Fire Safety and Evacuation Protocols

With the active wild-fire displacing many families in Los Angeles County, we’d like to take a moment to remind everyone the importance of being prepared in case of an evacuation and the recommended protocols.

How to Prepare For a Wildfire

General Tips:

1. Create a Defensible Space: Defensible space is the buffer you create by removing dead plants, grass and weeds. This buffer helps to keep the fire away from your home.
2. Harden your Home: Flying embers can destroy homes up to a mile from a wildfire. “Harden” your home now before a fire starts by using ember-resistant building materials. Hardening your home means using construction materials that can help your home withstand flying embers finding weak spots in the construction, which can result in your house catching fire.
3. Fire Safe Landscaping: A fire-safe landscape uses fire-resistant plants that are strategically planted to resist the spread of fire to your home. Fire resistant plants are great in California because they are often drought tolerant, too.

Prepare, Prepare, Prepare:

1. Create a pa plan that includes evacuation planning for your home, family and pets.
2. Assemble an emergency supply kit for each person in your household.
3. Fill-out a family communication plan that includes important evacuation and contact information.

When it’s time to evacuate, don’t waste any time:

1. Review your Evacuation Plan Checklist.
2. Safe-guard your home (time permitting)
   • Shut all windows and doors, leaving them unlocked.
   • Remove flammable window shades, curtains and close metal shutters.
   • Remove lightweight curtains.
   • Move flammable furniture to the center of the room, away from windows and doors.
   • Shut off gas at the meter; turn off pilot lights.
   • Leave your lights on so firefighters can see your house under smoky conditions.
   • Shut off the air conditioning.
3. Ensure your Emergency Supply Kit is in your vehicle.
4. Cover-up to protect against heat and flying embers. Wear long pants, long sleeve shirt, heavy shoes/boots, cap, dry bandanna for face cover, goggles or glasses. 100% cotton is preferable.

Locate your pets and take them with you.

If you are trapped:

1. In Your Vehicle:

• Stay calm.
• Park your vehicle in an area clear of vegetation.
• Close all vehicle windows and vents.
• Cover yourself with wool blanket or jacket.
• Lie on vehicle floor.
• Use your cell phone to advise officials—call 911

2. On foot:

• Stay calm.
• Go to an area clear of vegetation, a ditch or depression on level ground if possible.
• Lie face down, cover up your body.
• Use your cell phone to advise officials—call 911.

3. In your home:

• Stay calm, keep your family together.
• Call 911 and inform authorities of your location.
• Fill sinks and tubs with cold water.
• Keep doors and windows closed, but unlocked.
• Stay inside your house.
• Stay away from outside walls and windows.

Our prayers are with everyone who is impacted.  We hope that these fires are under control as soon as possible.

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