Are you ready to evacuate quickly and safely for the next wildfire? When the Decker Fire burned in 2019, local residents had more than a week to evacuate their homes.
That’s not always the case, as is evident in recent national media coverage of the Hawaii wildfires.
In Colorado, during the Marshall Fire in 2021, 100 mile-an-hour winds pushed the fire into Boulder area communities, destroying a thousand homes in a matter of hours. Residents ran for their lives and two people died.
The Chaffee County Fire Protection District promotes six simple steps that families can take now, to be prepared to leave quickly during an emergency evacuation.
- Step 1: Sign up for Everbridge, the county’s emergency alert system.
- Step 2: Plan for extra support like young children and elderly family members.
- Step 3: Make a go bag containing food, water, a change of clothes, electronics, medicines and important documents.
- Step 4: Always be prepared. Keep half a tank of gas in your vehicle. Keep your phone charged and have important items in one place.
- Step 5: Know your evacuation route.
- Step 6: Leave quickly.
Find out more at envisionchaffeecuonty.org.
