Crime & Safety

Tips for Wildfire Animal Evacuation in Ramona

Whether you have large animals like horses or small pets, owners are responsible for evacuating them in an emergency.

You wake up to the sound of strangers telling you to get out of your home for your own safety and the poignant smell of fire enters your nostrils- you may be ready to evacuate, but are your animals ready?

The main points County Department of Animal Services Officer Laura Ward wanted folks to take home from the Ramona Animal Evacuation Meeting held in October: "Owners are responsible to evacuate themselves and their pets and animals."

"You need to plan ahead and have somewhere other than Ramona to take your animals in case of evacuation. Start with family, friends, groups, stables, pet friendly hotels."

Find out what's happening in Ramonawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"They are your pets. You need to be responsible for them. If you don't have to utilize us, don't."

The public meeting outlined what Ramonans should plan for in case of a disaster emergency evacuation, like what occurred with the Cedar Fire and Firestorm of 2007. Click here to download the full Ramona Community Protection and Evacuation Plan.

Find out what's happening in Ramonawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Dept. of Animal Services sheltered more than 400 unidentified animals in the 2007 fires and rescued and returned more than 3,000 animals overall.

A video of the slide presentation (without audio) shown by DAS is attached to this post and can be viewed here.

Notes from the meeting:

• In case of a "voluntary evacuation" you are responsible to plan for an alternate place to keep your animals/livestock. Only in case of a "mandatory evacuation" is the county required to provide those areas/services.

• If there is a mandatory evacuation, DAS will be processing animals brought in by the public at the fire staging area. There will either be a temporary shelter set up at the staging area or nearby, or vehicles will take the animals directly to an approved evacuation site. Small animals may be transported to one of the three DAS animal shelters.

• Have your animal microchipped and registered with a national database in order to quickly reunite animal with owner.

• Have a "go kit" packet with pet information (name, age, disposition, vet info); recent pictures (if the owner is in the picture it can be used as proof of ownership); leash, kennel or halter; and owner and veterinarian info. This is helpful wether you evacuate with your animal, pass your animal off to DAS, or in case you must leave your animal at home and DAS needs to rescue them.

• If necessary, DAS will go into evacuated areas to feed and care for animals left in the fire zone.

• Authorities can't force you to evacuate your home, but can force kids and pets to do so.

• Train pigs, goats and other small animals to go into a carrier or walk up a ramp to a truck bed.

• Have alternate routes ready for evacuation in case of road blockages.

• Bring at least three days of food and water for your animals.

• In case you must evacuate quickly and leave your animals at home, leave enough food and water for at least 48 hours.

• Owners need to contact DAS’s 24 hour emergency number (619-236-2341) if they need assistance with evacuating their animals. However, owners are encouraged to evacuate their own animals and to evacuate early.

• Know how to flush your animals eyes out. Swollen and infected eyes were a common problem for horses in previous fire evacuations. Have an animal first aid kit ready.

• Under no circumstances let your horses out loose in a fire evacuation situation. Horses naturally flee into gullies they think are safe, but the heat builds up in those areas. CHP has authority to shoot loose horses so they aren't a threat to emergency services. The exception that proves this rule was the Ramona man who took too long to evacuate, crashed his truck and horse trailer because of the thick smoke, and released his horses (see photo). Amazingly, the horses survived, though the man's truck, trailer and home were lost.

• CalFire suggests making a defensible space by clearing brush around barns and pens just as you would your own home.

Read more about Ramona fire evacuation plans


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