Make an emergency plan<\/a>.<\/p>\nSome things shouldn\u2019t ride around in your backpack but also shouldn\u2019t sit unprotected in your house. Keep duplicates of vital documents in a safety deposit box (or, at minimum, a home fireproof safe). Examples:<\/p>\n
\n\tHouse deed, insurance papers, passports, wills.
\n\tBackup of family photos on a flash drive.
\n\tInventory of valuables for insurance. Maybe this is also a good time to review your insurance policy.
<\/p>\n
My friend, Marie Bennett, knows this first-hand. She has lived through fires in California and British Columbia. She thought she had left that behind when she settled in rural New Brunswick, but she found herself facing wildfires again.<\/p>\n
In 2015, living in Westbridge, B.C., Marie\u2019s community had no cell service, so everyone relied on landlines. When power lines were cut, the rumour spread that landlines were \u201caccidentally\u201d cut, too. Suddenly, communication vanished. Fires can move unbelievably fast \u2014 Marie\u2019s fire burned 32 kilometres in just two hours. Many people were caught with barely enough gas in their vehicles to get out.<\/p>\n
Marie still remembers the devastation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThirty-two homes burned, and half of them didn\u2019t even have insurance,\u201d she says quietly.<\/p>\n
The fire was so fierce, it jumped two rivers and two highways, consuming everything in its path.<\/p>\n
In 2017, the conditions were just as brutal. Fires started early, crews were stretched thin, and on some days, there were, on average, 100 new fires a day for two-and-a-half months straight. One blaze alone grew larger than the entire province of Prince Edward Island, forcing 100,000 people to evacuate at once.<\/p>\n
For Marie, it wasn\u2019t just people at risk \u2014 it was the animals, too.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne day, out of the path of a fire, we moved 100 horses,\u201d she recalls. \u201cAnd we didn\u2019t just do it once. We did it over and over again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Armed with nothing but wire cutters, she and others cut through chains to free panicked horses, herding them to fairgrounds or rodeo grounds where they could at least be safe for the moment. They shuttled 400 head of cattle until the BC Cattlemen\u2019s Association could send trucks to move them properly.<\/p>\n
Horses and cattle were let loose in safer areas, and then the crew went back toward the flames to rescue more \u2014 dumping them, and then turning around again until every animal was at least out of immediate danger.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was the whole summer,\u201d Marie says. \u201cMove them once. Then move them again. And the truth is, there was nowhere to take them. Everyone was trying to save their own. Who wants to leave their horses behind to go help move someone else\u2019s?\u201d<\/p>\n
Marie told me she was one of the lucky ones \u2014 she didn\u2019t lose her home. But she learned hard lessons she still carries today.<\/p>\n
A bug-out bag (or grab-and-go bag) is a backpack or duffel pre-packed with essentials to keep you safe for 24 to 48 hours if you need to leave in a hurry. Keep it by the door, ready to go.<\/p>\n
Bedding as bags: Quilts, duvets or blankets can bundle belongings fast.<\/p>\n
If you have animals, plan for them, too.<\/p>\n
The biggest danger: complacency<\/p>\n
As wildfire seasons grow longer and disasters become more unpredictable, complacency may be the real enemy.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost people think it would never happen to me,\u201d says firefighter and first responder Connie Knot.<\/p>\n
Marie agrees: \u201cAfter watching homes burn and entire communities evacuate, I know how quickly life can change.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stay informed: For emergency updates, follow:<\/p>\n
Stay safe.<\/p>\n
Monika Rekola is a certified landscape designer and horticulturist, passionate about gardening, sustainable\u00a0living and the great outdoors. Contact her at\u00a0[email\u00a0protected]<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"new-profile-pic\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/new-profile-pic.jpg;w=960.jpeg\")
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