WILDFIRE IS A RISK TO US ALL
After a mild winter and historically low snowpack, the risk of wildfire this season is heightened.
Is your business prepared to withstand fire season?
Whether your business is in the Eugene/Springfield Metro, embedded deeply in our coastal range, or nestled in the Western Cascades, wildfire is a risk to us all. Hardening your business to the impacts of fire, regardless of your location will save you time, money, and heartache. It’s worth preparing yourself, your employees, and your enterprise by planning now.
Download Lane County's FREE guides:
Disaster Preparedness and Insurance Readiness Guide
Wildfire Preparedness Business Checklist
10 Steps Towards Building a Wildfire Resilient Business
- Prepare your employees Your employees make your business possible. If their home is secure during disaster, they are more at the ready to keep operations running smoothly at work. To help you and your employees prepare, visit Oregon Emergency Management’s Be 2 Weeks Ready for more information. Or, visit Lane County's Personal Preparedness Resources.
- Worker safety is not only important, it’s the law Visit Lane County’s Preparing for Poor Air Quality - Lane County for up-to-date air alerts. To better understand OSHA Worker Safety requirements, visit Oregon OSHA's Wildfire Resources.
- Get your apps ready Sign up for LaneAlerts to get up to date notices on evacuations, wildfire locations, and shelters.
- Properly insure your business ahead of disaster Many business owners don’t realize until it’s too late that they may be under insured or insurance won’t cover the costs needed to recover. Work with your commercial insurance agent to make sure that your business and its location are properly insured ahead of fire season. Make sure to document your business accounts to submit for business-interruption loss. Lane County has prepared a Disaster Preparedness and Insurance Guide.
- Build an emergency business plan The last thing you want to do during an evacuation or closure is work out the details of how to manage. Prepare your plan now by visiting Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety for guides, checklists, and information on preparing your business ahead of disaster.
- Know your evacuation routes Planning can save lives. Know evacuation routes not only out of your building, but also out of your neighborhood. Understand how to prepare employees if evacuating on foot. Have multiple evacuation routes in case the primary exit is blocked or inaccessible.
- Build your 'go bag' now Identify ahead of time what critical items you will take in the event of an evacuation. Consider preparing a Go-Bag with critical documents, products, or resources to support business continuity if applicable.
- Create a 5-foot Non-Combustible Zone around your structure The chance of fire damages diminishes significantly when combustible materials are removed from near the building. Follow Firewise Guidelines for reducing fuels near your business structure.
- The free Ready Rating program from the American Red Cross is an easy-to-use online tool for any business to establish an Emergency Action Plan. OSHA requires that any business with more than ten employees have a written Emergency Action Plan. FEMA also maintains an online library for business owners: Emergency Preparedness Resources for Business.
- Every business should be prepared for medical emergencies Have select staff trained in CPR & First Aid. The American Red Cross offers classes covering those topics.
Calling all WUI’s! Your business plays a critical role in fire safety.
There are some businesses in both urban and rural communities that exist within the Wildland Urban Interface, or WUI. This is the zone where human development meets or intermingles with undeveloped wildland, creating areas at increased risk for wildfires.
Special considerations for your business:
- It is especially important in these zones to keep combustible materials away from your structure.
- Consider your water needs including proximity and access in case of emergency
- Can you consider ember-resistant updates to your structure or plants?
- Wildfire Insurance coverage may be different than in urban settings. Check with your provider to ensure your business is covered if disaster comes.
Additional Rural Considerations
Our rural, and especially forested, communities are on the frontlines of wildfire risk. From ranches to nurseries, Lane County’s diverse rural business community faces increased risk of experiencing wildfire and should consider additional preparations.
- LaneAlert Sign up for relevant updates from Fire, Police, and other emergency response agencies. Signing up takes 2 minutes and can save lives.
- Create defensible space around structures and if possible, replace with ember-resistant materials. Planting fire resistant plants is not only beautiful, but helpful in reducing the risk of combustion near structures.
- Planning your evacuation ahead of time is critical.
- Do you have animals? Visit Lane County’s Emergency Management website for training on livestock evacuation: Animals in Disaster - Lane County as well as the National Fire Protection Association's Evacuation for household pets and horses.
- Rural businesses have fewer evacuation options Know your route and plan for a backup. Rural businesses often have one entrance and exit along a singular transportation route. Planning ahead for obstructions to those routes can save lives.
- Recovery may not happen quickly, planning ahead can help If wildfire impacts your community, recovery may take longer in rural areas. Planning ahead for a prolonged period of business closure can support community resilience and commercial recovery.
Want to deep dive into wildfire preparedness?
Visit Lane County’s Community Wildfire Protection Plan and learn more about how you can prepare yourself, your employees, and your business.
Want to help first responders?
Pick up your “HELP-OK” sign today!