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Basalt fire district offers wildfire evacuation tips

Staff Report

The Basalt & Rural Fire Protection District recently compiled the following wildfire evacuation tip sheet. It is based primarily on information provided by the American Red Cross.

Bring three changes of clothing and a change of footwear per person, and one blanket or sleeping bag per person.-A three-day supply of food that won’t spoil, and water.-A First-Aid kit that includes your family’s prescription medications.-Emergency tools, including a battery-powered AM/FM radio, flashlight and plenty of extra batteries.-Extra car keys and a credit card, cash, or traveler’s checks.-Sanitation supplies.-Special items for infants, elderly or disabled family members.-An extra pair of eye glasses.-Important family documents: wills, insurance policies, contracts, deeds, stocks, bonds, passports, Social Security cards and immunization records.-Bank account numbers.-Credit card account numbers and companies.-An inventory of valuable household goods and important phone numbers.-Family records (birth, marriage, death certificates).

Choose two meeting places for your family: a place a safe distance from your home, and a place outside of your neighborhood in case you can’t return.-Back your car into the garage or park in an open space facing the direction of escape. Shut the doors and roll up the windows. Leave the key in the ignition.-Confine pets to one room. Make plans to care for your pets in case you must evacuate.-Arrange temporary housing at a friend or relative’s home outside the threatened area.-Wear protective clothing and sturdy shoes: long sleeve pants and shirt, gloves and handkerchief to protect your face.-Lock your home. Tie a white towel, sheet or ribbon on your front door to alert emergency responders that your home is evacuated.-Tell someone when you left and where you are going.-Plan more than one escape route by car and foot.-Choose a route away from fire hazards. Watch for changes in the speed and direction of fire and smoke.



Close windows, vents, doors, venetian blinds or noncombustible window coverings and heavy drapes.-Shut off gas or propane. Turn off pilot lights.-Move flammable furniture into center of the home away from windows and sliding glass doors.-Turn on a light in each room to increase the visibility inside your home in heavy smoke.-Seal attic and ground vents with pre-cut plywood or commercial seals.-Remove gas grills from decks and patios. Place propane tanks in garage.-Place combustible patio furniture inside.-Connect garden hoses to outside taps, and leave in an obvious location for firefighters.-Place a noncombustible ladder on the house for access to roof for firefighters.-Remove firewood or any other stored combustibles from near your home. -Remove all shrubs within 15 feet of your home.


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