Do You Know Your Wildfire Evacuation Plan?

The Time to Prepare is Now.

SAN DIEGO– With Red Flag Warnings issued throughout San Diego County this week, the Burn Institute urges local residents to avoid all activities with high wildfire risk and to create and practice your own emergency evacuation plan.

“Wildfires can start from a number of common things, often unbeknownst to an individual”, Susan Day, Executive Director of the Burn Institute states. “One of the leading causes of accidental wildfires is due to vehicles.”

To prevent vehicle wildfires:

• Always practice safe towing and make sure there are no dragging chains, which can throw sparks into nearby brush.
• Ensure that your vehicle is properly maintained, and nothing is dragging underneath your car.
• Regularly checking your tire pressure, as driving on an exposed wheel rim can cause dangerous sparks.

In the event a wildfire does strike, every family should have a proper evacuation plan in place:

• Create a list of important items that you would need to take during an evacuation including prescriptions, eyeglasses, important documents, essentials for your pets such as food and leashes, photos and anything else of value to your family.
• Be sure to park your vehicle facing outwards so you have the best visibility when you have to drive away and remember to turn your headlights on when that time comes.
• Know various routes out of your neighborhood, in case the usual roads become blocked. Practice driving these routes before an actual emergency occurs.
• If time permits, close all windows and doors when you leave your home, remove curtains and other thin combustibles from windows, move furniture towards the center of the room and leave lights on to help firefighters see your home.

The Burn Institute offers a free 16-page educational “Living With Wildfire” Guide For The Homeowner, in both English and Spanish, that contains information on proper brush clearance, landscaping for fire resistance, how to maintain a defensible space around your home, evacuation tips and much more. To obtain a FREE copy of this guide, call the Burn Institute at 858-541-2277 or download at burninstitute.org/fire-prevention-resources.

 About the Burn Institute:

The Burn Institute’s mission is to educate and inspire our communities to prevent burn injuries and empower those affected by burn trauma. Founded in 1972, one of the Institute’s first accomplishments was to help establish the area’s first and only regional burn center. Today, the Burn Institute continues to reach thousands of children and adults each year with lifesaving fire and burn prevention education and burn survivor support services. For more information on the Burn Institute, visit burninstitute.org.