“In New Mexico, fire season is now a year-round reality in many areas, requiring firefighters and residents to be on heightened alert for the threat of wildfires. The tips in the following pages are designed to help you plan and prepare for a wildfire emergency.

Each year, wildfires threaten to consume hundreds of homes in the state. Studies show that as many as 80 percent of the homes lost to wildfires could have been saved if their owners had only followed a few simple fire-safe practices. In addition, wildfire related deaths occur because people wait too long to leave their homes. Local, state, federal, and tribal fire response agencies prepare throughout the year to help protect you and your property from wildfire. However, the reality is that in a fire event, there may simply not be enough fire resources or firefighters to defend every home. By taking personal responsibility for protecting yourself, your family, and your property, you will be better prepared, increasing your personal safety and your home’s chance of surviving a wildfire.

In this Action Guide, we provide the tips and tools you need to prepare for a wildfire emergency and create a personal action plan. The Ready, Set, Go! Program works in collaboration with New Mexico’s Living with Fire and other existing community wildland fire education efforts such as New Mexico Fire Adapted Communities and Firewise. See the back of this Action Guide for links. Many residents have built homes and landscaped without fully understanding the impact a fi re can have on them, and few have adequately prepared for a quick evacuation in the event of a fire.”

This publication was prepared by the International Association of Fire Chiefs’ RSG! Program and the USDA Forest Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, and the U.S. Fire Administration.

Special thanks to New Mexico State Forestry, New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, New Mexico
Association of Counties, and the Forest Stewards Guild for helping customize this guide. Special thanks to the Texas A&M Forest Service and the Santa Fe County Fire Department for providing portions of the guide.

To learn more about the Ready, Set, Go! Program and its partners, visit www.wildlandfireRSG.org.