Fire Season Preparation

Why does fire season need its own preparation?

In many regions fire danger rises with dry, hot and windy weather, and rural homes sit close to grass, brush and trees. Help can be farther away and may be stretched thin when many fires start.

Preparation will not make you safe from every fire. It does improve your chances, and it makes evacuating easier if you are told to leave.

Fire seasons differ by region. In some places danger peaks in summer, in others in late fall or winter during dry, windy spells, so ask local officials when the risk is highest where you live.

How do you learn your local fire risk and rules?

Contact your local fire department, your state forestry or fire agency and your county emergency management office. They can tell you about local risk, burn bans, alert systems and any rules about clearing vegetation. Do not rely on a rule you heard from a neighbor or remember from another place.

The U.S. Forest Service and Ready.gov have general information on wildfire preparation. Sign up for local emergency alerts, and know how you would hear warnings if the power or cell service failed.

Print your evacuation routes and keep a paper map in the vehicle. Phones and navigation can fail, and roads you normally use may be closed or filled with traffic and smoke.

• Sign up for county emergency alerts
• Keep a battery or hand-crank radio
• Learn your evacuation routes, with a second route in mind

What is defensible space and how do you start?

Defensible space means managing vegetation and materials around buildings to slow a fire and give firefighters a safer place to work. The right approach depends on your region, plants and terrain, so ask your fire department, forestry agency or extension office for local guidance.

Common starting points include removing dead vegetation, keeping gutters and roofs clear of debris and moving firewood and other burnable items away from structures. Follow local advice for distances and methods.

Think about the whole property, including barns, sheds, fuel storage and fence lines. Buildings that hold hay, fuel or equipment can burn hot, so ask local fire officials what to do about them.

How do you plan for people and animals?

Make a written plan that includes every person and animal on the property. Decide who will drive what, where you will meet and where you will go. Practice leaving, including loading animals if you have them.

Ask your county emergency management office and your local extension office about animal evacuation plans, shelters that accept livestock and any local volunteer groups. Identification for animals, such as tags or records, can help if they are separated from you.

Talk to neighbors about who has trailers, who has room for animals and who might need help leaving. Written plans work best when more than one person knows them.

• Trailer in working order and easy to hitch
• Identification and health records for animals
• Water, feed and a destination for livestock
• Pet carriers, leashes and medications

What should be in a go bag?

Keep a bag for each person with medications, copies of important papers, chargers, water, snacks, a flashlight, a first aid kit and a change of clothes. Include masks suited to smoke, as advised by health officials.

Store important documents in a fireproof container or in a secure digital form. Update the bag each season. Check with your doctor about keeping extra medication on hand.

Keep the vehicle fuel tank at least partly full in fire season, since stations may be closed or crowded when you need to leave.

How do you protect your health from smoke?

Smoke can irritate eyes, throats and lungs, and it is especially hard on children, older adults and people with heart or lung conditions. The CDC and your county health department share guidance on smoke and masks.

Stay indoors with windows closed when advised, and ask a doctor what steps to take if you have asthma or other conditions. Seek medical care if breathing becomes difficult.

Keep inhalers and other medicines in the go bag, and replace masks as advice from health officials suggests, since they wear out and some types do not filter smoke well.

What do you do when an evacuation order comes?

Leave when officials tell you to. Do not wait to see how bad it gets. Take people and animals first, then belongings, and follow the routes officials give you.

After the fire, return only when authorities say it is safe. Ask your county about recovery help. If the experience leaves you shaken, talk to someone you trust, and call or text 988 if you are in crisis.

Keep a list of the animals you moved and where they are, and tell a family member the plan so someone else knows where you are heading.

Last reviewed: November 12, 2026. Written by the Rural Farm Life Editorial Team. See our editorial policy.