Prepare Now For Fire Season: Berkeley Fire Department Recommends Hills Residents Plan To Stay Elsewhere During “Extreme Fire Weather”

Press release from City of Berkeley:

August 03, 2021

Berkeley, California (Tuesday, August 03, 2021) - As wildfires become more frequent and severe, Berkeley hills residents should learn key fire weather terms, sign up for emergency notifications, look up their evacuation zone, and make plans to leave during extreme fire weather.

During "Extreme Fire Weather" - rare periods of extremely low humidity and high winds defined by Berkeley Fire Department - residents living in hillside fire zones are advised to make plans to stay elsewhere.

These hot and dry "Extreme Fire Conditions" allow fire to easily ignite and rapidly spread, posing particular risk to those in Berkeley fire zones 2 and 3, areas close to regional parklands.

Evolving fire threat demands a different type of response

Severe fire weather conditions are now more common and as a result, so are catastrophic wind-driven fires. Of the top 5 most destructive wildfires in California's history, four happened during 2020.

The most dangerous fire weather conditions are predictable and rare

Fire weather in Berkeley: Red Flag Warnings, Extreme Fire Weather, and when to leave the hills . Extreme Fire Weather is far more rare than Red Flag Warnings. In 2020, Berkeley had 25 days of Red Flag conditions, but only 2 days of Extreme Fire Weather.

• Keep your phone on and with you at all times
• avoid activities that could cause a spark
• be prepared to rapidly evacuate if necessary

Make a plan to leave the hills during Extreme Fire Weather

More steps to prepare your household for wildfires

• Know your evacuation zone: Review community.zonehaven.com now and bookmark the site on your computer and phone to find real-time updates during a fire.
• Sign up for emergency notifications: Sign up at acalert.org to receive emergency alerts from Berkeley and Alameda County.
• Make a household fire weather plan: Decide ahead of time what steps your household will take during Red Flag Warnings and Extreme Fire Weather. For hills residents, this means identifying your trigger for leaving. Use our fire weather planning tool and step-by-step video guide to create your plan.
• Take steps to improve your home's chance of surviving a wildfire. Use our vegetation management self-inspection checklist and refer to Cal Fire resources on hardening your home.

Links

• Wildfire Readiness for Berkeley residents
• Wildfire evacuation checklist: PDF | MS Word (large print and screen reader friendly)
• Wildfire readiness video series
• Fire weather planning tool: a step-by-step guide to create your household fire weather plan
• Vegetation management checklist: learn essential steps to improve your home's chance of surviving a wildfire

This press release was produced by City of Berkeley. The views expressed here are the author’s own.