Prepare a wildfire Go Bag

Courtesy Tahoe Fire & Fuels Team & Cal Fire

If you were told to get ready for an evacuation or to evacuate immediately, do you have a Go Bag of essential items ready? If not, there’s no better time than right now to put yours together.

A Go Bag should be prepared before an emergency, be easily accessible and filled with at least a three-day supply of items needed to help you quickly and safely evacuate your home.

Essentials include:

  • Clothing & personal toiletries
  • Face masks or coverings
  • Inventory of home contents & photographs/videotape of the house & landscape
  • An inventory checklist from your insurance agent
  • Flashlight, portable radio tuned to an emergency radio station & extra batteries changed annually
  • Extra set of car & house keys
  • Contact information for family, friends & physicians
  • Cash & extra credit cards
  • Medications & prescription glasses
  • Water & non-perishable food
  • First-Aid kit
  • Pack a Pet Go Bag for each pet (see below)
  • Important records – passports, birth certificates, titles, medical records, etc.
  • Electronic chargers
  • Paper map marked with Evacuation Routes (especially if you don’t live here full time)

Other items to pack:

  • Hand sanitizer/wipes
  • Books & magazines
  • Games, cards & toys
  • Trash bags
  • Rain poncho
  • Blankets
  • Laundry detergent
  • Rubber gloves
  • Sleeping bag & tent
  • Family heirlooms & photos
  • Computers & hard drives

Prepare a Pet Go Bag

  • Pack several days of food, water & prescriptions for each pet along with:
  • Leashes, harnesses & collars
  • Toys & blankets
  • Litter box, litter & scoop for cats
  • Doggie bags
  • Treats

Always keep a sturdy pair of shoes and a flashlight near your bed and handy in case of a sudden evacuation at night.


Read our 3rd Annual Wildfire Preparedness Guide