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Write an emergency plan with evacuation routes

A written plan means everyone knows what to do and where to go when a fire, flood or medical emergency happens. Off grid, the plan must also say when to leave early.

How

1. For each hazard in your register (safety-1), write who does what, which supplies to take and where to go.
2. Mark two ways out of every room and two routes off the property on a map.
3. Choose an outside meeting point near the house and a second one off the property.
4. Set clear triggers to leave, such as an official evacuation order or a nearby wildfire, and leave early rather than late.
5. Include animals: how they will be moved or where they will shelter.
6. Agree an out-of-area contact person everyone checks in with.
7. Keep copies in the house, each vehicle and the grab bags.

Safety: Never wait to see whether a wildfire reaches you. Roads can be cut by fire and smoke within minutes.

Sources

1. Build a Kit. Ready.gov (FEMA), accessed 2026-11
2. Defensible Space. CAL FIRE (Ready for Wildfire), accessed 2026-11

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