- Home
- Your Government
- Health & Public Safety
- Emergency Management
- Preparedness
- Wildfire Preparedness
Wildfire Preparedness
Basic Safety Tips
- Alerts - Please sign up for the Snohomish County Alert Sense Public Warning System
- If you see a wildfire and haven't received evacuation orders yet, call 9-1-1. Don't assume that someone else has already called.
- If ordered to evacuate during a wildfire, do it immediately- make sure and tell someone where you are going and when you have arrived.
- If you or someone you are with has been burned, call 9-1-1 or seek help immediately; cool and cover burns to reduce chance of further injury or infection.
Fire Weather Watch
Fire weather watch = dangerous fire weather conditions are possible over the next 12 to 72 hours
Steps to Take
- Turn on your TV/radio. You’ll get the latest weather updates and emergency instructions.
- Know where to go. If you are ordered to evacuate, know the route to take and have a plan of where you will go. Check-in with your friends and family.
- Keep your car fueled, in good condition, and stocked with emergency supplies and a change of clothes.
Prepare Your Home
- Regularly clean the roof and gutters.
- Maintain an area approximately 30’ away from your home that is free of anything that will burn, such as wood piles, dried leaves, newspapers and other brush.
- Connect garden hoses long enough to reach any area of the home and fill garbage cans, tubs, or other large containers with water.
- Review your homeowner's insurance policy and also prepare/update a list of your home's contents.
After A Wildfire
Returning Home
- Return home only when authorities say it is safe.
- For several hours after the fire, maintain a "fire watch." Check and re-check for smoke, sparks or hidden embers throughout the house, including the roof and the attic.
- Use caution when entering burned areas as hazards may still exist, including hot spots, which can flare up without warning. Evacuate immediately if you smell smoke.
Cleaning Your Home
- Wear a NIOSH certified-respirator (dust mask) and wet debris down to minimize breathing dust particles.
- Discard any food that has been exposed to heat, smoke or soot.
- Do NOT use water that you think may be contaminated to wash dishes, brush teeth, prepare food, wash hands, or to make ice or baby formula.
- Photograph damage to your property for insurance purposes.
Before Wildfire Season- Make A Wildfire Plan
- Know your wildfire risk.
- Make a wildfire emergency plan.
- Build or restock your emergency preparedness kit, including a flashlight, batteries, cash, and first aid supplies.
- Familiarize yourself with local emergency plans. Know where to go and how to get there should you need to evacuate.
- Stay tuned to your phone alerts, TV, or radio, for weather updates, emergency instructions or evacuation orders.