You need evacuation vehicles ready to go. These should have all the basic supplies you’ll need and be ready to run as soon as you need them. After all, you don’t know when you’ll need to evacuate your home. Make Sure the Fluid Levels Are Good During fire season, you should make sure the tanks in all your evacuation vehicles are half filled at least. This will get you out of town fast enough and then you can worry about topping up the gas after. It’s also important to check on other fluid levels. Check that the windshield wiper fluid is full. This is the most important but overlooked of all the fluids. A lot of ash can come down
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When you get the order to evacuate, you need to act fast. The problem is that the adrenaline pushes all common sense out of the window. It’s important to have an evacuation procedure so everyone in the house knows what they are doing. Delegate Jobs and Work Through Your Lists You already have your five-minute, one-hour, and six-hour evacuation lists. You’ll need to work on the five-minute list first. The best thing to do is to make sure everyone has a clear job. That is all they have to take care of. If you set up this plan ahead of a potential emergency, they are more likely to have it set in their heads so they can still perform it
After you’ve been evacuated, you need to head to the first evacuation center that you find. This is set up ready for those who need a temporary place to stay. You may not end up staying there overnight, and they may send you on elsewhere, but they can take your contact information so they have confirmation that you and your family are safe. This is where you also share if you had to leave animals behind. The staff can get in touch with first responders to see if they can get the animals out. If you let livestock loose, also let them know even if you reported it elsewhere. What About the Cost of the Evacuation? Your home insurance will
It doesn’t matter how much you prepare. There is a huge rush of adrenaline when an emergency happens. Mental clarity is not something that is always there. One of the best things you can do is to have an evacuation list ahead of time. This isn’t just about what you should take with you. You also need to have a list of what specific people will take. And you need to practice the plan regularly. If you are out of town, you’ll want to make sure house sitters or pet sitters are aware of the evacuation list. This will help them should something happen to make sure they don’t leave anything important behind. Breaking Down the Evacuation List You need
A “bug out bag” is a great way to make sure you’re prepared in an emergency, regardless of what that emergency is. The idea is that you have enough to survive three days. The term “bug out bag” has been used a lot by preppers, who are getting ready for a apocalyptic disaster. However, they are great to have for normal emergencies as water and power grids can go down for some time. Who Should Have a Bug Out Bag It’s worth it for everyone to have a bug out bag since you don’t know when an emergency will happen. However, if you’re in the Red Zone, you’re more likely to face a wildfire emergency that can lead to an
When you hear the order to “evacuate now.,” you need to do so. Staying behind not only puts you at risk, but it puts the people who are trying to put out the fire at risk. They have to make sure the area is clear. The Surprising Speed of Wildfires You may not think the emergency order is all that serious. After all, you can’t see a fire close by. What will surprise you is that forest fires have the ability to travel at 14mph. A grass fire can travel at 28mph. The firebrands? Well, they travel at a surprising 60mph. You don’t always have time to act. With the right wind conditions for the fire, the fire that was
Call Colorado Mastication at (719)400-9104 for fire mitigation estimate for your community. We are equipped to handle small and large projects While you can do what you need to do to protect your home from wildfires, you need your neighbors to do the same. This is why community projects are so beneficial. They get everyone in the same area working toward the same goal. Firewise National Program There are a few programs out there, with Firewise being one of the most popular and effective. This program is administrated by the National Fire Protection Association, and it encourages a whole neighborhood to work on mitigating fire risks in the whole area. There is a three-step process for communities to follow. Three
Approaching fires lead to emotional stress, and this ends up greater due to a lack of communication. You need to know what’s going on and where you need to go. This is why a communication plan is essential. Make Sure You’re on the List Over the last few years, the Reverse 911 system not working effectively has been linked to numerous deaths during wildfires. In Colorado alone, the success rate is only around 50%! The circuits are overloaded during major disasters, because people are calling their own loved ones. It makes it harder for the official channels to get through. This is why it’s so important not to rely on one communication method. There are usually other options, but residents
As you prune and cut down trees for fire mitigation, you end up with a lot of slash to deal with. You need to get rid of this slash, otherwise it becomes fuel for fire78s to spread. In fact, you could increase the risk of a fire spreading faster than just leaving the branches on the trees! Fires spread by burning up fuel on the forest floor first. Hauling the Slash There are a few ways to deal with slash, and the first is hauling. You will pick up the debris and get rid of it, usually in a small pickup truck. Many counties will even have free collection sites that you can take it to, although some are only
Full questions about our fire services, call (719)400-9104. Pruning trees is important for fire mitigation. At the same time, you need to manage the levels of pruning to make sure you don’t harm the tree. Excessive pruning is a major problem to the life and health of the tree. Use the Right Tools for the Job You need to invest in good tools for pruning your trees. A sharp saw is necessary to ensure that any cut is smooth. This promotes faster healing for the tree branch. You are cutting a limb off the tree, after all! You’ll also want to make sure your tools are sterilized, just like a surgeon sterilizes their tools for surgery. Use alcohol or diluted