Wildfire Evacuation Checklist: What to Grab and When
Updated: 8 hours ago
Quick answer: A wildfire evacuation checklist comes down to the fire service's Ready, Set, Go! plan: get Ready long before fire season, stay Set (alert, packed, car fueled) when fire weather hits, and Go early, without waiting to be told. Grab the 6 P's (people and pets, papers, prescriptions, pictures, personal computer, and "plastic" plus cash), keep your car at half a tank or more at all times and full when evacuation seems likely, and pack a Go-Kit with 3 days of supplies you can carry. If officials tell you to leave, leave right away.
The hard part of a wildfire evacuation is rarely the packing list. It's the clock. This guide is built around time: what to do weeks ahead, what to do when the sky turns orange, and what to grab with 5, 15 or 30 minutes. A printable checklist is at the end.
If you already have a general go-bag, great. We cover the full kit in our bug out bag checklist. This post is only about the wildfire-specific part: the timeline.
What "Ready, Set, Go!" means
Ready, Set, Go! is a program run by the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), and local fire departments use it to teach people in high-risk areas how to prepare. It has three stages:
Ready: Prepare long before a fire. Create defensible space around your home, put together emergency supplies, plan escape routes and know your safety zones.
Set: Stay alert when fire is possible. Follow the latest news and make sure you can get local emergency alerts.
Go: Act early and follow your personal wildfire action plan. Leaving early keeps you safe and keeps roads clear for fire crews.
CAL FIRE puts it plainly in its Go! Evacuation Guide: if fire officials suggest leaving, go right away, and it's safer to leave before a mandatory order is issued. In big fires there may be no time for anyone to knock on your door.
Evacuation warning vs. evacuation order
These two terms get mixed up, and the difference matters. As the Culver City Fire Department explains:
Evacuation Warning: Your area may be in the path of danger. This is your "Set" moment. Load the car and get ready to go. If you need extra time (kids, pets, livestock, mobility needs), leave now.
Evacuation Order: There's an immediate threat to life. You're required to leave, and the area is closed. You won't be allowed back in, even to grab things from your house.
That last part is why your go-bag needs to be in the car before an order comes, not after.
Stage 1: Get Ready (weeks or months ahead)
Know your zone and sign up for alerts
You can't act early if you don't hear the warning. Ready.gov recommends having several ways to get alerts:
Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) come to most cell phones automatically. No sign-up needed.
Your county's alert system. Search "[your county] emergency alerts" and sign up for text and phone alerts at your home address, plus work and school.
The FEMA app, which can send National Weather Service alerts for up to five locations.
Evacuation zone maps. Many counties, especially in California, now divide their area into numbered evacuation zones using Genasys Protect (formerly Zonehaven). It's free. Enter your address, write your zone number on your fridge, and listen for it in alerts. Lake County, California, for example, issues warnings and orders by zone number.
Plan where you'll go and how you'll get there
Pick at least two routes out of your neighborhood, in different directions, and drive them once. The Red Cross says to practice them so everyone in your home knows them.
Pick a destination (a friend's or relative's home in another town, or a motel). Ready.gov notes that most public shelters allow only service animals, so find a pet-friendly place ahead of time.
Choose a meeting spot outside the fire area and an out-of-area contact everyone can check in with. Our neighborhood emergency communication plan walks through how to set that up.
Pack the go-bag now
The Red Cross splits supplies into a Go-Kit (3 days of supplies you can carry) and a Stay-at-Home Kit (2 weeks), and suggests a 1-month supply of medication. For a wildfire, the Go-Kit is the one that matters. A sturdy pack like the Rothco MOLLE II 3-Day Assault Pack is sized for exactly this kind of 72-hour kit, with several compartments for food, water and clothes.
Wildfire-specific things to add to a normal kit:
NIOSH-approved N95 respirators for everyone old enough to wear one (more on smoke below).
Long pants, a long-sleeved top and sturdy shoes. CAL FIRE says 100% cotton is best.
Copies of your documents (ID, insurance, deed or lease), plus a digital copy in a secure, password-protected place, which Ready.gov recommends.
Phone chargers and a backup battery.
Water you don't have to think about. A box of Datrex Emergency Water (64 pack) holds 64 four-ounce pouches, about 2 gallons, and needs no treatment. That's a good grab-and-go supply, not a full household supply. Ready.gov's rule is one gallon per person per day, and our guide to how much water to store for a family does the math.
A first aid kit. Ready.gov specifically says to keep one in your go-bag or car trunk. The Rothco General Purpose First Aid Kit has 60+ supplies in a gasket-sealed hard case. Our first aid kit checklist covers what else to add.
Set up your bedroom for a night evacuation
Fires don't wait for daylight. Fire departments like Santa Clara County Fire and CAL FIRE say to keep sturdy shoes and a flashlight next to your bed. A headlamp is even better, because it leaves both hands free to carry kids, pets or bags. The Rothco Cree LED Headlamp is an inexpensive one to keep on the nightstand.
Know how to open your garage without power
Power often goes out during wildfires, and some utilities shut it off on purpose in dry, windy weather to prevent fires. These are called Public Safety Power Shutoffs. CAL FIRE says to learn how to open your garage door or gate by hand. Find the release cord on your opener and practice once.
Stage 2: Get Set (fire weather or a fire nearby)
When there's a fire in your area, or a Red Flag Warning (the National Weather Service alert for critical fire weather), switch to "Set":
Fill the gas tank. Ready.gov says to keep a full tank if evacuation seems likely, because gas stations may close or lose power.
Put the go-bag in the car. CAL FIRE's steps are to load your emergency kit and park in the driveway facing out, loaded and ready, with all doors and windows shut.
Keep your phone charged and keep checking official updates.
Keep pets close. Know where the carriers are and bring them inside early. See our pet emergency kit checklist for their go-bag.
Check on neighbors, especially older neighbors or anyone without a car.
Watch the air. The AirNow Fire and Smoke Map shows smoke levels near you.
Stage 3: GO! What to grab in 5, 15 or 30 minutes
The official advice is simple: when you're told to go, or when you feel unsafe, leave right away. The tiers below are our way of putting the official lists in priority order, so you know what to skip when time is short. If flames or heavy smoke are close, skip straight to "drive away."
If you have 5 minutes: the 6 P's
The Los Angeles Fire Department's quick list for an immediate evacuation:
People and pets
Papers, phone numbers and important documents
Prescriptions, vitamins and eyeglasses
Pictures and irreplaceable memorabilia
Personal computer, hard drive and disks
"Plastic" (credit and debit cards) and cash
If your go-bag is already packed with copies of your papers and your medications, most of the 6 P's are already done. That's the whole point of getting Ready ahead of time.
If you have 15 minutes: dress and close up the house
Change into protective clothes: long pants, long sleeves, sturdy shoes, and 100% cotton if you have it.
Close all windows and doors, but leave them unlocked. That's CAL FIRE's advice, so firefighters can get in.
Turn off the gas at the meter and turn off pilot lights.
Turn off the air conditioning.
Leave the lights on so firefighters can see your house in the smoke.
Leave a note saying when you left and where you're going, as Ready.gov suggests.
If you have 30 minutes or more: CAL FIRE's full home checklist
Only if you've been warned early and the fire is not close. From CAL FIRE's Go! Evacuation Guide:
Take down flammable curtains and shades. Close metal shutters if you have them.
Move anything that burns easily to the middle of rooms, away from windows and doors.
Bring in outdoor items that burn: patio furniture, doormats, toys and trash bins (or put them in the pool).
Shut off propane tanks and move grills away from the house.
Connect garden hoses to outdoor taps for firefighters and fill buckets with water.
Do not leave sprinklers or water running. It can drop the water pressure firefighters need.
Leave a ladder out so firefighters can reach the roof.
Seal attic and ground vents with plywood or commercial seals, if you have them ready.
Then go. Don't take shortcuts. Ready.gov says to follow recommended evacuation routes, because shortcuts may be blocked.
Wildfire smoke: which mask actually works
Here's a fun fact about our cover photo: that bandana does almost nothing against smoke. The federal air quality site AirNow says plainly that cloth masks will not protect you from wildfire smoke. An AirNow fact sheet adds that wet or dry cloth, paper masks and tissues won't filter it either.
What works, per the EPA:
A particulate respirator stamped "NIOSH" and "N95" or "P100." You can find them at hardware stores, pharmacies and online.
Two straps that go around your head. Masks with ear loops don't seal and won't protect your lungs.
A tight seal over your nose and under your chin. Facial hair breaks the seal.
Replace it when it gets hard to breathe through or gets dirty.
The EPA notes that children 2 and older can wear respirators, but NIOSH-approved ones don't come in sizes made for young children, so check the fit closely and keep kids in clean indoor air or away from the smoke when you can. If you have heart or lung problems, ask your doctor before relying on a respirator. Pack a few N95s per person in the go-bag. They're cheap, light and easy to forget.
If you get trapped
CAL FIRE's guidance if you can't get out:
In a car: Park away from vegetation, close all windows and vents, cover yourself with a wool blanket or jacket, lie on the floor, and call 911.
On foot: Get to a clear area like a ditch or flat ground, lie face down, cover your body, and call 911.
At home: Gather everyone, call 911, fill sinks and tubs with cold water, keep doors and windows closed but unlocked, and stay away from outside walls and windows.
Ready.gov adds that if you're trapped, give 911 your location, know that help may be delayed, and turn on lights so rescuers can find you.
Returning home safely
Wait until officials say it's safe.
Avoid hot ash, charred trees, smoldering debris and embers. The ground can hold hidden heat pockets. Watch for ash-filled pits that may have hot embers underneath.
Stay away from downed power lines, and be careful around propane tanks and gas lines.
Check your house for hidden embers and small fires.
Wear protective gear to clean up: gloves, long sleeves, long pants, goggles and an N95 respirator. Kids, pregnant women and people with asthma, heart or lung conditions shouldn't breathe ash dust.
Ask your local health department whether your tap water is safe, and throw out food that was exposed to heat, smoke or fire.
Photograph the damage before cleaning up, for insurance.
Text instead of calling to reach family, because phone lines are often busy after a disaster.
Printable wildfire evacuation checklist
READY (do once, check every spring):
Signed up for county alerts at home, work and school addresses
Know our evacuation zone number (written on the fridge)
Two routes out, driven once; destination and pet-friendly backup picked
Meeting spot and out-of-area contact chosen
Go-bag packed per person: water, food, first aid kit, N95s, cotton clothes, chargers, cash, copies of papers, meds (Red Cross suggests a 1-month supply)
Pet kit and carriers ready
Shoes and headlamp by every bed
Practiced opening the garage door by hand
SET (fire nearby or Red Flag Warning):
Gas tank full
Go-bags in the car, car parked facing out, windows shut
Phones charged, alerts on
Pets inside and carriers by the door
Checked on neighbors
GO (5 minutes):
People and pets
Papers and phone numbers
Prescriptions and glasses
Pictures and keepsakes
Personal computer and hard drive
Plastic (cards) and cash
GO (15+ minutes, only if safe):
Long sleeves, long pants, sturdy shoes
Windows and doors closed but unlocked
Gas off at the meter, A/C off
Lights on, note left
Outdoor furniture in, propane off, hoses connected, sprinklers off, ladder out
FAQ
What should I grab first in a wildfire evacuation?
People and pets first, then the rest of the 6 P's: papers, prescriptions, pictures, personal computer and "plastic" (cards and cash). If your go-bag is packed ahead of time with copies of documents and medications, you can grab it, load your family and pets, and go.
Should I wait for an evacuation order before leaving?
No. CAL FIRE says it's safer to leave before a mandatory order is issued, and the Ready, Set, Go! program tells residents to leave early if they feel threatened. Leaving early also keeps roads clear for fire engines.
Does a bandana or cloth mask protect against wildfire smoke?
No. AirNow says cloth masks will not protect you from wildfire smoke. Use a NIOSH-approved N95 or P100 respirator with two head straps, fitted with a tight seal.
Should I leave my doors locked when I evacuate for a wildfire?
CAL FIRE's guidance is to close all windows and doors but leave them unlocked, so firefighters can get in if they need to. Ready.gov's general evacuation advice is to lock up, so follow your local fire department's instructions for your area.
Bottom line
Get Ready with alerts, your zone number and packed bags. Get Set by filling the tank and loading the car when fire weather shows up. Then Go early with the 6 P's. Print the checklist, put a headlamp by the bed this week, and you'll be ahead of most of your neighbors. For the car side of things, see our car emergency kit checklist.
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