Remember...

If you live near the wildlands, take 

precautions to create defensible space 

around your home to increase the chances 

that it can survive a wildland fire. 

Contact your local land management 

agency to get current wildland fire 

danger information.

Preparing for 

Wildland Fire

Recommendations for people who

live in or near the wildlands

• Fire is the combination of heat, 

oxygen, fuel and an ignition source. 

• Wildland fuels include grasses, 

needles, leaves, brush and trees. 

• Fires can be ignited naturally by 

lightning. 

• Under the right conditions, fire 

managers start fires to improve habitat 

or restore natural systems. However, 

sometimes people also start unwanted 

wildland fires through carelessness or 

arson.

• Where and how quickly a fire moves 

depends on the terrain, weather and 

types and condition of vegetation. 

• Fires burn faster up hillsides than 

they do on flat ground. The heat rising 

from the flames pre-heats the grasses, 

shrubs and trees above the fire. 

• Like sheets of paper, grasses burn 

quickly, up to several miles per hour 

under extreme conditions. 

• Larger fuels, such as logs, may take 

hours or even days to burn completely. 

• While windswept flames can leap into 

the crowns of trees and burn entire 

trees in seconds, many fires merely 

creep along the ground slowly burning 

brush and forest litter.

• The diversity of plants and animals in 

the wildlands can depend upon fire. 

What may look at first like devastation 

soon becomes a panorama of new life. 

Fire starts critical natural processes 

by breaking down organic matter 

into soil nutrients. Soil, rejuvenated 

with nitrogen from ash, provides a 

fertile seedbed for plants. With less 

competition and more sunlight certain 

seedlings grow quickly.

Things You Should

Know About Wildfire

National Interagency Fire Center

3833 S. Development Ave. 

Boise, ID 83705

208-387-5050

BLM-FA-AE-08-005-9213

www.nifc.gov

www.firewise.org
Wildland fire is an essential, natural 

process that has played a role in 

shaping our natural landscapes for 

thousands of years. It is critical 

for the survival of many plants and 

animals. 

In recent years, people have 

been moving into or near fireprone wildland areas in increasing 

numbers. When a fire occurs, these 

people and their homes are at risk. 

While it’s critical for residents to 

take action to create defensible 

space around their homes and 

property before there is smoke 

in the air, it’s also important for 

residents and recreational visitors 

alike to know what to do when a 

wildfire does occur.

• Follow instructions from local officials. 

These officials will advise you of 

evacuation orders and the safest 

escape routes. Listening to the radio 

and watching TV will provide updated 

emergency information.

• Pack an emergency kit including water, 

food that won’t spoil, prescription 

medications, eye glasses, supplies for 

infants, a change of clothing, blankets, 

flashlight and batteries, important 

documents and family photos.

• Make sure your car has a full tank of gas 

and back your car into the garage or park 

it in the open facing your escape route. 

Leave the key in the ignition and close 

garage doors and windows. Disconnect 

automatic garage door openers in case of 

a power outage.

• Confine your pets to one room so you can 

find them quickly if you need to leave. 

Make plans to care for your pets prior to 

your evacuation.

• Arrange temporary housing with a friend 

or relative outside the threatened area.

When Wildfire Threatens

• Open fireplace damper and close fireplace 

screens.

• Close windows, vents, doors, 

noncombustible window coverings, and 

remove flammable drapes and curtains.

• Move flammable furniture away from 

windows.

• Use a garden hose to wet down as much of 

your roof, siding, and ground adjacent to 

your house as possible.

• Turn on lawn sprinklers and position on 

roof if possible.

• Turn off propane tanks.

• Turn on a light in each room to increase 

the visibility of your home in heavy smoke.

• Place combustible patio furniture inside.

Preparing Your Home

• When advised to evacuate, do so 

immediately. Leaving quickly and 

following evacuation orders helps 

firefighters do their job as well as 

reduces traffic problems.

• Lock your home.

• Wear protective clothing including 

sturdy shoes, cotton or woolen 

clothing, long pants, long-sleeved shirt, 

gloves, and a dry bandanna over your 

face to protect you from smoke.

• Tell a family member or friend outside 

of the wildfire area where you are going.

• Turn on your vehicle lights and follow 

evacuation route identified by local 

officials. If no official route exists, 

choose a route away from fire hazards 

and watch for changes in speed and 

direction of the fire and smoke.

• Always put life before property.

Wildland Fires In Case of Evacuation