Often, wildfires start unnoticed and spread rapidly. If you live where flammable vegetation is abundant, your home or property could be vulnerable to wildfires and forest fires. Take the necessary precautions to prepare your household and property for the possibility of a wildfire.

Learn how to protect what matters most, evacuate safely and stay healthy post-wildfire.

Before wildfire season begins: Review your insurance policies and coverage

Planning and preparation can make a huge difference in staying safe during a wildfire and rebounding after it. Recovering quickly from a wildfire requires planning, understanding what to do during a wildfire and knowing how to report losses.

In anticipation of a wildfire, it's never too early to start talking to your Gallagher advisor to be sure you secure appropriate coverage, update your current property information and understand what's covered with your current policy. It's critical you secure the appropriate insurance coverage.

Preparing your home and property before a wildfire

Awareness and preparation are key to minimizing risks during a wildfire. By understanding and mitigating your vulnerabilities, you can reduce the effect of a wildfire on your home and personal property, and ensure the safety of the people in your household.

Make sure your phone can receive emergency alerts

The National Public Alerting System sends geo-targeted emergency alerts. To make sure your mobile phone can receive them, test your phone's compatibility at Alert Ready.

Reduce the risk of damage to your home and property

As wildfires become more common, more intense and more costly, investing in major updates to your home — such as replacing existing siding and roofing with fire-resistant materials — becomes more cost effective.

Create a wildfire emergency plan and kit

If you live in an area prone to wildfires, we recommend creating a wildfire evacuation plan to ensure everyone in your household is prepared. We suggest the following as essential emergency items to create and then review yearly.

Create an emergency kit. Assemble an emergency supply kit that will sustain your household members for three days. The Canadian Red Cross has recommendations for what to include in an emergency supply kit.

Have an evacuation plan. In case you must evacuate, plan what to take with you, who will travel in each vehicle, what route you'll follow and where you'll go that's a safe distance from the fire.

Have a communication plan. In case all household members aren't together when a wildfire evacuation alert is issued, have a plan for how to reach each other. Don't rely solely on the contacts list in phones — all household members should carry a paper list of each other's phone numbers. Designate someone within the household and someone outside the household that all members should contact to let them know they're safe.

Practice first aid skills and emergency responses. Attend training classes and practice response skills so you know how to administer first aid before professional help arrives.

Secure important documents. Keep important documents — such as legal papers, birth certificates, marriage license, financial papers and insurance policy information — in a safety deposit box or fireproof/waterproof box. Also, include photocopies of your passport, driver's license and credit cards.

Reduce the risk of damage to your home and property

Wildfires have the power to destroy almost everything in their path. Here are ways to help safeguard your home from a wildfire.

  • Replace exterior siding with fire-resistant material, such as stucco, brick or concrete masonry and extend materials from the foundation to the roof.
  • Install dual-pane windows to insulate from extreme heat.
  • Seal the open edges of a barrel-tile roof with grout to keep embers from blowing under the roof.
  • Use 3 mm or smaller metal mesh or ember-proof vents to cover attic and subfloor vents.
  • Construct decks and fences from fire-resistant materials.
  • Treat existing wood decks and siding with a fire-retardant coating.
  • Avoid using bark or wood chip mulch in your landscape.
  • Keep your grass short.
  • Around your home, maintain at least 30 metres of adequately watered space on level ground and 60 metres on sloped terrain.
  • Locate woodpiles at least 10 metres from any structure and cover with a heavy canvas tarp.
  • Remove all flammable window shades and lightweight curtains.
  • Shut off the gas at the meter and turn off pilot lights.
  • Shut off air conditioning.
  • Leave your lights on so firefighters can see your house through smoke.
  • Shut all windows and doors, and leave them unlocked.

Evacuating during a wildfire

When a wildfire evacuation is likely, follow these steps to give you and your household members the best chance of surviving a wildfire.

  • Heed evacuation warnings. It may seem like you have time, but conditions can change in an instant, making evacuation more difficult. In addition, leaving when ordered clears the roads so firefighters can get necessary equipment in place to fight the fire.
  • If you have time, remove flammable materials, such as portable propane tanks, outdoor furniture and vehicles from around your home.
  • To prevent embers from entering the home, close all windows and doors but leave them unlocked.
  • Post a sign outside your home for firefighters with your name and contact numbers. Include when you evacuated, if animals are on the property and the location of fire suppression systems or hydrants.
  • Prepare yourself for exposure to heat and embers. If possible, wear long pants made from 100% cotton, a long-sleeved shirt, heavy boots or shoes, a dry bandana to cover your face, and goggles or glasses to protect your eyes.
  • Take pets, food and water with you.
  • Shut off the gas to the home to prevent an ignition source.
  • Turn on a light in each room to make your home more visible in heavy smoke.

Filing a claim after a wildfire

You may have suffered home and property damage because of the wildfire. The best way to notify your insurance company of a Home Insurance claim is to immediately and directly report it. It's important that your claim adjuster receive this information as quickly as possible so they can begin the claim resolution process. If you need help reporting your Homeowners Insurance claim, contact your Gallagher advisor.

CLAIMS CONTACTS FOR PERSONAL PROPERTY AND AUTO

Starting a Homeowners Insurance claim after a wildfire

To start a Homeowners Insurance claim after a wildfire, provide as much detail as possible to your claim adjuster, including photographs and/or video of the damage and a preliminary list of damages.

Claim process for insurance: What to expect

Your adjuster will manage the claim-investigation process. If you have concerns, you can reach out to your Gallagher advocate with specific policy and claim questions. During this high-volume claim-reporting period, you should expect the following:

  • Initial contact may take some time. Some insurers may use adjusters under contract, so the adjuster's contact information may be different from what you expect.
  • Access to affected areas may be limited.
  • Competition for labor and materials will be high, which may affect the timeframe and costs associated with repair and remediation.

You'll work closely with your claim adjuster. If you have questions about the resolution process, Gallagher is here to help and to ensure you're in control of the claim process.

Your insurance company's website contains important information about how to handle claims and manage losses. We've listed many insurance companies in case you don't have the contact information readily available.

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