HOME Program
HOME
The simplest word in every language. Protect your HOME.
When It Hits, the Family Behind the Uniform Is Home Alone
The night the hills light up, the firefighter is on the engine. The morning the ground shakes, the paramedic is already on a call, the officer is directing traffic around a collapsed overpass, the nurse is holding the emergency room together, and the service member is wherever orders sent them. Every one of them is protecting somebody else's family.
Their own family is home. A spouse, the kids, the dog, and a phone that will not get a signal. HOME exists so that family is never standing in the driveway wondering what to do next.
HOME is a simple household system built for the families of firefighters, paramedics, law enforcement, medical staff, and the military, and for every Uniform Kid who waits up for a parent on shift. It was built in California, where fire, earthquake, and water are a matter of when, not if. It works in every home anywhere in the world.
An Organized HOME Does Six Things
Knows Its F.E.W.
Fire, Earthquake, and Water, plus the winds that turn a spark into a firestorm. Learn what each one does to your street, not just your state.
Builds Its KIT
One KIT at home, one in every car, and a go bag by the door for each person and each pet. KIT is its own UFF program with our Pillar Partner More Prepared.
Picks Its Spots
Two meeting places, one right outside the home and one outside the neighborhood, and one out of state contact everyone texts when the local lines are jammed.
Knows Its Shutoffs
Gas, water, and electricity. Every adult and every older kid knows where they are. One rule for gas: turn it off only if you smell it or hear it, because only the utility can turn it back on.
Sets the Shift Rule
When the parent in uniform is held over, called in, or deployed, who picks up the kids, who takes the pets, who checks on grandma. Names and numbers in writing, on file at every school and with every sitter.
Practices Twice a Year
Drop, cover, and hold on with the Great ShakeOut every October, run your evacuation once every spring, and keep your alerts switched on all year.
Fire. Earthquake. Water.
F.E.W. is the short word for the three major emergencies that come to California homes again and again. Learn your F.E.W. and your HOME is organized for the big three. In an emergency that is happening right now, call 911.
Fire
Wildfire, driven by wind
When the Santa Ana winds blow, a wildfire can outrun a car on a jammed road and send embers a mile ahead of the flames. Red flag days are HOME days.
Before
- Clear 100 feet of defensible space and keep the roof, gutters, and vents free of leaves that catch embers.
- Know two ways out of your neighborhood, because the usual way may be blocked.
- On red flag days, park facing out, keep the gas tank at least half full, and put the go bags in the car.
- Learn the manual release on your garage door for the day the power is shut off ahead of high winds.
When It Hits
- Leave when told to leave, and leave earlier if the smoke makes you nervous. No one on an engine will think less of you.
- Close every window and door, leave the lights on so firefighters can see the house through smoke, and take people, pets, medicine, and documents.
- Text your out of state contact where you are going before you start driving.
Earthquake
No warning. No season.
The one that comes while the parent in uniform is on shift and the roads are broken between the station and the house. This is the emergency HOME was built for first.
Before
- Strap the water heater, anchor bookshelves and televisions, and move heavy things off the high shelves above beds.
- Keep sturdy shoes and a flashlight by every bed. Broken glass on the floor is one of the most common ways people get hurt at home in an earthquake.
- Store water. Three days is the minimum. Earthquake experts ask for up to two weeks if you can store it.
- Put the MyShake earthquake early warning app on every phone in the house.
When It Hits
- Drop, cover, and hold on. Get under something sturdy and stay there until the shaking stops. Do not run outside while it is moving.
- Afterward, check for the smell of gas, expect aftershocks, and put your shoes on before you take a step.
- Text, do not call. Texts get through when calls cannot, and the lines must stay open for the people in uniform.
Water
Flood, rising water, and mud
California floods arrive as atmospheric rivers that rain for days, and the hills below last year's burn scars come down as mud. Six inches of moving water will knock an adult off their feet. One foot will float a car.
Before
- Find out if your home sits in a flood zone or below a burn scar. Your city or county emergency office can tell you.
- Know where your city hands out sandbags before the first storm of the season, not during it.
- Keep documents, photos, and medicine up high with copies in your KIT. Homeowners insurance does not cover flood. Flood insurance is separate.
- Clear drains and gutters before the rain arrives.
When It Hits
- Never drive through water on the road. You cannot see how deep it is or whether the road is still under it.
- If you live below a burn scar and an evacuation warning comes, go. Debris flows give minutes, not hours.
- Shut off electricity at the breaker if water is coming into the house and you can reach the panel safely.
Every HOME Has a KIT
One KIT at home, one in each car, and a go bag by the door for every person and every pet. KIT is its own Uniform Families Foundation program, with our Pillar Partner More Prepared, and the place to request one or stock one for a family who cannot.
Four Alerts Every HOME Turns On
MyShake
California's official earthquake early warning app. Seconds of warning before the shaking reaches you, free, on every phone in the house.
Your County Alerts
Every county runs its own evacuation and emergency alert system. Sign up through your county emergency office and make sure Wireless Emergency Alerts are switched on in your phone settings.
National Weather Service
Flood watches, red flag warnings, and high wind warnings for your exact area.
CAL FIRE Incidents
Every active wildfire in California, updated as it moves, so you know what is burning near your HOME.
Tell Us About Your Household
UFF will help you organize your household, point you to the KIT program, or bring HOME to your station, unit, or hospital floor. Every request is confirmed privately with the family before anything is sent.
Organize Every Uniform Family's Home
Your gift brings HOME to stations, units, and hospital floors, and puts a KIT in the homes of uniform families who cannot build their own.
