If you have horses, llamas, farm animals get them ready to move. Put trailers nearby. Keep treats handy. Sugar cubes, apples, carrots. Something they like you can use to entice them into the trailers.
To evac sheep/goats/pigs etc? You can fit 4 to 8 in a med sized pickup bed, depending on their size. A mini pony/burro fits in the backseat of a med sized car. Vans work well to evac animals just lay seats down.
If you're in towns. Prep & bag place by door. Park car so it's facing out to the street. [you toss in & go] Keep cell on for any new alerts all it takes is just 1 spark. Alert elderly neighbors [they may not know]. #CreekFire#BearFire#ValleyFire#BobcatFire#ElDoradoFire
Gather pet gear. Carrier, leash, food, meds? Put them in their crate before opening the door. All animals smell danger & want to flee so even the more placid of pets will bolt out of your arms if they smell smoke.
If no carrier...no problem. Grab a backpack, a pillowcase & stuff them in. No they won't like it but to bad. They can yell at you while you drive away. Cover birdcage & shove in car.
Keep a mask or something to cover your nose/mouth for the thick smoke. Don't care if you don't like them, it's to prevent inhaling the ash & smoke. Take along eye drops for burning irritated eyes [if you have some].
Take vids thru out your homes. Every room, inside & out. All sides of homes, landscaping, shed, garage, patio furniture, attic, toys [sup boards, jet ski's bikes etc] This is for insurance should you need it.
Above all - do NOT ignore any evac warning or order. Your lawn hose will not stop an inferno. And if you haven't done it...do defensible space now. Clear away dead foliage, remove dead branches overhanging home etc
When you're ready to go, check for road closures. The last thing you want is to have to turn around when every moment counts. And plz, let someone know you're leaving & text them when you are safe.
And lastly - Please remove or bury all ammunition when you evac if it's not stored in a gun safe. It does go off & that endangers the lives of firefighters who are working to save homes.
Prep to go...
Charge cell phones, pack chargers
Include power pack/solar charger [if you have 1]
Pets! Take your pets
Gather meds, insurance papers, passport, vax cards... #RadfordFire#SnowSummit#BigBearLake#SanBernardinoCounty
If car is in garage, back it out & turn it around so you're heading out. Know how to open garage door manually. [power goes out when poles/lines go down] So know how to open it yourself. Throw in "to go" gear. #RadfordFire#SnowSummit#BigBearLake#SanBernardinoCounty
I hope the nets stays on awhile, b/cuz something interesting came out of it. I was looking at the Radford Fire on the web cam, & captured the screen. Over the next 2 hrs, when it came bk on I'd capture the images. #RadfordFire#SnowSummit#BigBearLake
Since there's currently 14 fires burning in CA, I think it's time we go over a reminder of defensible space. Once the heatwave eases, isn't it better to do it now, then to wish you had...later? #FairviewFire#Hemet#Riverside#RadfordFire
Plus, I'm always mindful that there are always people who are new to #California and have no idea what defensible space is. Here's what you need to know, and do to keep your property as safe as possible.
For those who'll be told to evac soon, here's some help of what to take.
Prep to go...
Charge cell phones, pack chargers
Include power pack/solar charger [if you have 1]
Pets! Take your pets
Gather meds, insurance papers, passport, vax cards...
If car is in garage, back it out & turn it around so you're heading out. Know how to open garage door manually. [power goes out when poles/lines go down] So know how to open it yourself. Throw in "to go" gear.
Have your pets ready to go. ALWAYS put them in a carrier/crate if you have'm never carry. Even the most placid pet will bolt when they smell smoke. Take food, leash/halter, bed/bankie, comfort toy & their meds. #FairviewFire#Hemet#Riverside
#EvacingAnimals
This is what'cha do in a fast moving fire. You grab whatever you can, load livestock in & get them out of there. THAT is the important thing...not how they're delivered to the evac location. #FairviewFire#Hemet
Whether it's chicks/ducks, sheep, calves to evac but all rescue groups are busy? If you have a pickup, van or even a car you can get them to safety this way... I swear! #Usewhatyouhave
But I can't say it's been a dull weekend. I pupper sat most of the day since the girls were at the state fair. Imagine my surprise when I got a text at 3 [something] a.m. asking if I could come help catch Holley. Errr...what? So off I went.
Show of hands - who's chased a dog who's chasing a opossum in the middle of the night? Especially since the opossum ran into the neighbors garage b/c he'd left the back door open? So now we have a barking dog, & a snarling, hissing opossum who's parked up on a cabinet. 🙄
And of course Holley is beside herself so she's running around knocking things over, she even crawled under the car to avoid being caught. In the midst of this the neighbor came out and said, what'cha doing? We explained, he saw the opossum said, oh ok, & went back to bed.