Preparing for wildfires means doing two things: making your property harder for fire to damage, and being ready to leave quickly if you need to. The best time to start is well before fire season, but any preparation you do now improves your odds. Here’s what matters most, broken down into steps you can take this week and habits to maintain year-round.
Create Defensible Space Around Your Home
Defensible space is the buffer you create between your home and the flammable vegetation around it. California’s Ready for Wildfire program breaks this into three zones, and most fire-prone states follow similar guidelines.
Zone 0 extends just 5 feet from your house, deck, or any attached structure. This is the most critical zone. Remove all combustible materials: dry leaves, mulch, woodpiles, dead plants, and anything that could catch an ember. Use hardscape like gravel, stone, or concrete in this area instead of organic ground cover.
Zone 1 runs from 5 to 30 feet out. Here, keep your landscaping lean and well-irrigated. Remove dead vegetation, trim tree branches so the lowest limbs are several feet off the ground, and space plants apart so fire can’t jump between them. On flat ground, shrubs should be spaced at least twice their height apart, and trees should have about 10 feet between them. On steeper slopes, you need much wider spacing: shrubs at four to eight times their height apart, and trees 20 to 30 feet apart, depending on how steep the grade is. The vertical gap between the top of any shrub and the lowest tree branch above it should be at least three times the shrub’s height, so ground fire can’t climb into the canopy.
Zone 2 extends from 30 to 100 feet (or your property line, whichever comes first). You don’t need to clear everything here, but thin out dense clusters of trees and brush, remove dead wood, and keep grass mowed to no more than 4 inches.
Harden Your Home Against Embers
Most homes ignite not from direct flame contact but from wind-carried embers that land in vulnerable spots. Roof vents, eaves, gutters, and gaps in siding are the main entry points. Addressing these weak spots dramatically reduces your risk.
Start with your vents. Embers can blow through standard 1/4-inch vent screens easily. Retrofit them with corrosion-resistant metal mesh sized between 1/16 and 1/8 inch. If you don’t want to replace your existing vents, you can add a second layer of finer mesh over the current screen. California’s building code now requires this mesh size for all new construction in fire-prone areas.
Keep gutters clear of leaves and pine needles throughout fire season. Replace wood or vinyl siding with fiber cement or stucco where possible. If you’re due for a new roof, choose Class A fire-rated materials like asphalt composite, metal, or tile. Enclose the undersides of decks and eaves so embers can’t accumulate in those sheltered spaces. Move firewood piles, propane tanks, and patio furniture at least 30 feet from your house when fire risk is elevated.
Build a Go Bag You Can Grab in Minutes
Wildfire evacuations can move from voluntary to mandatory in under an hour. Having a bag packed and ready to go eliminates the panic of trying to gather essentials while smoke is already visible.
Your go bag should include:
- Water: one gallon per person per day for at least three days
- Food: a several-day supply of non-perishable items (granola bars, canned goods, dried fruit)
- Medications: at least a week’s supply of any prescriptions, stored in a waterproof container
- Documents: copies of IDs, insurance policies, medical records, and financial documents, ideally both physical copies in a waterproof bag and digital backups on a USB drive or cloud storage
- N95 respirator masks for each family member
- Phone chargers and a portable battery pack
- Cash in small bills (ATMs and card readers may not work during outages)
- A change of clothes and sturdy shoes for each person
Store the bag near your front door or in your car during fire season. Review and rotate perishable items every six months.
Make a Plan for Pets and Livestock
Animals need their own evacuation kit and plan. Don’t assume you’ll have time to figure it out later. For each pet, prepare a sturdy carrier or crate, a backup leash and collar with an ID tag, a waterproof container with copies of vaccination and registration records, and an extra supply of any medications they take regularly.
Get your pets microchipped if they aren’t already, and keep the contact information on the chip current. One detail people overlook: keep a photo of you with your pet. If you get separated during an evacuation, this helps prove ownership and makes it easier for shelters and rescue workers to reunite you. Know ahead of time which evacuation shelters accept animals, or identify friends and family outside your area who could take them in.
Understand Evacuation Levels
Most counties in fire-prone areas use a three-level evacuation system. Knowing what each level means saves you critical decision-making time when alerts start coming in.
Level 1 (Ready) means a fire exists in your area and you should stay alert. Monitor local news and emergency channels. If anyone in your household has breathing problems, limited mobility, or you have animals to transport, start preparing to leave now. Evacuation at this stage is voluntary, but it’s the smart time to load your car.
Level 2 (Set) means significant danger is approaching. You should be packed and truly ready to walk out the door, or better yet, leave voluntarily to stay with friends, family, or at a shelter outside the affected area.
Level 3 (Go) means leave immediately. The danger is current or imminent. Don’t wait to gather more belongings. Follow your planned evacuation route and listen for instructions from emergency personnel.
These levels can jump from 1 to 3 without passing through 2, especially when wind conditions change suddenly. Treat Level 1 as your real warning.
Set Up Emergency Alerts on Your Phone
Your smartphone can receive Wireless Emergency Alerts from FEMA, including evacuation orders and imminent threat warnings, but only if the setting is turned on. Check your phone’s notification settings menu for the alerts opt-in option. The exact location varies by phone model, but it’s typically under “Emergency Alerts” or “Government Alerts” in your notification or safety settings. If you can’t find it, contact your wireless provider to confirm your device is set up to receive them.
Don’t rely solely on your phone. Sign up for your county’s emergency notification system (most counties have one, often using platforms like Nixle or CodeRED). Identify two evacuation routes out of your neighborhood in case one is blocked, and make sure every household member knows both routes. Pick a meeting point outside your area in case you’re separated and cell service is down.
Protect Your Indoor Air During Smoke Events
Even if fire never reaches your property, wildfire smoke can affect your health for days or weeks. The fine particles in smoke are small enough to penetrate deep into your lungs and enter your bloodstream. Keeping your indoor air clean makes a real difference, especially for children, older adults, and anyone with asthma or heart disease.
Close all windows and doors, and set your HVAC system to recirculate mode so it’s not pulling in outside air. A portable air purifier with a HEPA filter can dramatically reduce indoor particle levels. When shopping for one, look at the Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) for smoke specifically. The industry standard is to match the CADR to your room’s square footage during wildfire events. So for a 200 square foot bedroom, you want a smoke CADR of at least 200. For normal conditions the rule is two-thirds of the room area, but wildfire smoke calls for the full match.
If you need to go outside during a smoke event, use an N95 respirator, not a cloth mask or surgical mask. The key is the seal: an N95 has two straps that create a tight fit around your nose and chin. Any mask with only one strap or ear loops won’t seal against your face, and unfiltered air will leak in around the edges. Press the metal nose clip firmly and check for gaps by breathing out sharply. If you feel air escaping around the edges, adjust or try a different size.
Seasonal Maintenance Checklist
Wildfire preparation isn’t a one-time project. Before each fire season, walk through these tasks:
- Clear Zone 0: remove all dead plants, leaves, and debris within 5 feet of your home
- Clean gutters and roof: clear pine needles, leaves, and any organic buildup
- Inspect vents: confirm mesh screens are intact and sized at 1/8 inch or smaller
- Trim vegetation: maintain spacing in Zones 1 and 2, remove dead branches, mow dry grass
- Test go bags: check expiration dates on food, water, and medications; update documents
- Review evacuation plan: confirm routes, meeting points, and alert settings with all household members
- Replace air purifier filters: if you used them during last year’s smoke season, they may already be spent
Doing this work in spring or early summer, before conditions get dry, gives you a buffer. In many regions, fire season now stretches from late spring through November, so earlier is better.