NIST Updates Critical Wildfire Evacuation and Sheltering Guidance

Redefining how to save lives in the face of fast-moving wildfires. April 24, 2025

• Planning ahead for evacuation and shelter is one of the most effective ways to save lives during a wildfire disaster.
• NIST’s ESCAPE report is the first comprehensive guide for how to address no-notice wildfire evacuations at the community level.
• The latest version of the report makes improvements based on community feedback and research on recent wildfires.
• Wildfires move fast. They can reduce communities to ash in a matter of hours. To save as many lives as possible, officials must have an evacuation and shelter plan in place before an actual wildfire threatens their community.

To support planning efforts, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has just updated its guidance on preparing for wildfires based on the latest research and community feedback. Called Wildland-Urban Interface Fire Evacuation and Sheltering Considerations: Assessment, Planning, and Execution (ESCAPE), the report is now available on the NIST website. This report is especially relevant to the estimated 115 million people in the U.S. who live in areas of high wildfire risk. Many wildfires do not stay confined in remote forests. They can invade neighborhoods and destroy homes, sometimes with only minutes of advance warning. Traditional approaches to evacuation are less effective during such aggressive fires, which can outrun emergency notifications and cut off roads before residents can escape.