What to do if there is a wildfire or heavy smoke

Official updatesLU-Alert · RTL, 100.7 · 112

Do this now

Call Status: Verified as soon as you see a fire in a forest or a field. Say exactly where it is, and name the nearest forest rescue point if you can see one.
Move away from the fire and the smoke. If it is safe, wait where the fire crews arrive and guide them to it.
If the authorities tell you to leave, leave at once by the route they give. Leaving early is always safer than leaving late through smoke.
If the fire is already close, do not try to drive past it. Shelter in a solid building instead.
Indoors, close all windows, doors and shutters, switch off the ventilation, and block vents and gaps under doors with damp towels.
If smoke gets in, breathe through a damp cloth. Outside in heavy smoke, wear a well-fitting Status: Verified mask.
Follow LU-Alert and the radio on Status: Verified, and check on neighbours who are older, ill or alone.

In dry weather, never throw away a cigarette end outdoors and never light an open fire in the woods or the fields.
Barbecue only in places set up for it, with water close by. Let the embers cool completely before you leave.
Do not drive or park on fields, dry grass or forest ground. Never block a forest track: the fire crews need it.
Check whether a ban on fires is in place before you light anything outdoors.

Keep a grab bag ready with your documents, medicines, a charger and water. See Leaving home.
When a fire is near, park the car facing the road so you can drive straight off, and leave a note saying where you have gone.
If you would need help to leave, put a sign in your window so rescuers know.

If you live next to woods or fields, clear dry leaves, branches and other debris from the gutters and from around the house.
Choose one room where you could shelter from smoke, with windows you can close tightly. An air purifier helps keep the air in that room clean.
Keep masks in the kit, along with the usual supplies on the emergency kit checklist.

Go back only when the authorities say it is safe, and watch for ground that is still smouldering.
Stay at least Status: Verified from fallen power lines, and watch for burnt trees that may fall.
Air the home once the smoke outside has cleared.
Photograph any damage for the insurer.
If you are still distressed after the fire, talk to someone you trust. See Coping with a crisis.

Keep them indoors while there is smoke, and explain in plain words what is happening and what you are doing about it.

If smoke makes breathing harder for you, stay in the room with the windows shut, and keep your usual medicines within reach. Agree in advance who will help you leave if you are told to go.

Bring them inside at the first sign of smoke, and keep a carrier and lead ready so you can leave together.

If you smell smoke or see flames, leave the woods by the nearest track, away from the fire, and call Status: Verified once you are safe.