As wildfire season continues to escalate across the province, emergency preparation has never been more important. Failing to prepare can lead to stressful situations, last-minute packing, and leaving behind a poorly mitigated property in the event of an evacuation order. Taking proactive steps now can make all the difference in the face of a wildfire emergency, helping keep your family and your home safe.
When it comes to preparing your home and your family, it can be difficult to determine where to direct your efforts. Fortunately, the right resources—such as guides and checklists—can make this process much easier and faster. That’s why we collaborated with PreparedBC to create the Emergency Wildfire Preparedness Checklist.
The Emergency Wildfire Preparedness Checklist
The Emergency Wildfire Preparedness Checklist is a valuable resource that clearly outlines crucial steps that should be completed before a wildfire emergency. While many of these steps should be completed well in advance, some actions can be completed as last-minute steps to increase the resilience of your property. That said, if you are ever ordered to evacuate by local authorities, you must do so immediately.
The checklist highlights the most important tasks first, focusing on the safety and wellbeing of those within the home. It then outlines some effective actions that can be completed to increase the resilience of the home itself, significantly reducing the risk of structural damage from wildfire. Completing each step on this list will help to ensure that you, your family, your pets, and your property are as prepared as possible for a wildfire emergency.
Created in Collaboration With PreparedBC
We were proud to partner with PreparedBC to create this checklist and support residents across the province in their planning and mitigation efforts. PreparedBC is a one-stop shop for preparedness information that provides various resources to help people get prepared for wildfires and other hazards that could happen near them.
PreparedBC resources make it easy to create an emergency plan, build an emergency kit, and access vital emergency support services. They also provide helpful information and tips via their social media channels and their Emergency Management in BC blog posts, giving residents the knowledge they need to stay safe during an emergency.
Essential Evacuation Considerations
As a leader in emergency preparedness, PreparedBC was instrumental in creating the first column of the Emergency Wildfire Preparedness Checklist. Here, we outline some important steps that should be completed before a wildfire emergency threatens your property.
First, you’ll need to create an emergency plan and review it with every member of your home. Creating a home emergency plan is one of the best ways to prepare, as it ensures that the people you live with know what to do, where to go, and who to call in case of an emergency. Thankfully, creating an emergency plan has never been easier. Use the online interactive Emergency Ready Plan or the recently updated fill-in-the-blanks home emergency plan to complete a comprehensive plan.
Next, you’ll need to gather important emergency supplies that you can easily take with you in case you need to evacuate. This can be accomplished by preparing a grab-and-go bag for everyone in your home, including your pets. Contents for these bags typically include food, water, clothing, a flashlight, a first aid kit, prescriptions, and an emergency blanket. Having these supplies ready to go will save you valuable time in the event of an emergency.
Once your emergency plan and supplies have been addressed, you should pre-register for Emergency Support Services (ESS) and follow the registration instructions to create a profile through the BC Services Card app. ESS is a provincial program that provides temporary support for accommodation, food, and other necessities for people who are unable to meet those needs when they’re evacuated. Registering now means one less thing to worry about if you’re evacuated due to a nearby wildfire.
It’s also a good idea to check your insurance policy’s coverage, as you may be able to access more support through your insurance than what is available from ESS. Finally, connect with friends and family who may be able to provide a place to stay if an evacuation order is issued. This will help ensure local accommodation is available for those who have no other option.
Address Your Surroundings
Once you’ve completed all of the items in the first column, it’s time to move on to the second section. Here, you’ll focus your attention on your home and your yard to increase resilience and reduce the risk of structural damage from wildfire. Some key tasks to complete include:
- Removing all leaves, pine needles, and other debris from your roof and gutters.
- Mowing all grass within 10 metres of your home to a height of 10 centimetres or less.
- Clearing all dead plants, leaves, and weeds within 10 metres of your home. Be sure to maintain a 1.5 metre non-combustible zone around your home and deck as well.
- Moving all combustible items within a 10 metre radius of your property into your home or garage. Combustible items include propane tanks, doormats, toys, patio furniture, cushions, decorations, firewood, and potted plants.
- Removing all combustible materials around your stationary propane tank (if you have one).
- Clearing all vegetation and debris along both sides of your fence and securing your gate in an open position.
While these tasks may seem simple, they could be the difference that helps your home survive a wildfire. Unless you’ve been ordered to evacuate, it’s never a bad time to cross these items off your list.
Check Around the House
After completing these tasks, it’s time to move on to the third and final column of the checklist. Please note that most of these items are meant to be completed before evacuating and extra consideration should be given if your residence is placed under an evacuation alert. Here, you’ll direct your efforts to other key areas of your property, such as vents, windows, and air conditioning units. The purpose of these efforts is to prevent embers from entering your home. Some of the most important actions to complete before evacuating include:
- Ensuring all vents on the home are operating correctly (not damaged or poorly attached). Cover dryer vents and other wall-mounted air openings with plywood or non-combustible tape. Don’t forget to remove these covers when you return home.
- Moving all cardboard boxes and other easily ignited materials away from attic or crawl space vents/openings.
- Turning off your air conditioning unit and closing all doors, garage doors, windows, and skylights. Do not turn off your gas unless directed to do so or unless you suspect a gas leak.
While each item in this list is important, they should only be completed after the steps in the other columns and only if you have time before evacuating.
Even if you don’t believe your property is at risk, it’s worth taking the time to use this checklist and prepare. Every step you take now will benefit you in the event of an unforeseen emergency. Remember, preparedness is not just about having a plan—it’s about taking proactive action. This wildfire season, stay informed and stay prepared so you can stay safe.
