/go-evacuation-guide/
• Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (2021) “Be Wildfire Ready – A guide to help you protect your property from wildfire. Home Pre-Evacuation Checklist” Link: https://disastersafety.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Wildfire-Home-Pre-evacuation-Checklist.pdf
• Nader and Smith (August 27, 2019) “What You Should Do Before Evacuating Your House.” Surviving Wildfire. Link: https://surviving-wildfire.extension.org/what-you-should-do-before-evacuating-your-house/
• Severn, Garces, Peterson, and Stryker (June 2, 2024) “Fire Evacuation: What Actually Happens? And How Can You Plan?” KQED, NPR, PBS. Link: https://www.kqed.org/news/11834901/fire-evacuation-what-actually-happens-and-how-can-you-plan
• Sievertson (January 8, 2025) “Cheat sheet: A short guide to giving your home a fighting chance if you need to evacuate.” LAist. Link: https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/short-guide-how-to-leave-your-house-if-you-evacuate

 
Important Disclaimer: I am not a fire preparedness professional. I am merely sharing my research, opinions, and what I find that applies to my geographic and personal situations in hopes that it will help others. Please make sure that whatever steps and advice you follow are what is best for you.

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□️□ It's Week 7 of the #FirePrepFriday series. May is #WildfireAwarenessMonth and, since #WildfirePrepDay2025 was May 3rd, what better way to keep the activities going than to learn what to do around the house during the pre-evacuation stage?

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— Krista West, Ph.D. (@rsfirenerd.bsky.social) May 9, 2025 at 11:42 AM