Wildfire Evacuation and Smoke Safety Checklist for Seniors

A senior wildfire evacuation and smoke safety checklist has to do more than say “pack a go bag.” The weak point is usually not willingness. It is the walker parked in a hallway, the pill bottles split between the kitchen and bedroom, the electric garage door, the CPAP that needs power, the oxygen supply no one has timed, and the adult child who assumes the family will work it out when the evacuation order arrives.

Older adults are already at higher risk in fires generally: U.S. Fire Administration statistics for 2014–2023 show adults ages 65–74 had 2.2 times the fire-death risk of the general population, adults ages 75–84 had 2.9 times the risk, and the fire-death rate for adults 65 and older rose 41% over that decade.[1] Wildfire reporting shows where that risk becomes concrete. In the January 2025 Southern California fires, CalMatters reported that several people killed were disabled, the majority were over 70, about 2,500 people were evacuated from nursing homes, and a 2019 California audit found that none of the three counties reviewed had assessed needs or pre-arranged evacuation assistance.[2] AJMC reported in January 2025 that, among 25 confirmed LA-fire deaths, most were 65 or older or had a physical disability; two victims had cerebral palsy and one had a leg amputation and could not evacuate without emergency assistance.[3] In the 2018 Camp Fire, the Los Angeles Times reported that roughly 77% of identified victims were over 65, and many were among the most vulnerable residents.[4]

Those numbers do not mean every older adult is helpless. They mean the plan has to be built around the person who will be slowest to leave and least able to tolerate smoke. The checklist below treats wildfire readiness as aging-in-place safety work: clear exits, reachable supplies, named helpers, backup power, and a smoke-safe room that can actually function.

This article is educational, not medical, legal, or emergency-response advice. Medication supply, oxygen flow, respirator use, and symptom decisions should be confirmed with the person’s clinician, pharmacist, oxygen supplier, local emergency-management office, and fire authority before wildfire season.

The three-stage checklist

The order matters. A go kit without an assigned driver is storage. A driver without medication instructions is a guessing game. A smoke-safe room without power, filtration, or symptom rules can become a room where everyone waits too long.

Stage 1: Build the go kit around this person, not an average adult

Start by walking through the older adult’s actual day. What do they need before breakfast? What do they need before bed? What do they need after walking 20 feet, climbing into a car, sleeping somewhere unfamiliar, or missing power for a night? That is the go kit.

The American Red Cross advises older adults to keep at least 30 days of medications and extra assistive items such as a cane or eyeglasses, and to plan who will help evacuate, including whether local assistance registries are available.[5] AARP’s go-bag guidance adds medication lists with pharmacy and physician numbers, portable CPAP or oxygen equipment, about 1 gallon of water per person per day for 3 days, cash, documents in waterproof bags, and N95 masks, noting that N95s are the masks designed to filter fire particulates.[6]

Do not leave these as a single pile of good intentions. Put each item into a grab-and-use map:

• Daily medications: keep the emergency supply in one labeled pouch or bin, with a current medication list, pharmacy number, prescribing clinician numbers, allergies, and dosing schedule. Assign one person to update the list whenever a prescription changes.
• Medication timing: write what cannot be skipped, what must be taken with food, and what should trigger a pharmacist or clinician call. Do not guess during evacuation.
• Eyeglasses, hearing aids, dentures, and mobility aids: pack spares when possible, but also label the everyday items that must be grabbed. A spare pair of reading glasses in the bag helps only if the person can read instructions at the shelter or hotel.
• Water and food: store water where the person or helper can lift it. A full 3-day supply is useful only if it does not block the walker path or become too heavy for the assigned helper.
• Cash, IDs, insurance cards, advance directives, and key documents: keep copies in a waterproof pouch. Add a short contact sheet with family numbers, clinicians, pharmacy, oxygen supplier, home-health agency, and veterinarian if pets are part of the evacuation.
• Phone, charger, battery bank, and hearing-device charging supplies: store charging cords in the bag, not in whichever outlet happened to be free last week.
• N95 masks: pack them, but do not assume every older adult can tolerate or correctly fit one. People with respiratory disease should ask their clinician in advance how to handle mask use during smoke.
• CPAP, oxygen, nebulizer, or other medical-equipment supplies: create a separate equipment checklist with tubing, batteries, adapters, distilled water if used, and supplier contact information.

Place the main kit on the exit path, not in a closet behind holiday storage. If the older adult uses a walker or wheelchair, a wheeled duffel or small rolling bin may be safer than a backpack. The storage spot should leave enough clearance for the mobility device; wildfire readiness should not create a fall hazard in July while waiting for an evacuation that may never come.

If the exit route is already tight, treat that as a home-safety problem, not a disaster-prep detail. Doorway width, thresholds, lighting, grab bars near exits, and clear paths are the same issues that matter every day. CareWise Guide’s room-by-room aging-in-place modification guide can help decide which fixes affect evacuation first.

A short go-kit drill

Set a timer for ten minutes and have the assigned helper gather the kit, medications, glasses, phone, shoes, mobility device, and medical equipment as if the person were leaving. Do not correct the helper during the drill. Watch what gets missed. Then fix the storage, labels, and assignment.

The drill should answer small questions that become large under smoke: Which shoes are safe for uneven pavement? Where is the walker when the person is sleeping? Can the helper lift the portable oxygen equipment and the water? Does the garage open if power is out? Is the pet carrier reachable? Who has the spare house key?

Stage 2: Assign the evacuation plan before the order

For older adults who need help transferring, lifting, driving, hearing alerts, managing confusion, or powering equipment, leaving before a mandatory order is often the safest plan. CAL FIRE’s Go Evacuation Guide warns that severe fires can leave no time for door-to-door warnings and advises leaving before a mandatory evacuation order when possible.[7] The Western Fire Chiefs Association describes the familiar Level 1 Ready, Level 2 Set, Level 3 Go structure for evacuation decisions.[8] That framework is useful, but it is California- and wildfire-agency-derived language; every household should confirm the exact alert terms used by its county, city, tribal authority, or state emergency system.

Write names beside tasks. “Family will help” is not a plan. Use one primary person and one backup for each job:

• Alert watcher: monitors county alerts, fire authority updates, weather warnings, power shutoff notices, and smoke conditions.
• Decision caller: has authority to say “we are leaving now,” especially at Set / Level 2 or when smoke or symptoms make staying unsafe.
• Driver: arrives with a vehicle that can carry the older adult, mobility device, go kit, medical equipment, and pet if needed.
• Transfer helper: knows how to help the person stand, pivot, get down steps, or move from bed to chair to vehicle without rushing into a fall.
• Medical-equipment lead: checks oxygen, CPAP, batteries, cords, adapters, tubing, and supplier contacts.
• Medication lead: grabs the medication pouch, verifies the current list, and checks refrigerated or time-sensitive medicines if applicable.
• Destination caller: confirms where the person is going and whether that place can handle stairs, oxygen, pets, smoke exposure, refrigeration, or power needs.
• Neighbor contact: checks whether the person has actually left if family cannot arrive quickly.

The transfer helper may need practice. A son who can carry groceries may not be able to safely help a parent down porch steps in smoke while holding a walker and oxygen bag. If paid help is part of the plan, arrange it before wildfire season and ask exactly what the agency can and cannot do during evacuation conditions. CareWise Guide’s guide to paying for senior home health care can help families think through when extra hands are realistic.

Transportation is more than having a car

A senior evacuation ride needs to match the body and equipment being moved. Check whether the person can climb into the vehicle without a step stool, whether the wheelchair folds, whether the rollator fits after oxygen tanks and bags are loaded, and whether the driver can manage the route without relying on a single road that may close.

CAL FIRE’s guidance also recommends knowing how to manually operate garage doors and gates, keeping at least half a tank of gas, and keeping shoes near the bed.[7] For an older adult, manual garage operation should be practiced by the person who will actually do it. The same is true for loading a wheelchair, releasing a walker brake, folding a portable ramp, and opening a pet carrier.

If the older adult lives in assisted living, a board-and-care home, or a nursing facility, ask for the evacuation plan in writing. The question is not simply whether the facility has a plan. Ask who transports residents who use wheelchairs or oxygen, where they go, how medications travel with them, how families are notified, and what happens if roads close or power is out.

Powered medical equipment needs its own branch

Oxygen concentrators, CPAP machines, nebulizers, powered beds, stair lifts, scooters, and rechargeable hearing devices all change the evacuation plan. The American Lung Association advises people who rely on powered medical equipment to notify the electric company, fire department, and police department; secure a non-electric backup oxygen supply such as tanks or cylinders; never reduce oxygen flow to stretch supply without a provider’s approval; use generators only outdoors; and consider an inverter that charges through a car’s 12-volt port within the equipment’s limits.[9]

Write down the equipment name, power requirement, battery life if known, supplier phone number, and whether it can be transported in the evacuation vehicle. Keep this sheet in the go kit and on the refrigerator. If the equipment supplier has an emergency line, call it before fire season and ask what backup supplies are available, what they recommend during power shutoffs, and whether the device can be safely charged in a vehicle.

Generator plans deserve special caution. A generator that keeps equipment running but is placed in a garage, near a door, or under a window creates a carbon monoxide danger. “Outdoors” means outdoors and away from openings, not inside a semi-open garage while someone runs in and out.

Stage 3: Prepare the home so leaving and sheltering are both possible

Home preparation should serve two decisions: leaving early and reducing smoke exposure while the person is still inside. It does not need to become a full home-hardening project before it helps. Start with the path from bed to bathroom, bathroom to exit, and exit to vehicle.

• Clear the walking route wide enough for the walker, wheelchair, cane, oxygen tubing, or caregiver assistance.
• Remove loose rugs, cords, and clutter from the exit path.
• Keep a flashlight, shoes, glasses, phone, and mobility aid reachable from the bed.
• Check that exterior lights work and that the porch, ramp, or steps are usable at night.
• Practice opening gates and garage doors manually.
• Store the go kit where it does not narrow the exit or create a trip hazard.
• Choose the room that can become the cleanest indoor air space if smoke arrives before evacuation.

Some families will need grab bars, threshold changes, brighter lighting, a ramp, or doorway changes to make the evacuation route realistic. If cost is the barrier, compare the modification to the job it must do: can this person leave the house at night with one helper while carrying medication and equipment? CareWise Guide’s home modification cost guide and funding guide for aging-in-place modifications can help prioritize fixes that affect daily safety and emergency exits.

Smoke is a stay-or-go trigger, not background discomfort

Wildfire smoke matters even when flames are far away. The CDC lists people with asthma, COPD, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, or heart disease among those at increased risk from wildfire smoke, and identifies symptoms including coughing, trouble breathing, wheezing, chest pain, and fast heartbeat.[10] For an older adult with those conditions, smoke can be the reason to leave earlier, not merely the reason to close a window.

A 2025 JAMA Network Open study of 10.37 million Medicare beneficiaries in the western United States from 2006–2016 found that respiratory hospitalizations among adults 65 and older rose when smoke PM2.5 was above roughly 25 µg/m³. In that study, pneumonia accounted for 36.9% of the respiratory hospitalizations, COPD for 20.4%, and respiratory failure for 15.5%.[11]

AARP’s July 2026 reporting describes wildfire smoke as estimated to be about 10 times as toxic as typical fossil-fuel air pollution, cites a 2024 PNAS study finding wildfires contributed up to 25% of total U.S. PM2.5 and up to half in some Western regions, and reports that 2023 Canadian smoke was associated with a 17% increase in asthma emergency-room visits on days with AQI above 101 and up to an 82% statewide increase in New York on the worst day.[12]

Apps and local agencies may show AQI categories, PM2.5 concentration, smoke maps, or county-specific advisories. Use the local alert system first. When an app shows smoke PM2.5, treat sustained readings above roughly 25 µg/m³ as a serious threshold for an older adult, especially if they have lung or heart disease, symptoms, limited ability to wear a respirator, or no reliable clean room.

Set up the smoke-safe room before the smoke arrives

A smoke-safe room is not the whole house. Choose one closeable room where the older adult can sit or sleep, where there is room for the walker, oxygen tubing, water, phone, medications, and a caregiver chair if needed. The CDC recommends staying inside with windows and doors closed when advised, using a portable air cleaner if available, and avoiding activities that add indoor pollution.[13] The National Center for Healthy Housing also advises using MERV 13 or better filtration where compatible and recirculating indoor air rather than bringing smoky outdoor air inside.[14]

• Pick the room: a bedroom or den with a door is usually more workable than an open living room.
• Close windows and doors before smoke is heavy. If safe to do so, reduce obvious drafts.
• Run a portable air cleaner sized for the room, and know where the replacement filter is stored.
• If the home HVAC system can safely use a MERV 13 or higher filter, install one before fire season and use recirculate mode where applicable.
• Do not burn candles, use gas or propane indoors for heat or cooking, smoke, fry food, or vacuum during smoke exposure.
• Keep medications, water, phone, charger, hearing aids, glasses, and mobility device inside the room, not across the house.
• Set a symptom check schedule. Coughing, wheezing, chest pain, trouble breathing, confusion, fast heartbeat, or worsening usual symptoms should trigger a call for medical advice or emergency help, depending on severity.

If the older adult uses oxygen, ask the oxygen supplier and clinician before wildfire season how smoke, evacuation, backup tanks, and power loss should be handled. Do not lower oxygen flow to make a tank last longer unless the clinician has specifically said to do so.[9]

The stay-or-go rule

Leave early when the alert level moves toward Set / Level 2 and the older adult needs help transferring, driving, loading equipment, hearing alerts, or managing medications. Leave immediately at Go / Level 3 unless local officials give different life-safety instructions. Do not wait for the preferred helper if the backup plan is already written.

Smoke can also make leaving the safer choice before a flame threat reaches the street. Consider evacuation when smoke PM2.5 is sustained above roughly 25 µg/m³ for an older adult at respiratory risk, when AQI or local smoke advisories remain high and the clean room is not working, when symptoms appear or worsen, when power loss disables essential equipment, or when no one can monitor the person safely indoors.

The plan is ready when the driver, transfer helper, medication lead, equipment lead, destination, and backup contacts are named in writing. No one should be deciding for the first time in the driveway while the sky is orange.

References

1. Older adult fire death and injury statistics, U.S. Fire Administration
2. California wildfires emergency preparedness, CalMatters, February 2025
3. Wildfire Evacuations Spell Difficulties for Disabled, Elderly Residents, AJMC, January 2025
4. Camp Fire killed the most vulnerable, Los Angeles Times, February 2019
5. Older Adults, American Red Cross
6. Emergency Go Bag, AARP
7. Go! Evacuation Guide, CAL FIRE
8. Wildfire Evacuation Plan Checklist, Western Fire Chiefs Association
9. Power Outages, American Lung Association
10. Risk Factors for Wildfire Smoke, CDC
11. Wildfire Smoke Exposure and Respiratory Hospitalizations Among Medicare Beneficiaries, JAMA Network Open, April 2025
12. Wildfire Smoke Health Risks Older Adults, AARP, July 2026
13. How to Safely Stay Safe During a Wildfire, CDC
14. During the Fire, National Center for Healthy Housing