A thorough, written plan should explain evacuation procedures, chain of command, property protection, insurance documentation, communication methods, and continuity.

Your company's personnel, financial, and customer data is vital to your day-to-day operations. Don't risk losing it. Keep paper documents that you'll need in an emergency in one place so that they can be quickly and easily gathered. Create digital copies of documents and store them securely online. Copy your servers on a regular basis.

Keep a photo library of your facility and vehicles. Regularly inventory your supplies, products, office furniture, electronics, etc. This information will help you assess loss, file insurance claims, or apply for recovery assistance.

During wildfire seasons, make sure you're following local media as well as the National Weather Service for information and evacuation orders. Learn the NWS warning system and its wildfire severity levels.

Ideally, the work of preparing your facility will start long before a fire with the building itself. Dual-paned windows with tempered glass, noncombustible building materials, mesh vent screening, and defensible space around your building may help protect it in the event of a fire.

Ensure your facility has a water supply available to control smaller fires until emergency personnel can arrive. Ideally this would mean fire hydrants no further than 250 ft. from your facility, connected to a reliable water source.

Near where wildfires occur, the air is full of wildfire smoke, which can be comprised of many different toxic compounds and have just as many adverse impacts on respiratory health.

Wildfire smoke can be damaging whether or not you have preexisting respiratory conditions. It can cause irritation, sore throat, coughing, wheezing, bronchitis, pneumonia, cardiovascular issues, adverse birth outcomes, as well as excerbating chronic obstrustive pulmonary disorder and asthma.

Ways to reduce risk for employees include monitoring local air quality with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Fire & Smoke Map, relocating or rescheduling work, reducing physical activity, taking breaks in smoke-free areas, installing environmental controls, and using personal protective equipment (PPE).

Employers can install environmental controls like air cleaners with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter or high-efficiency HVAC filters.

A NIOSH-approved N95 or P100 filtering facepiece respirator can reduce exposure to airborne particulates in situations where work in areas with smoke exposure cannot be avoided.

When it is safe to reenter your workplace, take photos of any inventory, equipment, and property losses and document the physical damages. File insurance claims. Don't be afraid to seek help from agencies like FEMA or the American Red Cross.

When a wildfire destroys trees and vegetation, the land loses the stability that root systems provided. Rain could result in flash floods and landslides, so businesses near a wildfire site should engage in flood planning.

Wear clothes and PPE that cover your skin to prevent contact with caustic ash, and keep it from getting indoors by removing shoes and using doormats. Use a wet mop instead of sweeping so it doesn't get in the air. Wear an N95 respirator; people with heart or lung disease should not help with cleanup work.

You'll likely need professional cleaning services to remove smoke, but you can take steps to help: distributing respirators among your employees, installing carbon monoxide detectors, removing burnt debris, ventilating the area, and using dehumidifiers if water was used to put out a fire.

Contact employees, clients, suppliers, local authorities, and local media about site conditions and your business's recovery schedule. Inform public sanitation agencies about site damage and potential contamination issues. Most importantly, make sure your employees and team members are safe and have their needs met at this time.