Prepare for wildfire

2018 Carr Fire smoke from Mount Lassen. Photo by Katie Low

Wildfire season is in full swing. With so many fires burning around the state, the UC ANR Fire Network team is providing some tips to prepare for evacuation and wildfire smoke.

“The best time to prepare for evacuation is before the wildfire starts,” said Katie Low, Fire Network statewide coordinator.

Low recommends preparing an evacuation bag for every person in your household before a wildfire and keeping it easily accessible.

“Plan to be away from your home for an extended period of time,” she said. “Make the bags light enough to lift into a vehicle.”

Be sure to pack car keys, credit cards, cash, medications, important documents and clothing. See https://ucanr.edu/sites/fire/Safety/Evacuation/Preparing_a_Go-Bag for the full checklist.

There are also several actions you can take to prepare yourself and your family for evacuation, including moving combustible patio furniture inside or sealing up ground or attic vents with plywood or metal tape. More evacuation preparation tips can be found here https://ucanr.edu/sites/fire/Safety/Evacuation/.

Another thing to be mindful of is smoke exposure from wildfires, which is an increasingly common public health hazard to California's communities. Low said: “To prepare for wildfire smoke I am doing a few things: 

1. Checking the air quality near me at https://fire.airnow.gov
2. Limiting my outdoor activity
3. Wearing a N95 mask if I'm outside
4. Running my air purifier."

There are many great resources that you can use to monitor air quality and understand smoke impacts near you: 

• The California Smoke Spotter app ( https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/resources/fact-sheets/california-smoke-spotter…) provides the latest information on prescribed fires and wildfires, air quality and smoke forecasts throughout California.

• The AirNow Fire and Smoke Map (https://fire.airnow.gov) provides current information on PM 2.5, wildfire locations and smoke plumes, and special smoke outlooks when available.

• The California Smoke Blog (https://californiasmokeinfo.blogspot.com) provides smoke outlooks for communities affected by wildfire smoke and other resources to protect yourself from smoke.

• The California Air Resources Board Smoke Ready California webpage (https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/smokereadyca) provides information and resources to protect yourself from smoke including how to create a Clean Air Space, how to wear N95 masks correctly how to construct DIY air cleaners.

• The California Clean Air Centers Map (https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/cleanaircenters) interactive, statewide map where you can find information about permanent and temporary clean air shelters, including their address, operating hours, and contact information.

Learn more about how to prepare for smoke at https://ucanr.edu/sites/fire/Safety/Air_Quality_and_Smoke/. The Fire Network will also be hosting a public smoke readiness webinar on Wednesday, September 4 from 5:30–7 p.m. If you are interested in registering, please email Katie Low (katlow@ucanr.edu) for the signup link.

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