Skip to main content

Outdoor Fire Safety

Protect your home or camp. 

Create a safety zone of up to 100 feet around your home or camp. Remove pine needles and dry leaves around structures. Keep woodpiles at least 30 feet from your any building.

  • Know your community’s local evacuation plan. Plan ahead by practicing two ways out of your neighborhood. You should know the evacuation route and plan a place where you will go.
  • If you are told to evacuate, do so immediately. If you wait until the last minute, the roads may have heavy traffic. Blowing embers and debris from the fire may make it hard to see.
  • Stay informed. Listen to the TV/radio broadcasts for current weather and emergency instructions. Sign up to receive local emergency alerts and warnings on both your home phone and cellphone.
  • Make sure everyone in your family knows your meeting place ahead of time. Let your family and friends who do not live in your area know your meeting place.
  • Keep your car fueled and keep an emergency supply bag in your car. Back your car into the garage or park it in an open space facing the direction of escape.

Videos

Summer Safety Tips Video 
Grilling Fire Safety Tips Video 
Outdoor Fire Pit Safety Video 

 

Protect Your Property

Improve Your Home’s Survivability

• REMOVE leaves, pine needles, and other flammable material from the roof, gutters, and on and under the deck to help prevent embers from igniting your home.

• SCREEN areas below decks and porches with 1/8”  wire mesh to help prevent material from accumulating underneath.

• COVER exterior attic and soffit vents with 1/8” wire mesh to help prevent sparks from entering your home.

• ENCLOSE eaves to help prevent ember entry.

• INSPECT shingles or roof tiles. REPLACE missing shingles or tiles. COVER ends of tiles with bird stops or cement to help prevent ember penetration during a wildfire.

Tips for Landscaping Around Your Home

• REMOVE dead vegetation and other flammable materials, especially within the first 5 feet of the home.

• KEEP your lawn hydrated and maintained. If it is brown, cut it down to help reduce fire intensity.

• PRUNE tree limbs so the lowest branches are 6 to 10 feet above the ground to help reduce the chance of fire getting into the crowns of the trees.

• MOVE construction material, trash, and woodpiles at least 30 feet away from the home and other outbuildings.

Quick Tips to Share

Source for Content:  U.S. Fire Administration and National Fire Protection Association

Safety message about using a grill outside, away from the house, with logos of FEMA and U.S. Fire Administration.
Road closed sign on a highway, message advises waiting for official clearance post-wildfire. Logos of FEMA, US Fire Administration, and a slogan.
Safety infographic advising to avoid ash, charred trees, and embers after a wildfire to prevent burns.
Illustration of a wildfire evacuation with a road sign, message to follow emergency instructions, and logos of FEMA, U.S. Fire Administration, and a fire safety campaign.
A graphic advising the use of nonflammable mulch, like stones, within 5 feet of a home to prevent fire spread.
Fire safety tip: Plant small, moist plants near windows, not large ones, to prevent fires spreading to your home. #FireSafety
A public safety message about evacuating promptly during a wildfire, with two animated people and a smoky background.
Illustration of a fence with a red "X" symbol and text advising against using parallel fences to prevent fire spread, with FEMA and US Fire logos.
An infographic suggesting to prepare an emergency bag for wildfire evacuation, showing supplies like water, a first-aid kit, and a flashlight.
An infographic advising a 5+ feet metal or stone barrier between a fence and house to prevent fire spread.
A graphic advising to photograph property damage and contact insurance after a wildfire, with FEMA and other logos displayed.
A public safety message advising to check with authorities about home return and water safety after a wildfire.
A fire safety infographic advising keeping flammable materials at least 5 feet away from buildings.
An infographic about preventing careless wildfires, with a person dousing a campfire and text urging to ensure campfires are completely extinguished.
Safety message about using a grill outside, away from the house, with logos of FEMA and U.S. Fire Administration.
Road closed sign on a highway, message advises waiting for official clearance post-wildfire. Logos of FEMA, US Fire Administration, and a slogan.
Safety infographic advising to avoid ash, charred trees, and embers after a wildfire to prevent burns.
Illustration of a wildfire evacuation with a road sign, message to follow emergency instructions, and logos of FEMA, U.S. Fire Administration, and a fire safety campaign.
A graphic advising the use of nonflammable mulch, like stones, within 5 feet of a home to prevent fire spread.
Fire safety tip: Plant small, moist plants near windows, not large ones, to prevent fires spreading to your home. #FireSafety
A public safety message about evacuating promptly during a wildfire, with two animated people and a smoky background.
Illustration of a fence with a red "X" symbol and text advising against using parallel fences to prevent fire spread, with FEMA and US Fire logos.
An infographic suggesting to prepare an emergency bag for wildfire evacuation, showing supplies like water, a first-aid kit, and a flashlight.
An infographic advising a 5+ feet metal or stone barrier between a fence and house to prevent fire spread.
A graphic advising to photograph property damage and contact insurance after a wildfire, with FEMA and other logos displayed.
A public safety message advising to check with authorities about home return and water safety after a wildfire.
A fire safety infographic advising keeping flammable materials at least 5 feet away from buildings.
An infographic about preventing careless wildfires, with a person dousing a campfire and text urging to ensure campfires are completely extinguished.