If you live in a heavily wooded area, it doesn’t take much for a fire to spread from treetop to treetop. People are evacuated when this happens, but there are some steps that you can take to protect your home and family before an evacuation order:

Have a getaway bag prepared: You may not get a lot of time, so having a gym bag packed with essentials in the front hall closet will ensure you have what you need. In a case where some of your family is away, this will allow you to safeguard their most important possessions. Copies of your important documents, and life saving prescription drugs should be included in your bag. Some optional but important things would be your electronic items and toiletries.

Data: It would be wise for you to automatically back up your data on an external hard drive, so that you don’t find yourself trying to unplug your desktop and lug it with you while running out the door.

Keep an eye up high: For those who have power lines, always be certain that there is nothing touching them, and that trees are not allowed to be too close. Trees fall down, not only in fires, but in wind storms as well.

Build a protective zone: A 10 metre area around your home should be free of any flammable objects, so clear away any dead vegetation, trees, or other refuse.

Take steps to prevent fire: Around half of wild fires are actually the doing of a careless person. It just takes one spark to start a huge tragic fire, cause by a controlled burns that gets out of hand, campfires that are carelessly left, or still burning cigarette butts.

Camp fires are not a good idea when the forest is bone-dry, and smoking is never a good idea. And make sure you don’t throw a lit cigarette from your car. Dry vegetation on the side of the road can catch fire quite quickly from an still burning cigarette butt.

Keep your property clear of excess vegetation. Be certain to choose fireproof building materials when building a home, if you can. Some ways to do this are to install tempered glass windows, a spark arrestor on the chimney, and fire resistant shingles. Taking these steps may even reduce your home insurance rate.

A prepared evacuation plan is essential. Make sure everyone in your family knows what to do. And do keep an emergency kit on hand. This should include non-perishable foods and at least a three-day supply of drinking water. It’s essential to have a first-aid kit included, and a portable radio, flashlight, and extra batteries are important.

Fill any large containers, such as pools, hot tubs, or garbage cans with water to slow down an approaching fire. If an official evacuation order is handed down, don’t take chances, leave the home immediately To make your home more simple to recognize, use address numbers that are fireproof. This will help firefighters locate your home quickly.

It almost goes without saying, but if you see a wildfire, be sure to call 911 right away.

Make sure you have the right home insurance. You really don’t want to be without protection if a wildfire was to destroy your home, so be sure that you’re fully insured against that.

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