Wildfire or other natural disasters can happen any time. Being prepared ahead of time is essential. It’s important to have a plan, know the items you will need and formulate an emergency communication plan.

You may visit the Chester Fire Station for materials to help you prepare. We provide worksheets for communication plans, emergency supply kits and family emergency plans. We also provide information to help make your home and property more fire resistant. You can also visit the websites below under “Resources for Emergency Preparedness.”

We also recommend using the Red Cross’ Wildfire App.
The Wildfire App includes the "Blaze Tracker" trio of features-which can be customized for alerts specific to locations where they live, travel or have loved ones:

• "Blaze Warnings" which let users see areas where NOAA has issued warnings that conditions are favorable for potential wildfires;
• "Blaze Alerts" inform users when a wildfire has begun within 100 miles of any locations monitored;
• "Blaze Path" from Inciweb.org which provides users with a current view of an existing wildfire's perimeter, how it has spread and the fire's current location when available.

The app also provides comprehensive reporting of all wildfire activity for every geographic area in the United States; and One touch "I'm safe" messaging that allows users to broadcast reassurance to family and friends via social media outlets that they are out of harm's way.

The Wildfire App can be found in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store for Android by searching for American Red Cross.