All posts in Before Disaster Strikes
CA Dept. of Insurance
The California Department of Insurance (CDI) provides several information guides, tips and  tools to help you understand home/residential insurance so that you can make the best decision for your situation. If you do not find the information you need, we invite you
The FAIR Plan
The FAIR Plan provides insurance as a last resort, and should be used only after a diligent effort to obtain coverage in the voluntary market has been made.
Community Grazing
Build resilience by transforming our wildland-urban-interface from neighborhoods into communities with grazing ruminants while increasing each community’s ability to withstand wildfire and drought by grazing livestock across property lines.
Farm Operational Continuity Template
What if you or members of your crew get sick? Use this template, combining standard operations procedures with emergency planning to help keep your farm going when unexpected events happen.
Planned Herbivory in the Management of Wildfire Fuels
Grazing is most effective at treating smaller diameter live fuels that can greatly impact the rate of spread of a fi re along with the flame height. Wildfires are increasing in number, intensity, and size. Five of the most significant
Wildfire Insurance 101
Have you ever gone on a family vacation for more than two weeks, during which you lived out of a suitcase? If your family is anything like mine, it can get pretty stressful! Now imagine having to live in temporary
Wildfires: Flood Insurance
Floods are the most common and costly natural hazard in the nation. After a wildfire, the flood risk increases significantly. The time to buy flood insurance is now. Homeowners, renters and business owners need to protect themselves financially from the devastating losses flooding can
Community Wildfire Protection Plans
This series offers a set of lessons learned concerning the collaborative processes that influence and guide the development of community wildfire protection plans (CWPPs) under the Healthy Forest Restoration Act (HFRA 2003). The lessons learned are offered in relatively short
Communities at Risk
To help protect people and their property from potential catastrophic wildfire, the National Fire Plan directs funding to be provided for projects designed to reduce the fire risks to communities. A fundamental step in achieving this goal was the identification
Fire-Resistant Plants for Landscapes
As homeowners continue to build in the wild and urban interface, they must take special precautions to protect their homes. One way to do this is to create a defensible space around the home, and one important factor can be
Firewise USA
NFPA’s Firewise USA® program teaches people how to adapt to living with wildfire and encourages neighbors to work together and take action now to prevent losses. Join the growing network of more than 1,500 recognized Firewise USA® sites from across
A Land Manager’s Guide for Creating Fire-Resistant Forests
This publication provides an overview of how various silvicultural treatments affect fuel and fire behavior, and how to create fire-resistant forests. In properly treated, fire-resistant forests, fire intensity is reduced and overstory trees are more likely survive than in untreated
Animals in Disaster online training course, FEMA
This course is intended to help animal owners, care providers, and industries to understand incident management. The objectives of this course are to increase awareness and preparedness among animal owners and care providers, and to describe how typical hazards affect
Guide to Disaster Preparedness: Ag & Natural Resources
When disasters strike, animals as well as people need to be safely relocated. This guide is intended to provide useful information about developing a disaster response plan, about disaster preparedness training and resources, and to stimulate your thoughts on how
Family Emergency Plan (en español)
Plan de Comunicaciones Familiares – Es probable que su familia no esté junta cuando ocurra un desastre, de modo que deben planiËœcar cómo se van a comunicar y decidir de antemano lo que h arán en diferentes situaciones.
Family Emergency Communication Plan
This document outlines three steps to take to create your Family Emergency Communication Plan: collect contact information for your family and other important contacts; make sure everyone carries a copy of this information with them; and have regular household meetings
Crop Insurance, USDA
Crop insurance is purchased by agricultural producers, including farmers, ranchers and others to protect against either the loss of their crops due to natural disasters, or the loss of revenue due to declines in the prices of agricultural commodities.
HALTER Project
The HALTER Project provides first responders and their communities with information and resources for animal emergencies. In any situation: road accident, fire, flood, earthquake, landslide, or pasture, the best outcome for animals and humans is achieved through teamwork between trained first
Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network
The Network connects and supports people and communities who are striving to live more safely with wildfire, a catalyst for spreading best practices and innovations in fire adaptation concepts nationwide. The purpose of FAC Net is to exchange information, collaborate
Farm Emergency Checklist & Contact Form
Protecting your farm involves a number of considerations – family members, co-workers or employees, buildings, equipment, livestock, and crops. Planning ahead for all-hazard situations can help to minimize the impact and speed the recovery process for you and your farm.
Landscape Debris Burning Safety
During certain times of the year and in certain parts of the state, residential landscape debris burning of dead vegetation is allowed. However, homeowners should always check with their local fire station or CAL FIRE station, as well as local air
Developing a Wildfire Plan for Livestock
With the fires raging across the state, we are reminded once again of the risk wildfire poses to all of our farms and ranches. It is a good time to revisit (or create) a farm and ranch safety plan and
Correct Potential Hazards Before a Disaster
Identify hazards in advance! During and right after a disaster, any household item that can move, fall, break, or cause a fire becomes a home hazard. To minimize possible danger, inspect your home now to find and correct potential hazards.
Purchasing a Back-Up Generator for the Farm
Feeling the effects of disasters has made farmers consider the purchase of a gasoline-powered generator to run household appliances and perform farm-related tasks. Knowing how to use generators safely is important to protect life and property.
Family Escape Plan
Do you know how to escape from your home if it’s on fire? During a true emergency, the simplest of things, like leaving your home, can become very difficult. In today’s home made up of plastic and synthetics, you may
Saving the Whole Family
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has developed this booklet to help you avoid having to leave your animals stranded in the event of a disaster or an evacuation. Tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, fires, blizzards, terrorism… Devastating natural and man-made disasters
Saving the Ranch: Video
Wildfire preparedness tips from a firefighter, veterinarian, and ranch owner.
Disaster Planning for Livestock
Transporting livestock animals to safety when disaster strikes can be difficult. Disaster preparedness is important for all animals, but it is particularly important for livestock because of the animals’ size and the requirements needed to shelter and transport them. If
Creating Wildfire Adapted Homes & Landscapes
What Can Be Done to Reduce Structure Loss from Wildfire? Treating the Vegetation: Defensible Space. Protecting Homes through Better Design and Materials. Defensible Space as Management Zones. Can the Fire Department Safely Drive the Access Roads to Your House?
Fire Forward: Building Ecosystem Resilience Together
Fire Forward, a program of Audubon Canyon Ranch, brings a unique blend of science-based program design and community organizing as it seeks to become a model of fire-adapted communities tending fire-adapted landscapes.Â
Wildfire & Rangeland Management: Mediating Impacts to Conservation & Ranching
A series of presentations from California ranchers, technical advisors, and researchers on wildfire risk management in rangelands. From the California Rangeland Conservation Coalition.