Started on staff: 2001
B.A., Oberlin College
Ellen runs campaigns to protect America's beautiful places, from local beachfronts to remote mountain peaks. Prior to her current role, Ellen worked as the organizing director for Environment America’s Climate Defenders campaign. Ellen lives in Denver, where she likes to hike in Colorado's mountains.
Have a plan for evacuation:
Make sure everyone in your household knows the plan and where to meet outside the fire zone.
Make electronic copies of all of your critical documents, including identification and proof of insurance. Protect them with secure passwords and make sure you can access them remotely.
Prepare your home:
Invest in hardening your home:
Easier and cheaper parts of your home to harden
Vents
Rain gutters
Chimney
More involved/more expensive (there may be financial assistance available for homeowners in fire-prone areas)
Roof
Walls
Windows
Monitor Air Quality
You can usethis website to monitor air quality, including from smoke.
Follow local agencies, be ready for evacuation orders
Sign up for emergency alerts. You can learn more about how at www.ready.gov.
You can track active fires on weather.gov/fire or fire.airnow.gov.
Find out where your city or county posts emergency information. Often, local emergency services share updates on social media such as Facebook or Twitter.
Be ready to evacuate
Plan several evacuation routes
If you have a car, keep a first aid kit, prescription medications, flashlights, food and water for people and pets, phone/device chargers, extra credit cards/cash and N95 masks in your trunk during fire season. Avoid flammable products. Keep your car fueled up enough to be able to reach your destination.
If you don’t have a vehicle, fill up a “go bag” with those same items. Keep it somewhere easy to reach.
Know where your irreplaceable items such as jewelry and family photos are. Have a plan for when you’ll move them to the car or “go bag.”
Preparing for Wildfires (CDC)
How to Prepare for a Wildfire (WA DNR)
Wildfires (Ready.Gov)
Ready for Wildfire (CAL Fire)
Photo credit: Malachi Brooks via Unsplash
Started on staff: 2001
B.A., Oberlin College
Ellen runs campaigns to protect America's beautiful places, from local beachfronts to remote mountain peaks. Prior to her current role, Ellen worked as the organizing director for Environment America’s Climate Defenders campaign. Ellen lives in Denver, where she likes to hike in Colorado's mountains.