The 5-Minute, 15-Minute, and 1-Hour Wildfire Plan Every Family Needs

Most wildfire preparedness guides tell you to have a go-bag. Very few tell you what happens when you only have five minutes to use it.

Wildfires move faster than almost any other natural disaster. A wind-driven fire can travel a mile in minutes, and evacuation orders often come with little warning. In the 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise, California, residents were caught in their cars trying to leave. In the 2025 Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, some neighborhoods had minutes, not hours, to get out. None of those families thought it would unfold the way it did. Most assumed they would have more time.

The families who come through evacuations safest aren't the ones with the most gear. They're the ones who decided, ahead of time, exactly what they'd do with whatever warning they got.

That's what this guide builds: a plan that works at every time scale, five minutes, fifteen minutes, and one hour, so your family knows exactly what to do no matter when the word comes. Read it once. Practice it together. Then keep it somewhere every member of your household can find it.

A go-bag without a plan is just a bag. A plan without a go-bag is just a wish. Preparedness means having both, and knowing which one to use when.

Why You Need Three Plans: Not One

Have you and your family actually decided, in advance, at what point you would leave? Not when you're certain. When you would go early?

Wildfire evacuations don't follow one script. Sometimes a fire is spotted miles away and you have an hour to pack methodically and leave in good order. Sometimes you wake to smoke and an emergency alert and have fifteen minutes before roads jam. And sometimes, as Los Angeles families experienced in January 2025, you look out your window and the hillside is already burning.

Each scenario calls for a different response. Trying to run an hour-long checklist in five minutes costs time you don't have. Having three distinct plans removes the decision-making from the moment and puts it here, now, while there's time to think clearly.

Why leaving early matters: in a landmark study of more than 500 wildfire deaths in Australia, one of the most fire-prone places on earth, researchers at the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC found that nearly a third of victims had waited too long to leave, and another quarter died trying to defend their homes. The single most protective decision a family can make is simple: leave early, before you're certain you need to.

First, Learn Your Community's Alert Levels

Before the three plans, one piece of vocabulary that makes all of them work. Most wildfire-prone communities, including here in Colorado, use the nationally recognized Ready, Set, Go! framework to communicate evacuation timing. Knowing what each stage means, before you ever hear it, is one of the most valuable things a family in a fire region can do.

Ready - Prepare Early. A fire exists in the area. Get your go-bag, load your car, know your route. Don't wait for the next stage to start preparing.
Set - Be Alert. Conditions are changing and the threat is significant. Be ready to leave at a moment's notice. Families with children, pets, seniors, or anyone who needs more time to mobilize should leave now, don't wait for "Go."
Go - Evacuate Now. Leave immediately. Don't stop for belongings. Roads can become impassable quickly, and early action saves lives.

The most important decision a family in a wildfire zone can make is this: decide in advance at what stage you will leave. Families who wait for "Go" often find the roads already congested. For most households with children, pets, or anyone who needs extra time, the right answer is to leave at "Set," or earlier.

What the First 15 Minutes Really Look Like

An evacuation order arrives. What happens next in your household? If the answer isn't immediate and clear, that's the gap this guide is here to close. Here's the difference preparation makes, minute by minute:

Time	A Prepared Family
0:00	Order received. Everyone knows the plan. No debate about whether to go.
0:02	Go-bag grabbed from its designated spot. Already packed. Nothing to assemble.
0:05	Pets loaded with their carrier and supplies. Documents already in the bag.
0:08	Car loaded. Primary route confirmed, alternate route identified as backup.
0:12	Out the door. Out-of-area contact notified.
0:15	On the road and moving, ahead of the main evacuation traffic.

At minute fifteen, the unprepared family is still looking for medications, debating what to take, and discovering the pet carrier is buried in the garage. The difference isn't courage or intelligence. It's preparation done in advance. Everything below is how you become the family in that table.

The 5-Minute Plan: Fire Is Here. Leave Now.

This is the plan for when there is no time. Fire is visible, an alert just sounded, and the word is evacuate immediately. You have five minutes, maybe less. In this scenario, your only job is to get every living thing out of the house and into the car. Nothing else matters.

The 5-Minute List: In This Order

Grab your go-bag: it should already be packed and near your door
Account for every person: call out names, don't search room by room
Grab pets: carrier if available, leash if not
Get in the car: windows up, air on recirculate to block smoke
Drive away: don't stop to gather anything else

The 5-minute plan only works if your go-bag is already packed, always accessible, and never buried. Position it near your front door or in your car during wildfire season.

What Your Go-Bag Must Contain

Water: minimum one day's supply per person
Non-perishable food for 72 hours per person
All prescription medications for every household member
Copies of critical documents: IDs, insurance, medical records
Phone charger and portable power bank, fully charged
Cash in small bills
N95 masks: wildfire smoke is immediately harmful
A change of clothes per person
First aid kit
Flashlight or headlamp

Everything on this list should be in your bag right now, not assembled when fire season starts, not put together when you see smoke. Now.

If your go-bag isn't built yet, our Wildfire Emergency Kits come pre-assembled with the foundation of this list, 72 hours of food and water, first aid, light, emergency shelter, and a weather radio, with room built in for the personal layer only you can add: medications, documents, N95 masks, and cash. Pack those in once, and your bag is genuinely ready.

The 15-Minute Plan: Warning Issued. Move Deliberately.

An evacuation warning, the "Set" stage, called a pre-evacuation notice in much of Colorado, means fire is in your area and you should be prepared to leave immediately. It's not an order yet, but treat it like one. The families who come through wildfires in the best shape are the ones who left on the warning, not the order.

Fifteen minutes is enough time to do the 5-minute plan plus a small number of additional items. Don't try to do more than that.

The 15-Minute List: After You Have the Go-Bag and People

Grab any prescription medications not already in the go-bag
Add one small bag of irreplaceable personal items: a hard drive, family photos, heirloom jewelry
Load pets with their carriers, food, water, and medications
Close all windows and doors. Leave them unlocked for firefighters
Remove flammable doormats, outdoor cushions, and patio items. Move them inside or to a pool
Leave exterior lights on. It helps firefighters locate your home in smoke
Shut off propane tanks at the valve if you can do it in under two minutes
Get in the car and go

Don't stop to load valuables, furniture, or items not on your list. Every extra minute inside is a minute the roads outside are filling with traffic.

Families With Children at School

Know your school's evacuation policy before wildfire season. Most schools shelter children until a parent arrives; don't assume automatic release
Assign one adult to leave for school pickup the moment a warning is issued
Have a backup pickup person designated in advance

Families With Seniors or Members With Mobility Needs

Activate your plan on the warning, not the order - the 15-minute window becomes 30 minutes for households with additional needs
Know in advance how to safely move any medical equipment
Register with your county's special needs evacuation registry before wildfire season

The 1-Hour Plan: Fire Is in Your Area. Leave in Good Order.

An hour is a gift during a wildfire evacuation. It doesn't always come. When it does, use it systematically, not to gather more things, but to leave more safely and protect your home as best you can before you go.

First 20 Minutes: People, Pets, and Go-Bags

Complete the 15-minute plan. Bag packed, people and pets loaded, home closed
Add additional medications, medical supplies, and comfort items for children
Load a second bag with several days of clothes per person
Ensure every pet has vaccination records and vet contact stored with their kit

Minutes 20–40: Secure the Home

Close all interior doors. This slows fire spread significantly
Remove flammable window treatments. Curtains and blinds can ignite from radiant heat
Shut off gas at the meter if you know how to do it safely
Turn off HVAC systems. This prevents smoke from being drawn inside
Move outdoor furniture, BBQ grills, and propane tanks away from the home or into the garage
Leave a note on the door with your name, where you went, and when you left

Minutes 40–60: Load and Leave

Back your vehicle into the driveway. Facing out means faster departure and easier loading
Keep at least a half tank of fuel during wildfire season. Gas stations may be closed or overwhelmed
Notify your out-of-area contact that you are leaving and where you are going
Know at least two routes out of your neighborhood. Take your primary evacuation route
Keep car windows up and air conditioning on recirculate the entire drive

Tip: During wildfire season, keep your car backed into the driveway, gas tank at least half full, and go-bag in the trunk. That single habit alone can reduce your 5-minute evacuation to 90 seconds.

The "6 P's": A Memory Trick for the Moment

When there's no time to think, a simple checklist you already know by heart is worth more than a perfect one you have to read. The Colorado Springs Fire Department teaches the 6 P's - a phonetic list of what to grab on your way out the door:

People and pets - everyone accounted for before you pull away
Papers - phone numbers and important documents
Prescriptions - medications, vitamins, and eyeglasses
Pictures - and irreplaceable keepsakes
Personal computer - hard drive or storage
Plastic - credit and ATM cards, plus cash

Most of these live permanently in a well-built go-bag. The 6 P's are simply the way to make sure nothing personal gets left behind in the rush.

The One Thing Families Miss: Wildfire Smoke

Does your family know what to do if smoke is heavy outside but the fire is still miles away and evacuation isn't ordered yet?

You don't have to be near a wildfire for it to affect your family's health. Wildfire smoke travels hundreds, sometimes thousands, of miles: according to NASA, smoke from the 2023 Canadian wildfires blanketed much of the eastern United States and drifted all the way to Europe. Families breathed that smoke from fires they never saw.

Fine particles in wildfire smoke are invisible and harmful, especially for children, seniors, and anyone with asthma, heart disease, or respiratory conditions. Most wildfire prep guides mention masks briefly and move on. This deserves more.

When You Cannot Evacuate but Smoke Is Heavy

Keep all windows and doors closed, sealed with towels if needed
Set HVAC systems to recirculate, not fresh-air intake
Designate one room as a clean room and run a portable air purifier with a HEPA filter
N95 masks provide meaningful protection outdoors; surgical masks do not filter fine particles
Monitor air quality at AirNow.gov or your phone's weather app before going outside
Keep children and seniors indoors until the Air Quality Index drops below 100

For families with asthma: keep a current asthma action plan on file and extra inhalers or nebulizer medication in your emergency kit. Wildfire smoke can trigger respiratory episodes with little warning.

After the Fire: Returning Safely

Evacuation doesn't end when the fire is contained. Returning to a fire-affected area too soon is genuinely dangerous, and for families with children it calls for extra care.

Wait for official clearance from emergency management. Don't return until authorities say it's safe.
Check your home for structural damage before entering.
Avoid hot ash, smoldering debris, and standing water, all can be hazardous long after the fire.
Wear N95 masks during cleanup. Wildfire ash can contain harmful materials.
Keep children and pets away from fire-affected areas until cleanup is complete.

Your Three-Plan Quick Reference

Print this and post it somewhere every family member can see it.

5 Minutes: Fire Is Here. Go Now.

Grab your go-bag
Get every person out
Get every pet out
Get in the car - windows up, recirculate
Drive away, don't stop

15 Minutes: Warning Issued ("Set").

Go-bag plus any medications not already packed
One bag of irreplaceable personal items
Pets with carriers, food, and medications
Close all windows and doors, leave unlocked
Exterior lights on - LEAVE

1 Hour: Fire Is in Your Area.

Complete the 15-minute plan first
Secure the home - interior doors, gas, HVAC, outdoor items
Load the vehicle systematically - back it in, face it out
Notify your out-of-area contact
Take your evacuation route - know two options

One More Thing: Practice It

Reading this guide is step one. The families who execute their plans fastest under pressure are the ones who have practiced at least once. A family drill doesn't need to be formal or stressful: set a timer for five minutes before dinner one evening, and see if your household can locate the go-bag, account for every person, get the pets, and get to the car before the timer runs out.

You'll find the gaps. A medication that isn't in the bag. A pet carrier stored in the wrong place. A family member who doesn't know where the go-bag lives. Better to find those gaps on a quiet Tuesday evening than during an evacuation.

If the go-bag itself is the gap, that's the easiest one to close: our Wildfire Emergency Kits arrive packed and ready. Add your family's personal items once, store it by the door, and your 5-minute plan is real.

Peace of mind, packed and ready.

Sources: Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC (Australian bushfire fatalities study); NASA Earth Observatory (2023 Canadian wildfire smoke); Colorado Springs Fire Department, "Ready, Set, Go!" and the 6 P's of evacuation (ColoradoSprings.gov); Ready.gov wildfire guidance.

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