Planning for evacuation and taking action ahead of time can reduce the stress. Pre-fire planning, including making a list of what to do and what to take with you, is the best way to minimize the potential stress of an evacuation. Some pre-fire evacuation tasks include taking a home inventory; developing and discussing a disaster response plan with your household that identifies planned actions, evacuation routes, emergency meeting locations, communication plans and establishing a meeting place for family members, arranging for shelter for your pets; and gathering important documents in one place. The time you will need to evacuate will depend on how well you have prepared before the fire. The more you have pre-planned for it the quicker you will be.

For more information check these FEMA webpages: Evacuation Tips for You and Your Family and Wildfire