Back in April, my neighborhood riding club hosted an excellent presentation by Fran Santagata of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office on emergency preparedness, particularly for wildfires. I’ve been through two major fires before, so I thought that I was pretty well-informed. To my surprise, I learned far more than expected.

Given the numerous wildfires currently burning along Colorado’s Front Range, I thought I’d post my notes from the presentation. I didn’t take notes on everything, just on points that I found particularly important or that I didn’t already know. Those notes are below.

We’re living in a damned tinderbox here in Colorado right now. It’s dry as a bone, terribly hot, and often terribly windy. The conditions are the worst possible.

At present, none of the fires threaten Paul and me. They’ve all been an hour north or south, but something could blow up in our neighborhood in very short order. (Our neighborhood isn’t forested, but we have lots of scrub oak.) Paul and I are busy making evacuation preparations, now that we’ve returned from Los Angeles. The risk is so high, and we might have just a few moments to pack up ourselves and our beasts.

Make a Plan

• Create a 72-hour kit
• Identify valuables to take
• Develop a communication plan for your family
• Select a default meeting place for your family
• Figure out where to stay if you’re evacuated
• Find hotels that accept pets

Prepare Your House

• Create breaks in the vegetation, so that the home can be defended
• Identify and address potential combustibles, including firewood, decks, and gutters
• Ask your local fire department to inspect your property
• Beware of the “ladder fuels” from small bushes to trees to the house
• Add a flag to identify the location of the septic tank

When a Fire Hits

• 1pm to 5 pm is the prime fire danger time
• Close your windows and doors
• Remove your drapes
• Leave the water hoses hooked up
• Open your driveway gates: give emergency vehicles access
• Leave a note on the door (and gate) with contact information

Notification

• Sign up to your county sheriff’s alert notification system
• Follow your local news and sheriff on Facebook and Twitter
• Be sure to have a phone that doesn’t require power, preferably in the bedroom
• Call 911 if you see or smell smoke
• Use a NOAA radio

Route Selection

• Listen to the directions in the notification carefully
• Know the alternate routes out of your neighborhood, including emergency access roads
• Know where the shelters will be for humans and animals (e.g. fairgrounds)

What To Take

• Humans and animals first — everything else can be replaced
• Heirlooms, mementos, photos, computers, important papers
• Clothes, toiletries, medications
• Food and medications for your animals

Be Safe

• Drive slowly! Think clearly! Be observant!
• Don’t stop to take pictures
• Beware of firefighters, wildlife, pets, falling trees, and more

Evacuation

• Evacuations might be done in stages — or not
• Follow the instructions of law enforcement on the ground
• The shelter will be a good source of up-to-date information
• Do not lock the house, if you’re comfortable with that: firefighters and law enforcement might need access, including to save their own lives

Returning Home

• Expect some psychological trauma

Other Tasks

• Take pictures of the house and stuff for insurance
• Find ways to identify your animals (e.g brand or microchip)
• If you have special needs, get registered on the special needs registry
• Do no rely on the county to transport your animals (e.g. horses)
• Identify multiple backup plans
• Check insurance for wildfire protection

If you have any additional tips, please post them in the comments!