Wildfire Evacuation, Risk and Decision-Making Survey

  • Form

  • Your Wildfire Story: Evacuation, Risk and Decision-Making

    Please take a few minutes to fill out this research survey

  • Before You Start

  • Purpose of this Research Study

    We are information on how households decide to evacuate during wildfires and how alert systems, such as WISE, can be improved.

  • What You Will Be Asked To Do

    Complete a brief, anonymous online survey of 40 questions about your evacuation experience, risk perceptions, and demographics. Estimated Time: 10-15 minutes

  • Voluntary Participation

    Your participation is entirely voluntary. It serves entirely to help with evacuation preparedness in the future.

  • Confidentiality

    No names or contact details are collected. All responses are anonymous, stored securely on UCLA servers, and reported only in aggregate.

  • Benefits

    Your invaluable feedback will help design better warning tools and evacuation protocols for possible future catastrophic weather events, saving lives and preserving the livelihoods of affected persons.

  • Questions?

    If you have any questions about the survey, please forward them to haiga03@ucla.edu

  • If you have questions about your rights as a research subject, or you have concerns or suggestions and you want to talk to someone other than the researchers, you may contact the UCLA OHRPP by phone: (310) 206- 2040; by email: ohrpp@research.ucla.edu or by mail: Box 951406, Los Angeles, CA 90095- 1406.

  • Eligibility

  • Are you at least 18 years old?*
  • Have you experienced a wildfire evacuation?*
  • Can you complete the survey in English?*

  • Section 1: General Demographics

  • Gender*
  • Age*
  • What is the composition of your household?*
  • How many people live in your household?*
  • What is your highest level of education completed?*
  • What is your employment status?*
  • Do you own or rent your home?*
  • What is your neighborhood/general area?
  • How long have you lived in this area?*
  • What is your primary mode of transportation?*
  • How many vehicles are available in your household?*

  • Section 2: Wildfire Experience & Risk Perception

  • How many times have you had to be evacuated due to wildfire threat?*
  • Most recently, which large-scale wildfire event were you affected by?*
  • On a scale of 1–5, how prepared do you feel for a wildfire evacuation?*
  • Do you have an emergency evacuation plan for your household?*
  • What factors make you more likely to evacuate? (Select all that apply.)*
  • What factors make you hesitant to evacuate? (Select all that apply.)*
  • Have you or anyone in your household stayed despite receiving evacuation orders?*
  • If yes, why?
  • How confident were you in the validity of information you received during the wildfire event?*
  • Did you receive conflicting information from different sources?*

  • Section 3: Evacuation Logistics & Decision-Making

  • How long after the fire did it take for you to receive an alert, if any?
  • How fast did you evacuate after receiving official alert to do so?*
  • If you did not receive any warning, how long did it take for you to recognize the danger of the fire and consider evacuation?
  • If you chose to evacuate, did you experience traffic caused by the evacuation order?
  • Where would you evacuate to if absolutely necessary?*
  • Did you receive assistance during evacuation?*
  • If yes, what type?
  • Did you evacuate all at once or in stages (e.g., some family members left earlier)?*
  • Did anyone in your household or neighborhood refuse to evacuate?*
  • Who in your household made the final decision to evacuate?*
  • Who in your household made the final decision to evacuate?*
  • Did you rely on neighbors or community groups for evacuation decisions or support?*

  • Section 4: Communication & Information Sources

  • How did you first hear about the wildfire?*
  • Did you use any apps/platforms for updates on the fire (containment, spread, etc.)?*
  • If yes, which ones?*
  • Rate information reliability & availability during the fire (1–5)*
  • What communication channels were most helpful during evacuation? (Select all that apply.)*

  • Section 5: Challenges & Needs

  • What is the most challenging part of evacuation? (Select all that apply.)*
  • What is the most challenging part of evacuation? (Select all that apply.)
  • Did anyone in your household face difficulties due to a medical condition or disability during evacuation?*
  • Did you have emergency supplies?*
  • If you needed to access a shelter, were there complications that made doing so difficult/impossible?*
  • Where were the biggest barriers to evacuation? (Select all that apply)*
  • Did language barriers affect your ability to understand or act on evacuation instructions?*
  • Were you able to bring your pets/livestock with you when evacuating?*

  • Section 6: Insurance & Resources

  • Do you have health insurance?*
  • Do you have property/home insurance?*
  • If yes, did it cover wildfire damage?*
  • If your home was damaged or lost, how long did it take to receive insurance support?*

  • Section 7: Post-Evacuation & Community Planning

  • Did you return home after the evacuation?*
  • How long were you displaced before return?*
  • Are you interested in community wildfire resilience planning?*
  • Do you believe systems like WISE (fire & evacuation simulations) help?*
  • Would you like to receive wildfire preparedness updates?*
  • Should be Empty: