Wednesday, May 13, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Being prepared for fire evacuation WILDFIRE: Access is key to safety in a wildfire Part of living in wildfire country involves being ready 4 having a plan and preparations in place to evacuate. Emergency officials strongly advise locals to sign up for Deschutes Emergency Alerts. The Deschutes Alert System (DAS) can be used to notify the public with important information during an emergency. Alerts can be sent to cell phones 4 but only if your number is reg- istered. Sign up at https://www.deschutes.org/911/page/ sign-deschutes-emergency-alerts. Make arrangements with friends who have trailers and space for animals. Extra advance planning may also be necessary if you are dealing with people who have mobility issues or special medical needs. Planning for evacuation doesn9t have to be on the scale of a military operation 4 it just requires some thought and effort when things are calm. =It doesn9t take all day to at least think it through and come up with a plan,= Sgt. Garibay said. The website www.readyforwildfire.org offers extensive tips for evacuation: Continued from page 3 Emergency Supply Kit Checklist • Three-day supply of non-perishable food and three gallons of water per person. • Map marked with at least two evacuation routes. • Prescriptions or special medications. • Change of clothing. • Extra eyeglasses or contact lenses. • Extra set of car keys, credit cards, cash or traveler’s checks. • First aid kit. • Flashlight. • Battery-powered radio and extra batteries. • Sanitation supplies. • Copies of important documents (birth certificates, passports, etc.). • Don’t forget pet food and water! (The website also offers extensive tips on preparing for pet evacuation). Items to take if time allows: • Easily carried valuables. • Family photos and other irreplaceable items. • Personal computer information on hard drives and disks. • Chargers for cell phones, laptops, etc. • Always keep a sturdy pair of shoes and a flashlight near your bed and handy in case of a sudden evacuation at night. Sometimes residents feel compelled to stay to try to defend their home. Firefighters and other emergency per- sonnel strongly advise against this impulse. Not only does it put the homeowner in danger, it endangers firefighters and law enforcement personnel, because they are duty-bound to try to help you if you9re in danger. THE ARENDS & SCOTT REALTY GROUP Discover the Diff erence Phil Arends Principal Broker 541-420-9997 phil.arends@cascadesir.com Licensed in the State of Oregon Chris Scott Broker 541-588-6614 chris.scott@cascadesir.com Licensed in the State of Oregon Real Estate Financing or Refi nancing on the Horizon? Call me for current rates where combustibles are kept cleared away, trees limbed back and landscaping crafted with plants that don9t readily ignite and carry fire. Steps to create defen- sible space and tips on fire- resistant landscaping may be found at www.firefree.org. Additionally, products are available to spray on your home that can enhance its resistance to fire. Those have to be applied well before any crisis develops and should be part of a program of defensi- bility and not a substitute for defensible space. Another critical element in giving firefighters a fight- ing chance is making sure they can get into and out of your property safely. Firefighters have to be able to drive in to a property and have to be able to turn an engine around so they can escape quickly. If a property doesn9t allow for that, a fire chief won9t send firefighters in 4 because they would be risking their lives. That continues to be a problem in the Cloverdale Fire District. Chief Olsen said that in his neighborhood alone,