Updated July 2026
Wildfires can affect families in more than one way.
For some communities, the immediate concern is an approaching fire and the possibility of evacuation. For others, wildfire smoke may travel hundreds or even thousands of kilometres and affect the air long before there is any direct threat from fire.
Preparing does not mean expecting the worst.
It means making a few important decisions ahead of time, gathering the supplies your family may need and knowing where to find reliable information. When something changes quickly, we are not starting from scratch.
The good news? We do not have to prepare for everything at once.
Let’s walk through it together.
Wildfire Safety at a Glance
When a wildfire is affecting your community:
Follow information from local emergency officials.
Know whether your community is under an evacuation alert or an evacuation order.
Use an evacuation alert to prepare to leave.
Leave promptly when an evacuation order is issued.
Take your emergency kit, medications, essential documents, family members and pets.
Follow designated evacuation routes.
Do not return until local officials say it is safe.
Monitor the Air Quality Health Index, even when the fire is far away.
Reduce smoke exposure by creating cleaner indoor air whenever possible.
Why Wildfire Preparedness Matters for Families
Wildfire conditions vary across Canada, and fires may occur outside the months we traditionally associate with wildfire season. Health Canada describes the typical wildfire smoke season as running from early April through late October, although local risk depends on weather, geography and current fire conditions.
Even when a wildfire is not close enough to threaten our home, smoke can travel a significant distance and affect air quality in another community.
Infants, young children, pregnant people, older adults and people living with heart or lung conditions are among those more likely to experience health effects from wildfire smoke.
That does not mean we need to keep children indoors every summer.
It means we need a way to check current conditions, adjust our plans when necessary and know what symptoms deserve attention.
Before Wildfire Season: How Families Can Prepare
1. Know Where Official Information Will Come From
During an emergency, social media can help us understand what is happening around us, but it should not be our only source of information.
Before an emergency, identify:
Your municipality or local emergency management office
Your provincial wildfire information service
Local radio stations
School and childcare communication systems
Depending on where we live, local officials may share evacuation information through mobile alerts, apps, websites, radio, social media, door-to-door notifications or community sirens.
Choose at least two ways to receive information in case internet service, mobile data or electricity is disrupted.
It is also helpful to know which municipality or emergency authority is responsible for your neighbourhood. This can be less obvious for families living in rural communities, seasonal properties or areas near municipal boundaries.
2. Make a Family Wildfire Evacuation Plan
An evacuation plan does not need to predict exactly what will happen.
Its job is to answer the questions that may be difficult to sort out when everyone is tired, worried or trying to move quickly.
Decide:
Who will collect each child
Who will take responsibility for pets
Who will grab the emergency kit and medications
How you will leave if one caregiver is not home
Who is permitted to pick children up from school or childcare
Where you will meet if family members are separated
Which out-of-area contact everyone will update
Where you could stay for the first night
How you would evacuate without your usual vehicle
How you will support anyone with mobility, sensory, communication or medical needs
Identify more than one route out of your neighbourhood, but remember that the route you use during a real evacuation must be the one directed by local officials.
Road conditions can change quickly. A familiar shortcut may be closed, unsafe or needed by emergency crews.
Our Family Safety Plan walks families through emergency contacts, meeting places, caregiver information, medical needs and family communication in more detail.
3. Practise Without Frightening Children
A wildfire evacuation practice does not need to feel like an emergency.
We can simply say:
“Sometimes families need to leave home quickly because of smoke, weather or another community emergency. We are going to practise getting into the car calmly so we know what to do.”
Practise:
Calling everyone to the door
Putting shoes on
Collecting the emergency kit
Securing pets
Getting children safely into their car seats
Sending a check-in message to your family contact
Leaving without going back for forgotten belongings
Keep the practice short and matter-of-fact.
The goal is familiarity not speed, fear or perfection.
4. Build a Portable 72-Hour Emergency Kit
Canadian emergency preparedness guidance recommends having enough supplies to support each member of the household, including pets, for at least 72 hours. The kit should be portable, easy to reach and familiar to every adult or caregiver in the home.
A basic family emergency kit may include:
Drinking water
Additional water for food preparation and hygiene
Non-perishable food
A manual can opener
Flashlights
Extra batteries
A battery-operated or hand-crank radio
Phone charging cables
Portable power banks
A first aid kit
Prescription medications
Copies of important documents
Extra house and vehicle keys
Cash in small bills
Seasonal clothing
Toiletries
N95, KN95 or KF94 respirators for household members who can wear them properly
A paper map of the surrounding area
Federal guidance recommends two litres of drinking water per person per day, with additional water for cooking and hygiene. Families should also account for infant feeding, medical needs and pets.
Emergency Kit Additions for Babies and Toddlers
Families with babies may also need:
Diapers
Wipes
Diaper cream
Changing pads
Disposal bags
Bottles and extra nipples
Breast pump supplies, when applicable
Ready-to-use infant formula, when applicable
Age-appropriate food and feeding supplies
Bibs and burp cloths
Extra clothing
Sleep clothing or a sleep sack
Pacifiers
A familiar comfort item
A baby carrier
A thermometer
Any prescribed medications
Copies of health information
Ready-to-use infant formula may be especially practical in an emergency because it does not require mixing with water. Pack feeding supplies that reflect how your baby is currently fed rather than making an unexpected feeding change during an evacuation.
Emergency Kit Additions for Children
For older children, consider adding:
A printed emergency contact card
Extra glasses or hearing-device batteries
Prescribed inhalers or allergy medication
Comfortable clothing
A familiar stuffed animal or blanket
Headphones or sensory supports
A small book, colouring activity or card game
A family photo
A few familiar snacks
Comfort items are not frivolous.
A familiar object, food or activity can help a child regulate during travel, long waits, unfamiliar sleeping arrangements or a sudden change in routine.
Our Family Emergency Kit Checklist includes more detailed age-based additions for babies, children and pets.
5. Create a Smaller Grab-and-Go Layer
A 72-hour kit can be substantial. It may not be practical to carry every item around the house each time conditions change.
Create a smaller bag or container that can be picked up quickly. Include the items your family cannot safely leave without, such as:
Essential medications
Identification
Wallet and keys
Phones and chargers
Important medical information
Glasses or hearing aids
A small supply of diapers and feeding essentials
A change of clothing
A comfort item for each child
Pet leashes or carriers
Copies of insurance information
Keep this bag near your main exit when wildfire activity or evacuation alerts are affecting your area.
6. Prepare Your Vehicle
When wildfire risk is elevated:
Keep the fuel tank reasonably full or the electric vehicle charged.
Keep phone chargers and a vehicle emergency kit inside.
Make sure every child has an appropriate, correctly installed car seat or booster seat.
Avoid removing car seats to make room for belongings.
Keep a paper map available.
Know how to open the garage door manually during a power outage.
Move the vehicle out of the garage during an evacuation alert when local guidance recommends it and it is safe to do so.
Park so you can leave without needing to reposition the vehicle.
Do not wait until an evacuation order to stop for fuel, install a car seat or find a pet carrier.
These are exactly the types of small jobs that are easier to manage during an alert.
7. Include Pets in Your Plan
Pets need their own evacuation supplies and transportation plan.
Prepare:
A crate or carrier
A leash and harness
Food and water for at least 72 hours
Bowls
Medications and dosage instructions
Veterinary contact information
Vaccination records
Waste bags or litter supplies
A pet first aid kit
A recent photo of each pet
Identification tags
A familiar blanket or toy
Identify pet-friendly accommodation before an emergency. Some evacuation centres may not be able to accommodate pets other than service animals, although local arrangements vary.
Practise putting pets into carriers before there is smoke, noise or activity around the home. An animal that normally enters a carrier easily may behave differently when frightened.
How to Prepare Your Home for Wildfire Smoke
Preparing for smoke is different from preparing for direct fire danger.
When smoke is expected:
Close windows and exterior doors.
Check the seals around windows and doors.
Replace or clean heating and ventilation filters as recommended by the manufacturer.
Use the highest-quality filter your system can safely accommodate.
Consider a portable air cleaner sized for the room where your family spends the most time.
Keep spare filters available.
Check that carbon monoxide alarms are working.
Replace the vehicle’s cabin air filter as recommended.
Learn how to place your vehicle ventilation system on recirculation.
Portable air cleaners can help reduce fine particles from wildfire smoke. Health Canada recommends choosing a unit appropriate for the room size and avoiding devices that intentionally produce ozone.
A bedroom, family room or other regularly used space can become your family’s cleaner-air room.
Keep the door and windows closed as much as practical, run the portable air cleaner and reduce indoor activities that create additional particles.
This may mean limiting:
Smoking or vaping indoors
Candle or incense use
Wood-burning fireplaces
Frying or broiling food
Vacuuming without a well-filtered vacuum
Other activities that noticeably increase indoor smoke or particles
How to Make Your Home and Property More FireSmart
FireSmart Canada organizes property protection around the Home Ignition Zone, the area within 30 metres of a home and attached structures.
The goal is to reduce the places where embers can collect and ignite combustible materials.
Start closest to the house and work outward.
Immediate Zone: Zero to 1.5 Metres
This is the area directly beside the home, including attached decks.
Focus on:
Removing leaves, needles and other combustible debris
Keeping firewood and stored items away from exterior walls
Moving combustible furniture or decorations when wildfire risk is elevated
Avoiding woody shrubs or trees immediately beside the house
Using gravel, brick, concrete or other non-combustible material when landscaping or renovating
Regularly clearing debris from decks, steps, roof edges and gutters
Maintaining plants and vegetation that remain in this zone
Intermediate Zone: 1.5 to 10 Metres
The goal in this area is to reduce the chance of fire moving toward the home.
Consider:
Choosing fire-resistant plants
Avoiding bark mulch and accumulations of woody debris
Moving firewood, lumber and other combustible storage farther away
Relocating patio furniture when an evacuation alert is issued
Keeping grass maintained
Removing dead plants, dry leaves, needles and branches
Creating non-combustible ground cover around sheds, trailers and recreational vehicles when practical
Extended Zone: 10 to 30 Metres
In the extended zone, the goal is to reduce fire intensity rather than remove every tree or plant.
FireSmart Canada recommends:
Creating at least three metres of horizontal space between evergreen tree crowns
Removing lower tree branches to a height of approximately two metres
Clearing fallen branches, dry grass and accumulated needles
Working with neighbours when Home Ignition Zones overlap
Seeking professional advice for steep slopes, heavily treed properties or complex vegetation management
This corrects an important point from the previous article: coniferous trees should not be cut down to a height of two metres. FireSmart guidance recommends removing their lower branches to a height of approximately two metres.
Renters and families living in apartments may not control the property around their building, but they can still ask building management about evacuation procedures, ventilation systems, emergency power, stairwell access and FireSmart maintenance.
Families who would like a deeper introduction can also complete FireSmart 101, a free one-hour online course.
Evacuation Alert vs. Evacuation Order: What Is the Difference?
The exact terminology and procedures can vary by province, territory or municipality. Always follow the instructions issued for your community.
In general:
Evacuation Alert
An evacuation alert means we should be ready to leave on short notice.
This is our time to:
Monitor official updates closely
Bring the emergency kit to the door or vehicle
Pack essential medications and documents
Charge phones and power banks
Contact family members
Gather pets
Dress children
Confirm where we will stay
Prepare the vehicle
Complete quick property steps only when it is safe to do so
An alert does not mean we need to panic.
It means we stop non-essential activities and get ourselves into a position where we can leave without delay.
Evacuation Order
An evacuation order means we have been directed to leave the affected area.
Leave calmly and promptly. Do not delay departure to finish packing, take photos, water the property or complete last-minute home improvements.
Follow the route provided by officials, even when it is not the route you would normally choose.
What to Do During an Evacuation Alert
When an alert is issued:
Confirm the alert through an official source.
Place emergency supplies, documents and medications near the exit or in the vehicle.
Dress everyone in season-appropriate clothing and sturdy footwear.
Charge phones and power banks.
Secure pets or place carriers near the exit.
Tell your out-of-area contact that you are preparing.
Confirm your intended destination.
Keep the vehicle ready.
Close windows and exterior doors.
Follow local instructions about vents, propane, utilities and outdoor belongings.
When time and conditions allow, move patio furniture, cushions, doormats, firewood and other combustible items away from the home.
Do not climb onto the roof, enter heavy smoke or complete outdoor tasks when doing so could delay your evacuation.
People first. Property second.
What to Do During an Evacuation Order
When an evacuation order is issued:
Leave immediately.
Take children, other dependants and pets.
Take your grab-and-go bag and essential medications.
Close doors and windows if this can be done without delaying departure.
Follow designated evacuation routes.
Obey road closures and instructions from emergency personnel.
Drive slowly.
Use low-beam headlights when visibility is reduced.
Keep windows closed and vehicle ventilation on recirculation.
Register at the designated reception centre when instructed.
Let your out-of-area contact know where you are going.
Keep receipts for accommodation, food and other evacuation expenses.
Do not return until officials confirm it is safe.
Do not assume an evacuation order has ended because smoke has cleared, traffic is returning or a neighbour has gone home.
Wait for official confirmation.
What If You Cannot Evacuate?
Evacuating when directed is the safest option.
When you are trapped, unable to leave or believe your route is unsafe, call 911 and follow the dispatcher’s instructions. Tell them your exact location, how many people are with you and whether anyone has medical or mobility needs. Alberta’s current evacuation guidance similarly directs people who are trapped or unable to evacuate to contact emergency services.
Do not rely on sealing a room with towels or duct tape as a substitute for leaving under an evacuation order.
How to Protect Babies and Children From Wildfire Smoke
The Air Quality Health Index, or AQHI, provides a number from 1 to 10+, along with health messages based on current air pollution levels.
The higher the number, the greater the potential health risk.
Check the AQHI and local public health advice before outdoor play, sports, childcare outings or longer trips. Air quality may be poor even when we cannot clearly see or smell smoke.
When smoke levels are elevated:
Move active play indoors when possible.
Reduce or reschedule strenuous outdoor activity.
Keep windows and doors closed when outdoor air is smoky.
Run a portable air cleaner in your cleaner-air room.
Use recirculation mode in the vehicle.
Keep prescribed inhalers and medications nearby.
Follow your child’s asthma or respiratory care plan.
Watch how the child is feeling, not only the AQHI number.
Seek a public cleaner-air space when indoor air cannot be kept adequately clean.
A well-fitting N95, KN95 or KF94 respirator can help reduce exposure to fine smoke particles for someone who must be outdoors. It does not remove all gases from wildfire smoke, and it only helps when it fits and is worn properly. Cleaner indoor air remains the priority for babies and young children.
Wildfire Smoke Symptoms to Watch For
Milder symptoms may include:
Irritated or watery eyes
A runny nose
Sore or irritated throat
Headache
Coughing
Wheezing
Increased mucus
Feeling unusually tired
Move the child into cleaner air, reduce activity and monitor them closely.
Seek medical advice when symptoms are concerning, persistent or worsening, or when a child has an existing medical condition and is not responding as expected to their prescribed plan.
Call 911 for severe difficulty breathing, bluish or grey lips or skin, chest pain, loss of consciousness, severe weakness or another life-threatening emergency.
Do Not Trade Smoke Safety for Heat Risk
Closing windows can reduce smoke indoors, but the home may also become dangerously hot.
When smoke and extreme heat occur together, prioritize a space that is both cooler and cleaner. This may mean going to a library, community centre, shopping centre or designated cleaner-air facility when local officials confirm it is safe to travel.
How to Talk to Children About a Wildfire or Evacuation
Children often notice much more than we realize.
They may see smoke, overhear adult conversations or sense that caregivers are worried. Calm, simple information usually feels safer than avoiding the subject entirely.
Try:
“There is a wildfire in our region, and the emergency helpers are watching it closely. We are getting our things ready in case they ask us to leave. We have a plan, and we will stay together.”
Keep explanations:
Honest
Brief
Age-appropriate
Focused on what is happening now
Clear about what adults are doing to help
Give children small, manageable jobs:
Choose one comfort item
Put shoes beside the door
Carry their activity bag
Help fill a pet’s water bowl
Practise saying their full name
Check that their contact card is in their backpack
Avoid giving children responsibility for another child, a pet or an essential safety task.
Their job is to listen, stay close and follow the family plan.
Returning Home After a Wildfire
Return only when local officials say it is safe.
Even when a home appears undamaged, the surrounding area may contain:
Hot spots
Unstable trees
Damaged roads
Downed power lines
Broken glass or sharp debris
Ash
Contaminated food or water
Damaged propane, gas or electrical systems
Keep children and pets away from ash, debris and damaged areas until they have been assessed and cleaned.
When returning:
Follow local instructions about water, electricity, gas and food safety.
Photograph damage before moving or discarding items when it is safe to do so.
Contact your insurance provider.
Keep receipts related to evacuation and temporary living expenses.
Wear appropriate footwear, gloves and eye protection.
Follow local guidance for ash and debris cleanup.
Use qualified professionals for structural, electrical, gas or hazardous-material concerns.
Replace smoke-exposed air filters as recommended.
Watch for delayed stress responses in adults and children.
Children may temporarily become clingier, have difficulty sleeping, ask repeated questions or become upset by smoke, sirens or changes in weather.
Return to familiar routines where possible. Offer simple explanations, extra connection and opportunities to talk or play through what happened.
Additional support from a healthcare provider, counsellor, school or community recovery service may be helpful when distress continues or interferes with daily life.
Family Wildfire Preparedness Checklist
Before an Emergency
Know which official alerts serve your community.
Create two family meeting places.
Choose an out-of-area contact.
Plan for school and childcare pickup.
Build a portable 72-hour emergency kit.
Keep medications current and accessible.
Add supplies for babies, children and pets.
Identify more than one possible destination.
Keep the vehicle fuelled or charged.
Know how to open the garage door manually.
Create a cleaner-air room.
Check ventilation and air-cleaner filters.
Complete FireSmart work beginning closest to the home.
Review insurance coverage and document belongings.
Practise the family plan.
During an Evacuation Alert
Confirm the alert through an official source.
Charge phones and power banks.
Bring supplies, medications and documents to the exit.
Dress children and prepare car seats.
Secure pets.
Prepare the vehicle.
Contact your family check-in person.
Monitor official updates.
Be ready to leave without delay.
During an Evacuation Order
Leave promptly.
Follow the directed route.
Take people, pets, medications and essential supplies.
Do not stop for non-essential belongings.
Register when instructed.
Tell your contact where you are.
Keep receipts.
Wait for official permission before returning.
Final Thoughts
Wildfire preparedness is not about doing everything perfectly or living in fear of what could happen.
It is about reducing the number of decisions we have to make during a stressful moment.
A packed medication bag, a working phone charger, a familiar comfort item, a pet carrier by the door and a clear family contact can make an enormous difference when plans change quickly.
Start with one step today.
Choose your official alert sources. Add your family’s medications to a checklist. Check the car seats. Put the pet carrier somewhere accessible.
Small steps build real readiness, and prepared families do not have to feel panicked. You’ve got this!
Continue Learning
Continue building your family’s safety toolkit with these trusted resources from Bump + Baby Matters.
Infant & Child CPR + Choking Classes
Wildfire Smoke Safety for Babies and Children: A Practical Guide for Canadian Families
Your Family Safety Plan: A Step-by-Step Guide to Feeling Prepared, Not Panicked
Family Emergency Kit Checklist: Age-Based Additions for Babies, Kids & Pets
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