Are You Wildfire Ready?

Be Wildfire Ready Protect What You Love Sign up for Alerts - Make sure that you sign up to receive Summit County emergency alerts for any potential wildfires or emergency situations. Sign up at SCALERTS.ORG. Follow @summitcountygov on social media for updates, too. Emergency Plan - Create an emergency plan for your family: what to bring, where to meet, and what to do. Create an inventory list, take photos, scan important documents and know your insurance coverage. Don't forget about your pets! Evacutation Kit - Create your evacuation kit and keep it in your car with water, food, valuables, important paperwork, cash and other neccessities. Protect Your Home - Protect your home with fire mitigation work. Clean gutters, clear vegetation and hazards to create defensible space. Schedule a FREE consultation. Spread the Word - Be smart, safe and spread the word. Know about fire restrictions and fire safety with campfires, cigarettes and other ignition sources. Help to spread the word by making sure your friends, family, neighbors and our visitors are "fire ready" this summer.

Evacuation Preparation

Up To Date Information 
Emergency Plan 

Escape Routes & Reunification 

  • Plan more than one escape route from your home or subdivision by car and by foot.
  • Pick two meeting places for your family and make sure everyone in your household knows where to go to be reunited.
  • Make sure each person in the household knows how to reach a pre-identified trusted friend or relative living outside the community who can serve as a contact and assist in reunification.

Important Family Documents

Back up these important family documents by making photocopies or digital copies and store them outside the home, such as at your workplace or with a trusted friend or relative, or on a disk kept in a bank safety-deposit box or stored digitally on a secured website.

  • Bank account numbers
  • Bonds
  • Contracts
  • Credit card account numbers and companies
  • Deeds
  • Family records (birth, marriage, death certificates)
  • Immunization records
  • Important phone numbers
  • Insurance policies
  • Inventory of valuable household goods
  • Passports
  • Social Security cards
  • Stocks
  • Wills
Evacuation Kit 
A wildfire evacuation checklist including essentials like first aid, documents, water, food, hygiene items, and pet supplies.
A checklist for a kid's go-bag includes essentials like clothes, snacks, a flashlight, and a mask for smoke.

If you are warned that a wildfire is threatening your area:

  • Evacuate as soon as you are ready. If there is a wildfire within two miles of your location, do not underestimate the threat that you are facing nor the speed with which a wildfire can move, particularly with flying embers starting "spot" fires ahead of a fire front. DO NOT WAIT TO BE TOLD BY AUTHORITIES TO EVACUATE. They may not have a chance to contact you. It is better to evacuate early; you can always come back once the threat has passed.
  • Keep posted by continually monitoring local media (radio and websites) and text- or phone-alert systems such as Summit County Alert and pay attention to the proximity of a wildfire to your home.
  • Back your car into the garage or park in an open space facing the direction of escape. Shut doors and roll up windows. Leave the key in the ignition.
  • Confine pets to one room. Make plans to care for your pets in case you must evacuate.
  • Arrange temporary housing at a friend or relative's home outside the threatened area.
  • If you have time, you can post a note on your front door informing firefighters that your household has evacuated; this helps them move quickly.

 

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