Ready, Set, Go: a wildfire evacuation plan for Montana households

What is Ready, Set, Go! for wildfire?

Ready, Set, Go! (RSG) is a program hosted by the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) to help fire departments teach people in high-risk wildland fire areas how to prepare. The IAFC describes it as a tool for improving dialogue between the fire service and the residents they serve, with materials departments can customize for local audiences.

The three words carry the plan. Ready means taking personal responsibility and action well before a fire threatens: defensible space, emergency supplies, escape routes and safety zones. Set means situational awareness: staying informed about the fire and receiving local emergency notifications. Go means leaving early, following your own personal wildland fire action plan, which also lets responders put their resources where they are most needed.

What do evacuation warnings and orders mean in Missoula and Ravalli counties?

Both counties use two levels, and they line up closely with Set and Go. Missoula County defines an evacuation Warning as "current or projected hazards may require immediate evacuation" and an evacuation Order as conditions that present an imminent threat. Ravalli County's guidelines define a Warning as current or projected hazards associated with an emergency that may require an immediate evacuation, and an Order as incident conditions that present an immediate threat to people in the area.

What each county says to do is just as important. Missoula County says officials may issue an order with no warning first, that you do not need to wait for an order to leave early, and that when an order comes you should leave immediately without gathering items. Ravalli County says the warning stage is for final preparations, that residents are responsible for moving their own property and livestock, that anyone with special health needs should consider leaving at the warning, and that the order is the time to get out immediately, not to move belongings or animals. Both points push in the same direction: anything that takes time has to happen at the warning, or before it.

How do I get wildfire evacuation alerts in Missoula and Ravalli counties?

In Missoula County, the county asks residents to sign up for Smart911 at smart911.com. Its evacuation page says orders may come through a slow-moving emergency vehicle with sirens and lights, loudspeaker announcements, or text alerts through Smart911, and that the Sheriff's Office posts evacuation notices on its social media accounts.

In Ravalli County, alerts go out through the Ravalli County Hyper-Reach System. You can register online from the county's emergency notifications page or by phone at (406) 215-1909. The county says legacy landlines are already included for emergency notifications, which means cell phones and email are not unless you enroll them. The system carries evacuation warnings and orders by text, email and phone. If you own a cabin or rental in the other county, register that address too.

What does getting Ready look like for a Montana home?

Ready starts with the property. A house that can survive embers without help is a house you can leave early without agonizing over it, and it is also a house firefighters can defend if conditions allow. The Ravalli County CWPP puts the priority on the structure and the first five feet around it and states that up to 90 percent of home losses from wildfire are caused by embers. The work behind that is covered in how homes ignite, the first five feet and the rest of our Montana Wildfire & Defensible Space Guide.

Ready also means the household plan. Missoula County asks families to identify escape routes out of the house and out of the neighborhood, and a meeting place if you get separated. If your home sits up a single road, find out whether there is a second way out, and drive it before you need it. The Ravalli County CWPP notes that egress roads, the roads connecting homes to the nearest primary or secondary road, are the most likely evacuation routes and the routes engines use to get in. A driveway engines cannot use is a problem for both; see driveway access for fire engines.

What should be in a wildfire go-bag?

Missoula County's evacuation page sums it up as the six P's: people and pets; papers; prescriptions; pictures and priceless personal items; personal computer; and plastic, meaning cards and cash. It also mentions clothes, food, medical needs and digital devices. Ready.gov's basic kit adds the core supplies: water at one gallon per person per day for several days, a several-day supply of non-perishable food, a battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio, a flashlight, a first aid kit, extra batteries, a whistle, a dust mask, a manual can opener, local maps, and a cell phone with chargers and a backup battery.

Pack it once, keep it by the door or in the vehicle through fire season, and check it in spring. Paper copies matter here: insurance policy numbers, a home inventory and photos of the property, which we cover in documenting wildfire mitigation for your insurer.

How should Bitterroot households plan for livestock and horses?

Animals are where plans most often fall apart, because trailers, loading and destinations all take time. Ravalli County lists the movement of persons with special needs, mobile property, pets and livestock as precautionary tasks for the warning stage, and says that once an order is issued it is not the time to move livestock. Missoula County points residents to free livestock planning resources from its Department of Ecology and Extension.

Practically, that means having trailers hitched or ready, halters by the gate, a destination agreed in advance, and a neighbor who can load for you if you are at work. For the property side of keeping animals safer, see barns, hay and livestock wildfire prep.

When should I leave during a wildfire?

Early. The IAFC's Go is about leaving early under your own plan, and Missoula County says plainly that you do not have to wait for an order. Triggers worth writing down in advance: a warning for your area, fire visible on the ridge above you, an order for a neighboring area, or smoke so heavy that driving will soon be hard. Weather is an early sign. The National Weather Service issues a Fire Weather Watch when critical fire weather conditions are possible but not imminent, and a Red Flag Warning when they are ongoing or expected shortly; a Red Flag day is a good day to have the go-bag in the car.

When you go, Missoula County says to follow official evacuation routes, avoid shortcuts and not return until the order has been rescinded; only incident commanders can lift an order. For shelter information Missoula County lists a disaster information line, 406-258-4636, and Ravalli County lists its Emergency Operations Center at 406-375-6650 for evacuation questions.

What should I do before leaving if there is time?

Only what the warning stage allows. Ravalli County's guidance says the warning is the time for final preparations and for moving property and livestock; Missoula County says to use it for final preparations and moving people who need extra help. Once an order is issued, both counties are explicit that the time for tasks is over: leave immediately. That is the real argument for doing the house-side work weeks earlier. Firewood, cushions and stored items that belong away from the house should already be there, so a warning is spent loading people, animals and the go-bag rather than moving things around the yard; where to stack firewood and decks and the space under them cover the details.

What should I check when I come home after an evacuation?

Missoula County says to return only after an order is rescinded, notes that downed power lines and other utility hazards may still need to be dealt with first, and asks returning residents to check for gas smells, leaks, and roof or structural damage. Trees are the other thing to check before anyone works under them. Our guide on which burned trees will live after a wildfire explains what an arborist looks at.

How HJ Property Care fits into getting Ready

We cannot help you evacuate, but we can do a lot of the Ready part. Our fire mitigation service clears the zone around the house, removes ladder fuels, thins crowded conifers, limbs trees along driveways so the route out is not a tunnel of fuel, and chips or hauls the slash. We also do hazard tree removal for trees that could fall across a driveway or a road out. County-specific resources are in Missoula County wildfire resources and the Ravalli County fire districts guide.

Call HJ Property Care & Tree Service at (406) 215-7319 or request a free estimate. We walk the property with you, starting at the house and working outward, and an ISA Certified Arborist plans the tree work.

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