The Unofficial Guide
FLASH!!! Shasta County now has an Official SHASTA COUNTY WILDFIRE EVACUATION PLAN that you can download. Make copies for each vehicle.
To give your home the best chance of survival in a wildfire, you need to accomplish two things: create defensible space surrounding the home and 'harden' the house against ember ignition. To give yourself and your family the best chance of survival, you need an evacuation plan.
During wildfire many people will be paralyzed with indecision. If you've developed and practiced your evacuation plan you'll be able to act and get everyone out safely. In the 2016 and 2017 fire season wildfires exploded in size with extremely fast rates of spread. When I say extreme I mean the fire front moved forward at about 10 miles per hour in some fires. Extreme conditions leave little time for making up your mind what to do.
Unofficial Oak Run Wildfire Preparedness and Evacuation Guide explains how to create a good family evacuation plan for Oak Run, California. It builds on the concepts of getting prepared ahead of fire season and organizing your family for an orderly evacuation prior to any fires. It takes into account the rural aspect of the area - mountain roads, distance from help, the communications difficulties. THIS IS NOT A REPALCEMENT FOR THE OFFICIAL PLAN from the county. It just has some additional information pertaining to Oak Run.
If a fire erupts and you are advised to evacuate, then please load and go. Every exit route from Oak Run is designated a high hazard road due to the massive amount of vegetation next to the roads. The higher you are in elevation, the longer it will take you to get to a safe location. If you are advised to exit a particular road, by officials, then follow directions.
Copies of your Family Plan should be placed in each person's Grab and Go Bag as well as each vehicle. The plain fact is that not everyone is notified during an evacuation. You have to be able to assess your situation and decide what to do on your own. Until the fire agencies are on the scene, you have to be your own 'first responder'.
MAPS will illustrate identifying evacuation routes in relation to your location and in relation to an advancing fire. If you have a topography map or a good area map, you should be able to draw circles around your home location starting with a 1 mile radius from the house, two miles, three miles, and beyond. By monitoring the advancing fire and comparing the advance to the circles you can get an idea of fire speed and how that might affect your evacuation timeline. Download what you need and keep the maps handy.
You need to have an evacuation plan you can accomplish without hesitation if a fire approaches your home. Download your Guide and review for your family plan. Keep copies of the OFFICIAL SHASTA COUNTY WILDFIRE EVACUATION PLAN in every vehicle.