If you have to leave, what do you take?

With fires triggering evacuation and pre-evacuation notices, dozens of people face the prospect of leaving their homes behind, or else staying behind and risking their lives along with their houses.

Ted Pettis, a fire information officer for the Thompson-Divide Complex fires in and around Glacier National Park, said a pre-evacuation notice offers a chance to prepare for an evacuation, at which point it will be too late to pack before fleeing.

“Sometimes with a fire, we just go right to evacuation, if it’s at the back door and you have to go,” said Pettis.

When a pre-evacuation notice is issued first, however, he tells residents to focus on the “Five P’s” — people, pets, pills, photos and important papers.

“People can start getting medicines, start thinking about photos, antiques and family heirlooms. That’s what you want to take, stuff that has memories attached, that you can’t replace.”

And packing is best done before the last-minute panic sets in.

“Sometimes people get excited, they start loading up refrigerators and TVs, and that’s not what we want you to do,” he said.

Other tips to plan an evacuation include gathering sturdy clothing and shoes, making arrangements for a place to stay, moving livestock and getting sick or elderly people out of the home ahead of time.

Also, if you have natural gas, make sure it’s shut off so a bad fire doesn’t accidentally become worse.

Other measures around the house can help limit the likelihood of the structure becoming a casualty of the blaze.

Homeowners can set up hoses and sprinklers around the property, remove brush and flammable materials from around the house and make sure fallen leaves and debris aren’t wedged into cracks and crevices along the roof where they could be ignited by a flying spark.

For additional pre-evacuation and fireproofing tips, visit firesafemt.org/ready-set-go.