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May Safety Topic: May 4, 2019 is Wildfire Community Preparedness Day

In many parts of the country, wildfire season has already started.

Wildfires can pop up anywhere and quickly destroy property, threaten infrastructure, disrupt operations, and displace workers. The Department of Commerce estimates the annualized economic burden of wildfires at $71.1 billion to $347.8 billion.

Taking some time to prepare your organization now can help prevent costly damage and injuries down the road. In honor of Wildfire Community Preparedness Day on May 4, here are 10 tips to protect your business, employees, and community:

 

  1. Make an evacuation plan. At a minimum, the plan should include:
    • Conditions that will activate the plan
    • Chain of command
    • Emergency functions and who will perform them
    • Specific evacuation procedures, including routes and exits
    • Procedures for accounting for personnel, customers and visitors
    • Equipment for personnel
  2. Create a fire safety zone around property by cutting back vegetation to a minimum and removing combustible materials. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection offers a useful guide for creating fire safety zones.
  3. Purchase equipment and emergency supplies, such as protective masks, flashlights, and portable radios, that may be needed in the event of a wildfire.
  4. Train employees on what to do in the event of a wildfire and practice your evacuation plan.
  5. Plan how you will contact employees if business is disrupted, such as an emergency call list, email, or text alerts. Test your emergency communication plan to ensure you will be able to reach employees if needed.
  6. Host a video screening of FEMA’s “It Started Like Any Other Day”. Open a discussion about employees’ experience with wildfires, questions, and lessons learned.
  7. Distribute information to employees on fire preparedness and community resources to help families stay safe and get back on their feet after a disaster. FEMA’s free guide, “How to Prepare for a Wildfire”, offers many helpful links and information.
  8. Consider creating a business continuity plan for business interruption due to wildfires, power outages, or preventive outages. Learn more about continuity plans at Ready.gov.
  9. Share wildfire prevention and safety messages on your organization’s social media accounts to raise awareness in your community.
  10. Get involved with other organizations in your community such as the community emergency management team, first responders, or Citizen Corps Council to help prepare for wildfire season.

Next steps: Download the 2020 Safety Calendar

Following these wildfire preparedness tips is one way to keep your workers, business, and community safe. For more ideas, download the free 2020 safety calendar.

Download the free 2023 workplace safety calendar