Austin News

City of Austin Launches Ready, Set, Go! Wildfire Evacuation Education Program  

Central Texas carries the greatest risk for wildfires outside of California, and the City of Austin wants to ensure community members have a plan for keeping their families and property safe. The Austin Fire Department’s Wildfire Division and the Austin Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management are launching the newly updated Ready, Set, Go! Program. This partnership with Warn Central Texas, the region’s emergency notification system, educates those living in the area about preparing for wildfire evacuations. 

“We need community members to understand their roles in a wildfire evacuation,” said AFD Division Chief Carrie Stewart. “Our newly updated Ready, Set, Go! plan outlines how you, your loved ones, and your home have the greatest chance of surviving a wildfire. The work to prepare for such an event starts now. Understanding your risk and taking steps to prepare for the inevitability of the next wildfire outbreak begins with signing up for alerts from Warn Central Texas to ensure you are notified when natural disasters occur.” 

Austinites can register for wildfire and other notifications at WarnCentralTexas.org 

What does Ready, Set, Go! mean for you? 

READY

Familiarize yourself and your loved ones with what to do by creating your Personal Wildland Fire Action Guide to follow before and during an emergency. This guide provides tips for readying your home for wildfire like implementing a defensible space and utilizing fire-resistant landscaping. It also contains information on hardening your home with precautions for your balcony, deck, roof, vents, fencing, and more. The program, along with the guide encourages, community members to be Ready by taking personal responsibility and action, preparing well before the threat of a wildland fire. Ready, Set, Go! provides tips on assembling emergency supplies, planning escape routes, and identifying safety zones.

SET

Ready, Set, Go! demonstrates how to be Set: maintaining situational awareness by staying up to date on the latest news and information about a fire and ensuring you can receive local emergency notifications. Warn Central Texas can send a message to notify affected individuals there is the potential threat to life and/or property from a wildfire in their neighborhood. When that happens, anyone who requires additional time to evacuate (including those with pets and livestock) should leave immediately. When registered users receive a “Set” notice from AFD's Wildfire Division through Warn Central Texas, it is time to put their evacuation plans into motion, including loading emergency preparedness kits into vehicles to leave at a moment’s notice should the wildfire continue to spread and trigger an evacuation. 

GO  

The program also encourages those in threatened areas to Go and act early, following their Personal Wildland Fire Action Plan. Promoting cooperation and early action not only supports the safety of community members but allows first responders to deploy their resources where most needed. A “Go” message can be sent via Warn Central Texas to notify affected individuals their home is under immediate threat from a wildfire, and public safety personnel have issued an evacuation order. 

AFD’s Wildfire Division also has a Spanish version of Ready, Set, Go!’s Personal Wildland Fire Action Guide.

Learn more steps you can take to make your home ready for wildfire, how to set yourself up for success in case of a fire, and what to do when it’s time to go by downloading the English or Spanish version of the guide today. 

Visit Austin Wildfire’s website for more information and its Wildfire Hub to learn your neighborhood’s risk level, see maps of active fire situations, and other features. 

Visit ReadyCentralTexas.org to prepare your go-bag and learn where you can pick up preparedness kit supplies.

Visit WarnCentralTexas.org to register for the emergency notification system. Registering allows local officials to alert you by phone, email, and text during times of disasters or public safety events.

Original source can be found here.