Wildfire Resources

• Before a #wildfire place critical documents in a fire safe 

• Safeguard documents before a wildfire. Learn more at http://www.community.fema.gov/action/safeguard-documents 

• Store supplies now so you can grab them quickly if you need to evacuate. www.ready.gov/build-a-kit 

• Take time to make a list of the things you would need or want to take with you if you had to leave your home quickly.

• Learn what to do before, during, and after a #Wildfire by visiting www.ready.gov/wildfires 

• Wildfires give very little warning & spread rapidly! Use this guide to get prepared. https://www.ready.gov/sites/default/files/2020-07/how-to-prepare-for-a-wildfire.pdf 

• Never too early to start preparing your home & family for a #wildfire www.ready.gov/wildfires 

• Wildfires in your area may cause power outages and contaminate your drinking water, even if the fire does not actually reach your home. Have emergency provisions in place before a wildfire strikes!

• Are You Prepared?

• Sign up to receive text or e-mail alerts about emergencies like wildfire from your local Office of Emergency Management 

• Timely information on #wildfires can save your life & property. Learn about alerts & warnings: https://www.fema.gov/integrated-public-alert-warning-system 

• .@NWS issues a Fire Weather Watch when potentially dangerous fire weather conditions are possible over the next 12 to 72 hours. 

• .@NWS issues a Fire Weather/Red Flag Warning when #wildfire conditions occur or are expected to occur within 24 hours 

• Prepare for a #wildfire by maintaining your lawn and removing combustible debris from around your home 

• Protect yourself & your property! @NFPA says create 3 zones of defensible space: https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Fire-causes-and-risks/Wildfire/Preparing-homes-for-wildfire 

• Use fire resistant materials for construction, renovation, & landscaping to protect your property from a wildfire 

• #WildfireSafety Tip: Don’t use anything (i.e. lawn mowers) that may create sparks outside on dry, windy days 

• Clear area near your home of leaves, dead vegetation & other combustible debris to reduce sources of fuel 

• Protect Your Property: Create three zones of defensible space around your home or business.  Defensible space should be up to 200 feet from a structure.  

Protect yourself from smoke.

When wildfires create smoky conditions it’s important for everyone to reduce their exposure to smoke .  Wildfire smoke irritates your eyes, nose, throat, and lungs. It can make it hard to breathe and make you cough or wheeze.  Children , pregnant women, and people with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or heart disease, need to be especially careful about breathing wildfire smoke.

Keep smoke outside.

• Choose a room you can close off from outside air.

• Set up a portable air cleaner or a filter to keep the air in this room clean even when it’s smoky in the rest of the building and outdoors.

Reduce your smoke exposure by wearing a respirator 

• A respirator is a mask that fits tightly to your face to filter out smoke before you breathe it in.

• You must wear the right respirator and wear it correctly.    Respirators are not made to fit children.

• If you have heart or lung disease ask your doctor if it is safe for you to wear a respirator.

• Avoid using candles, gas, propane, wood-burning stoves, fireplaces, or aerosol sprays and don’t fry or broil meat, smoke tobacco products, or vacuum.

• If you have a central air conditioning system, use high efficiency filters to capture fine particles from smoke. If your system has a fresh air intake, set the system to recirculate mode or close the outdoor intake damper.

Pets and other animals can be affected by wildfire smoke too.

• Learn how to protect pets and livestock 

• Some evacuation centers do not accept animals. Check Petfinder’s Shelter Center for information on local animal shelters and rescue groups

Keep track of fires near you so you can be ready.

• NOAA’s “Fire weather outlook” page maps fire watches and warnings.

• Listen to the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio for emergency alerts.

Pay attention to any health symptoms if you have asthma, COPD, heart disease, or are pregnant. Get medical help if you need it.

Learn more about protecting yourself from wildfire smoke.

• Many communities have text or email alerting systems for emergency notifications. To find out what alerts are available in your area, do an Internet search with your town, city, or county name and the word “alerts.”  

• Set up group text lists so you can communicate with several people at the same time during emergencies. 

• Make & share your family’s #wildfire emergency plan! Tips: www.ready.gov/wildfires  

• Talk to your neighbors about #Wildfire Safety. Plan how the neighborhood could work together before and after a wildfire. 

• Talk with your kids about making an emergency plan: https://www.ready.gov/kids/disaster-facts/wildfires 

• Cellular networks may be congested after a wildfire, but text messages may get through. Teach loved ones how to TEXT 

• If your home was damaged by a #wildfire, don’t re-enter until it is inspected by qualified professionals. Learn more wildfire safety tips at www.ready.gov/wildfires 

• If you evacuated the area due to a #wildfire, wait for public officials to say it’s safe before returning 

• After a #wildfire, the ground may contain heat pockets from burning roots that can injure you or spark another fire. 

• Most children and youth who are displaced by disasters are likely to be eligible for protections and services of the education subtitle of the McKinney-Vento Act because they will meet the definition of homelessness.

• Cal Fire Prepare for Wildfire

• California Wildfires Statewide Recovery Resources - Local assistance, record replacement, debris removal, and temporary housing.

• Northern California Salvation Army supports relief efforts. Funds may be used to provide food and drinks to survivors, cleaning supplies and other essential commodities, direct financial aid to those effected or to support disaster relief workers serving in the area. 

• Salvation Army of Southern California - These locations serve as all-purpose stops for people looking for financial assistance, government documents, and information about how they can rebuild following a disaster. 

• California Department of Insurance Wildfire Information - DOI can be contacted for general information and guidance about insurance claims by calling (800) 927-HELP (4357). 

• Red Cross Wildfire Safety

• Ready.Gov

• Apply for FEMA Disaster Relief Funds - Apply for federal assistance by calling toll-free to (800) 621-FEMA (3362).  Disaster victims may register by calling this number.  You do not have to wait to go to a disaster assistance center.  The number for speech and hearing impaired individuals is (800) 462-7585.  Federal disaster assistance available for residents and businesses in the affected counties includes temporary housing assistance, disaster loans and other needs assistance grants. 

• HealthNet - Health Net is helping ensure that members who have lost their homes, or have been evacuated, due to wildfire activity in California have access to essential prescription medications, critical Health Net information and other healthcare services to help them cope with grief, loss, stress or trauma. 

• SAMHSA- Learn about who is most at risk for emotional distress from wildfires and where to find disaster-related resources. Call the Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746 for support and counseling. 

• Disaster Preparation and Response Resources

• HealthNet - Health Net is helping ensure that members who have lost their homes, or have been evacuated, due to wildfire activity in California have services to help them cope with grief, loss, stress or trauma. 

• SAMHSA - Learn about who is most at risk for emotional distress from wildfires and where to find disaster-related resources. Call the Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746 for support and counseling. 

• Disaster Preparation and Response Resources

• Children & Recovery from Wildfires - great guide that goes through potential reactions and helpful responses according to kids' age groups, and a compilation of other resources at the end)

• Helping children after a wildfire - Tips for caregivers and teachers. National Association of School Psychologists, 2023. 

• Parent Guidelines for Helping Children Impacted by Wildfires - National Child Traumatic Stress Network. 

• How to Talk to Your Children About the California Wildfires - Parents Magazine, 2025. 

• Wildfire Resources (NCTSN)

• BE PREPARED (UCLA Prevention Center of Excellence) - Tipsheet to support parents in speaking with their kids about difficult situations.

• After a Crisis: Helping Young Children Heal (NCTSN)

• Help Kids Cope (UCLA) - An app designed to assist parents in talking to their children about different disasters they may experience or have already experienced.