Wildfire Season is Now Year-Round: Effective Preparation and Response Can Make All the Difference

By Marcco Gambatese

Wildfire season has traditionally been May through November. But climate change is leaving the landscape more vulnerable, making fast-spreading wildfires a year-round threat.

Plan ahead to protect your property, your loved ones and your employees.

Prepare

• Know where to go.
• Be familiar with evacuation routes.
• Enroll in your community’s emergency alert service.

Facing a Wildfire

• Assemble and maintain an emergency supply kit. Include items that will sustain you and your family for a 72-hour period. Store your kit in a place commonly known to all family members and employees.
• Keep important documents in a fireproof container.
• Listen to the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) alerts.

• Have an outside water source that can reach any area of your property.
• Have a two-minute evacuation plan and practice it.

• Know your community’s evacuation plan, alternate routes and means of transportation in the event of an emergency.

• Address landscaping concerns and create fire-resistant zones.

Keep property clear of flammable debris at least 30 feet from your home and 200 feet from your neighbor.

Basic information

If You Are Under Wildfire Warning, Get to Safety Immediately:

• Evacuate if instructed to do so.
• If trapped, call 911.
• Listen for emergency information and alerts.
• Use N95 masks to prevent breathing in harmful particles.

Take Caution Even if Your Home is Not in the Path of a Wildfire

• Wildfires can travel 100 yards per second.
• Smoky conditions can be as dangerous as fire.
• Keep indoor pollution levels low by using a portable air cleaner.

After the Wildfire

• Keeping you and your family safe

Be aware of new safety issues. Avoid hot ash, smoldering debris and live embers. The ground may contain heat pockets that can burn you or even spark another fire

• Listen to authorities to find out when it is safe to return and whether water is safe to drink.
• If you and your family are safe, consider text messages or social media to reach out to family, friends and employees.

Phone systems are often busy during and after an emergency. Consider those in extreme danger.

• Never assume fire-damaged structures are stable; they may have structural damage.
• Personal health and hygiene protection
  • Wear a NIOSH-certified respirator.
  • Wet debris to minimize breathing in harmful dust particles.
  • Keeping hands clean during an emergency helps prevent the spread of germs. If your tap water is not safe to use, wash your hands with soap and water that has been boiled or disinfected.
  • If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol. Hand sanitizers are not effective when hands are visibly dirty.

Cleaning Tips

• Products containing tri-sodium phosphate (TSP) can reduce odors in fabrics. Test garments before using any treatment and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Use a mixture of 1 cup of household cleaner or chlorine bleach to every gallon of warm water to remove soot and smoke from walls, furniture and floors. Surfaces should then be rinsed with clean, warm water.
• Wear rubber gloves and consider protective eyewear and a respirator.

Resources

• Department of Homeland Security
• National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
• National Fire Protection Association
• U.S. Wildfire Activity Map
• Disaster Shelters | Find Shelters | American Red Cross

Insurance Recovery

• Documentation is key.
  • Photograph as much as possible.
  • Keep an inventory of everything that is lost and/or discarded due to health reasons.
• Have your homeowners and other insurance policy numbers related to your property readily available.
• Notify your carrier as soon as possible and contact Oswald.

Oswald has relationships with contractors who can assist in these situations. If you cannot access your carrier, contact Oswald Companies at 855-467-9253 (844-4OSWALD) as soon as possible.

This story originally posted in 2021 and was updated in 2025.