How to Make Your Emergency Plan

Jul 9, 2025 | Wildfire

How to Make Your Emergency Plan

When disaster strikes, you don’t want to make decisions in the heat of the moment — instead, think ahead.

Wildfires move fast. A level 1 evacuation warning (“be ready”) can escalate to level 3 (“go now!”) in a matter of minutes — not nearly enough time to pack belongings, locate family members, negotiate who is getting the pets, and find your evacuation route. That’s why it’s important to plan for all of these scenarios ahead of time.

Evacuation planning starts with some crucial basics: preparing a Go Bag, knowing where your neighborhood escape route is. But it also involves asking yourself hard questions about how you’d handle different scenarios — from ideal to less-than — and getting your loved ones on the same page. Here’s where to start.

Step 1: Sign up for emergency alerts

Jackson County now has its own emergency alert system, JACKSON ALERTS (formerly Citizen Alert).

Step 2: Prepare your Go Bag

Emergency preparedness experts strongly recommend that you pack your Go Bag well in advance of a disaster. These are the two questions to ask yourself before you pack a Go Bag:

  • If a wildfire were moving towards your house, and firefighters were unlikely to be able to save it, what would you want to save?
  • What supplies would you need to take care of yourself and your family in the three days after evacuating?

Necessities might include:

  • A three-day supply of water and non-perishable food
  • Cash
  • A fully charged power block and charging cables for your devices
  • Non-expired prescription meds
  • Copies of important documents, like the deed to your home and the title to your car (which you may need in order to request help from government disaster assistance programs or your insurance, according to Ready.gov)
  • Essential pet supplies and a carrier box or crate
  • Activities like cards and books to keep children (and yourself!) entertained

As you pack your Go Bag, consult Ready.gov’s handy checklists of critical documents and valuables (pdf) and emergency supplies.

And don’t forget: you’ll need to update your kit every year to replace expired items and add or remove supplies as your family’s needs change.

NOTE: You may have more belongings to bring than fit in one bag — more of a “go pile.” In any case, gather your belongings and pack them well ahead of time, before you need to make an emergency exit.

Step 3: Know your evacuation zone

After the Almeda Fire, the City of Ashland created ten evacuation zones, each with its own route out of town. Did you know, for example, that an emergency escape onramp was created to connect North Mountain Avenue to southbound I-5 above Mountain Meadows?

Learning and practicing two of your zone’s routes ahead of time will help expedite your evacuation and reduce traffic congestion during an emergency. Search your address on this map of evacuation zones to find out more.

Ashland Evacuation Zones

Step 4: Know what the emergency alert levels mean

  • Level 1: Be Ready – Prepare to Evacuate
  • Level 2: Be Set – Be Set to Evacuate at a Moment’s Notice
  • Level 3: Go Now! – Leave Immediately!

Learn more about evacuation levels at the City of Ashland’s website.

Emergency Levels

Step 5: How will you contact loved ones? 

Where does your family go on a normal day? Perhaps you work from home, your kids go to school, your parents go to the Senior Center, and your spouse goes to the office. If you received a notification about a level 2 (“be set”) evacuation warning, how would you get in touch with your loved ones? Where would you meet?

Now imagine that a level 1 (“be ready”) warning suddenly jumps to a level 3 (“go now!”) warning. There isn’t any time for your spouse to return home for belongings or to pick up the children from school. Where will you meet your family following the evacuation?

These questions might be scary to consider, but they’re crucial pieces of your planning process. As you make your communication plan, it’s a good idea to learn the evacuation plans for schools, care facilities, or employers. You’ll also want to save a hard copy of important contact information and keep it in your Go Bag.

Ready.gov has a helpful form that you can fill out with contact information (pdf) for family, schools, and caregivers, as well as meeting places.

Step 6: How will you protect your pets?

In the event of an evacuation warning, at what point would you get your pets ready for evacuation? What happens if you aren’t home? In the event of a level 1 (“be ready”) or level 2 (“be set”) warning, you should have time to return and check on pets, but what happens if evacuation warnings quickly jump to level 3 (“go now!”)?

You’ll need a plan for each of these scenarios, and more. Don’t forget to pack your pet’s essentials, including food, water, medication, and comfort items, in your Go Bag. Finally, some emergency shelters don’t allow pets, so you’ll also want to consider where your pets will go after the evacuation.

Step 7: Coordinate with neighbors

In Ashland, we’re fortunate to be part of a tight-knit community. Neighbors can help keep the most vulnerable among us safe. After your household comes up with a plan, compare notes with neighbors. Decide who will check in on elderly residents on your street, and how you’ll help with pets and belongings if a neighbor can’t get home during an evacuation. If you or one of your neighbors doesn’t have a car, organize an emergency rideshare with a pre-planned meeting point.

Other resources:

Ready.gov and the City of Ashland have lots of online resources to help you prepare for a wildfire or other emergency. Here are some of the most useful: