Get Ready

County emergency warnings by text, call, or email. It's opt-in, so you only get alerts if you sign up. Add your home and work addresses. 

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Evacuation orders go out by zone. Benbow is in zone HUM-E223, but confirm your own address in Genasys Protect and get the free app.

Nothing that burns within 5 feet of the house: no bark mulch, firewood, or dead plants against the walls or under decks. See "Defensible space by zone" below.

Embers get into houses through vents. Before covering any vent, check ventilation requirements with your local building official. Use noncombustible, corrosion-resistant metal mesh with 1/16- to 1/8-inch openings, or listed flame- and ember-resistant vents. CAL FIRE guide

The 6 P's

1. People and pets

2. Papers, phone numbers and important documents

3. Prescriptions, vitamins and eyeglasses

4. Pictures and keepsakes

5. Personal computer, hard drive and chargers

6. "Plastic" (credit cards) and cash

Plan your evacuation options with your household, any alternate route available, and where you'll meet if you get separated. In an emergency, follow current official directions.

Put a clear, reflective address sign where your driveway meets the road. Benbow's 2022 risk assessment found address signs missing along much of upper Benbow, which slows emergency response.

Your driveway is your way out and the fire crew's way in. Clear brush and small trees at least 8 feet on each side, and limb up larger trees to at least 6 feet.

If you have a water tank or pond, a fire standpipe lets crews use it. Benbow's risk assessment calls for at least a 1.5-inch pipe and valve ending in a brass 1.5-inch fire hose fitting (NST/NH thread), marked with a blue reflective dot. Ask the fire district which fitting it prefers, and keep brush cleared around tanks and standpipes.

Gravel, pavers, or bare soil next to the house, not bark mulch. Nothing burnable against walls or under decks: firewood, lumber, dead plants. Clear leaves and needles off roofs, gutters, and decks. Keep branches off the roof and 10 feet from chimneys.

Remove dead plants, grass, weeds, and dry leaves. Space trees and shrubs for your slope and vegetation (see CAL FIRE's spacing guide). Leave gaps so fire can't hop across. Move woodpiles out to Zone 2.

Keep grass at 4 inches or less, using suitable equipment. Never mow dry weeds or grass with a lawn mower; follow current restrictions and avoid hot, dry, or windy conditions. Space shrubs and trees apart. Limb up trees so fire can't climb from brush into the canopy. Keep 10 feet of bare ground around woodpiles.