The Wildfire Go-Bag Checklist
A 72-hour kit is the base. Here's what to add so you're not scrambling with 30 minutes' notice.
One bag per person, packed in spring
Pack in June, not when the smoke arrives. Each person gets their own bag with water, food, medications, a change of clothes, a headlamp, a phone charger and a respirator. Start from a pre-built 72-hour kit and customize.
72-Hour Emergency Kit (2–4 person)
A pre-built backpack with water, food, first aid, light and warmth for 72 hours. Treat it as a starting point: add medications, documents, chargers, cash and respirators.
N95 / P100 Respirators (family pack)
NIOSH-approved N95 or P100 masks for every person in the house, including during evacuation drives through smoke. Fit is everything; a valved P100 half-mask is far more comfortable for extended wear.
Documents and devices
Passports, insurance policies, deeds, prescriptions and a USB drive with everything scanned, in a fireproof pouch. A power station or large power bank keeps phones, and therefore alerts and maps, running.
Fireproof & Waterproof Document Bag
A silica-fibre pouch for passports, insurance policies, deeds, and a USB drive of scanned records. Lives in the go-bag, not the filing cabinet.
Portable Power Station (500–1,000 Wh)
Keeps the router, cameras, phones and a purifier running through the power shutoffs that increasingly accompany high fire danger. Also the heart of a vehicle evacuation kit.
Pets
A carrier for each animal, a week of food, leash, medications and vaccination records. Evacuation centres often require proof of vaccination for animals.
The vehicle
Keep the tank above half through fire season. Back into the driveway. Keep a paper map — cell data goes first. A second respirator set lives in the car.
Before you leave the house
If you have time: close all windows and doors, shut off gas at the meter, move flammable furniture inside, turn on sprinklers, apply gel, leave exterior lights on so crews can see the house through smoke, and leave a note on the door saying you've evacuated.
Barricade Fire Blocking Gel
A superabsorbent polymer gel that clings to vertical surfaces and holds a water barrier for hours. Used by fire departments; the home kit includes a hose-end applicator. Apply when evacuation is ordered.
WASP Wildfire Protection Full Kit
Canadian-designed gutter-clip sprinkler heads that install in minutes without tools and run off a standard garden hose. The full kit covers a typical roofline and includes hoses and splitters.