Living in the mountains is a privilege but with it comes responsibility, awareness and preparation/mitigation necessary when a wildfire strikes, and even more so when domestic animals are involved. Cattle are one thing, and we're lucky if there is time to round them up and herd or trailer them out of harm's way. Most of our focus here will be on horses and other barnyard species when we're simply out of time to move them to safety, as we've seen in recent years here with fires driven by winds with incredible speed.

Identification is important, and includes freeze branding, microchipping and ear tags, not always accomplished though.

With a wildfire bearing down on your place often last-minute measures may need to be taken. During the Cameron Fire of 2021 on Buckhorn Road, there was not enough time to evacuate a herd of dozens of alpacas so the gates were opened and fences cut so they could fend for themselves.

You can use spray paint to put your phone number on the animals' sides. Move them out of barns, corrals or any other enclosures, and close the gates/doors so in a panic they don't try to return to their comfort zone.

As in the example above, pasture fences may need to be cut to allow escape. Keep identification of animals with your other valuable papers, which can be photographs or Coggins tests in the case of horses.

We hope we're never faced with a serious threatening wildfire in our Livermore neighborhoods, but there is no substitute for pre-planning in the defense of not only our homes but our animal friends as well.