Be ready to evacuate

Prepare for evacuation
1

PrepareForEvacQRCode
PrepareForEvacQRCode2000×2000 97.4 KB

This QR Code will bring you back to the BerkeleyFirewise.org Be ready to evacuate page

Wildfire in our Fire Zones can move very, very fast—faster than you can walk. Be ready to evacuate very quickly, at a moment’s notice. You can only be ready to do so if you are fully prepared before the emergency occurs.

  • Make sure that you thoroughly understand Berkeley’s Fire Weather and Evacuation Page.
  • Plan for evacuation using Berkeley’s Fire Weather Planning Tool [PDF]. In particular, make sure you have already decided exactly when you will evacuate (in Extreme Fire Weather [video] or after a fire started), and what routes you might take.
  • Read up on evacuation
  • Have a go-bag ready before fire season starts, where it can be grabbed quickly as you leave the house.
  • Use Berkeley’s excellent Wildfire Evacuation Checklist to assemble your to-go bag and to be ready for your evacuation.
  • Make a plan with your household ahead of time for what you will do during fire weather.
  • Identify your trigger for leaving the hills: when exactly will you evacuate?
    • Don’t wait, evacuate: we recommend you leave when an Extreme Weather Alert has been called
    • If you live in Fire Zone 2 or 3 (the Berkeley hills), the Berkeley Fire Department recommends that you leave before Extreme Fire Weather conditions start and until those conditions subside. Remember that the Berkeley streets do not have the carrying capacity to let everyone leave at the same time. Some of those evacuating after an evacuation order has been called will die. There are jams on Marin Blvd every day…
    • The 2025 Berkeley Evacuation Study found that it can take more than 4 hours to evacuate the Berkeley Hills. In the Great Berkeley Fire, is took 2 hours and 20 minutes for the fire to reach Shattuck Ave.
  • Identify evacuation routes at planning time, not when it is time to leave.
    • Choose at least two routes by foot and two routes by car.
    • Evacuating on foot should only be a last resort if driving is not possible.
    • Berkeley Path Wanderers sells a high quality, durable map that includes footpaths. Carry a copy in your bag with evacuation routes already highlighted.
  • Download BerkeleyFirewise’s wildfire evacuation checklist on your phone
  • monitor the situation at all times during Fire Weather with AC Alert, Genasys Protect, and Watch Duty.
  • Way before you need to evacuate, prepare your home:
    • Shut all inside doors
    • Raise shades and remove curtains
    • Turn on inside and outside lights
    • Shut off air conditioning
    • Close/seal ground and attic vents
    • Move furniture away from walls
    • Move outdoor items away from home including BBQ
    • Leave a ladder visible and hoses connected for firefighters to use

Evacuate before the last minute. Remember that a good portion of those who died in the Oakland fire died in their cars while trying to leave. Good luck to you and all of your household.