What to Pack in a Fire Evacuation Kit
If you have to leave your home quickly because of a fire or heavy smoke, you want to make sure that you have everything you need ready so that you're not scrambling. For many households, the hardest part of emergency preparedness is trying to gather everything that they need under pressure. A good evacuation kit just needs to help you leave faster with all of your essentials.
Start with the basics
A fire evacuation kit contains many of the same things as your standard emergency kit: water, food, light, communication, and basic supplies. Your kit should be easy to carry and stored somewhere accessible, like your front hall closet.
Your fire kit should include:
- Water
- Shelf stable food
- Flashlight
- Extra batteries
- Power bank with a charging cable
- First hair kit
- Battery powered or hand crank radio
- Batteries for the radio and flashlight
- First aid kit
- Hygiene basics
- Warm layer or emergency blanket
Many of these can be found in our Fire Season Essentials Kit
Make sure to add your personal items
Many people forget to add their personal items when making an emergency kit, so make sure that you have all of your health and insurance information, emergency contacts, and plans for children and pets.
Make sure that your kit includes:
- Copies of important documents
- List of medications and prescriptions
- Health and insurance information
- Emergency contact list
- Backup glasses or contacts
- Child specific items (diapers, wipes, comfort item, formula, etc.)
- Pet records and supplies
Don't forget smoke specific items
Such as masks, an extra power bank, printed contact lists in case your phone dies, and eye comfort items (like eye drops).
What to prep ahead of time
Before peak fire season, do the following things to make sure you're prepared:
- Scan and save important documents
- Refill prescriptions and keep a refill in your emergency kit (if they are shelf stable)
- Update all emergency contacts
- Check pet carriers and food
- Test flashlights and batteries
- Charge backup power banks
- Make sure that everyone in your house knows where your kit is and what is inside of it
A fire evacuation kit is really about saving time and reducing stress. This article gives you a starting point for when you need to move quickly, deal with smoke, or manage a disruption without warning.
