The most dangerous moment in a wildfire evacuation isn't the fire itself — it's the chaos of trying to figure out what to do when you have five minutes and no plan. Emergency managers across the Pacific Northwest consistently find that the families who escape safely are the ones who prepared before fire season, not during it.

Here's what that preparation looks like, broken into three categories drawn from the Ready, Set, Go! program used by fire agencies across Oregon and Washington.

Defensible Space: Protecting Your Property

Your home's survivability begins with the vegetation around it. Defensible space is the buffer you create between a structure and the surrounding fuel that could carry fire to it. Oregon and Washington both have defensible space standards, and fire agencies offer free inspections in many counties.

  • Zone 1 (0–30 feet): Maintain a lean, clean, and green zone immediately around your home. Remove dead vegetation, keep grass mowed short, space trees so crowns don't touch, and clear debris from roofs, gutters, and decks.
  • Zone 2 (30–100 feet): Reduce fuel continuity. Space shrubs and trees to interrupt fire spread. Remove ladder fuels — shrubs under trees that could allow ground fire to climb into the canopy.
  • Home hardening: Screen vents and eaves to prevent ember intrusion, which causes the majority of home ignitions. Replace wooden decking with composite materials where possible. Seal gaps around windows and doors.

Your Go-Bag: Be Ready to Leave in Minutes

A go-bag is a pre-packed kit that allows you to leave quickly without scrambling to remember what to grab. It should be kept near your door or in your vehicle, updated seasonally, and known to every member of your household.

Essential go-bag contents:

  • Copies of important documents: IDs, passports, insurance policies, medications list, and financial account information — ideally also backed up digitally in the cloud
  • At least three days of prescription medications
  • Phone chargers and a portable battery bank
  • Cash (ATMs may not work during evacuations)
  • Change of clothes and sturdy footwear
  • Water and non-perishable food for 72 hours per person
  • N95 masks for smoke
  • First aid kit
  • Pet supplies: food, carrier, vaccination records, medications

Large Animals and Livestock

One of the most challenging aspects of wildfire evacuation for rural families is livestock. Horses, cattle, goats, and other large animals cannot be moved in minutes. Planning must happen well in advance:

  • Know where you will take your animals — identify a destination, ideally farther than one evacuation route away
  • Practice loading livestock trailers before an emergency
  • Mark animals with your contact information (livestock markers or spray paint on hooves or sides) so they can be identified if separated
  • Know which neighbors have trailers and establish mutual aid agreements now
  • In extreme cases when evacuation is impossible, releasing animals into a large field may give them a better chance than leaving them in a barn

Your Evacuation Plan

Every household in a fire-prone area needs a written evacuation plan — not a mental note, an actual written plan that every family member knows and has practiced.

  • Know your evacuation zone — find it at your county's emergency management website now
  • Map two routes out — fires frequently block primary roads; have a secondary route that doesn't rely on the same road
  • Designate a meeting place if family members are separated
  • Assign roles — who grabs the go-bag, who gets the pets, who checks on elderly neighbors
  • Know your alert systems — register with your county's emergency notification system and enable Wireless Emergency Alerts on your phone

Don't Wait for the Order

Perhaps the most important piece of advice from fire survivors and emergency managers alike: leave early. When a Level 1 notice goes out for your area, that's your signal to get moving. Don't wait for Level 2 or Level 3. Roads clog quickly, visibility drops in smoke, and fires can outpace vehicles on mountain roads.

Every year, people die waiting for the official order that comes too late. Your life — and your family's lives — are worth more than anything you could carry out of the house. Prepare now, so that when the time comes, leaving is simple.

Resources

  • Ready.gov/wildfires — Federal preparedness resources
  • Oregon Office of Emergency Management — oregon.gov/oem
  • Washington Emergency Management Division — mil.wa.gov/emergency-management-division
  • Ready for Wildfire (California model) — readyforwildfire.org (applicable guidance for PNW)
  • Your county sheriff's office — for local evacuation zone maps and alert system registration