After the devastating 2017 Sonoma County wildfires, the deadly and historically destructive wildfire in Paradise and a plethora of other gargantuan fires that have raged across the state over the year, the Healdsburg police and fire departments are launching a new safety preparedness brochure as well as laying out a robust plan for emergency preparedness.
During the Nov. 19 Healdsburg City Council meeting Healdsburg Fire Chief Jason Boaz and Healdsburg Police Chief Kevin Burke announced the launch of the six-page, color safety brochure set to be released in about six weeks.
They also discussed a new, bulked-up plan for emergency preparedness for the city and its residents which includes the implementation of stationed strike teams, increased communication via Nixle and other emergency alerts and planning with the city.
Once completed, the brochures will include important information such as what to include in a disaster go-kit, methods for safe evacuation, local emergency response numbers, web resources and more.
“Our approach is trying to prepare community members as best we can so if we do have some sort of catastrophic emergency here, they will have planned beforehand and are more capable to deal with it,” Boaz said.
The multi-page flyer will also include a lot of information on how people can prepare for an evacuation according to Burke. Also included are suggested evacuation routes for certain neighborhoods such as Fitch Mountain.
“However, we cannot say with absolute certainty that an evacuation route will be available (in the event of a flood, fire or earthquake), so that is why we are going develop (separate) maps to increase awareness on what major evacuation route options exist and the map will also show where dead ends are,” Burke said.
Burke says they are emphasizing that these routes are only suggestions and that residents do not have to use them.
“We want residents to be flexible in using their own judgment navigating city streets in an emergency,” he said.
While city council members thanked the two agencies for creating the in-depth brochure, several council members voiced that there should be other emergency awareness initiatives for residents.
Healdsburg Mayor Brigette Mansell said while the brochure will be good to have, having a quick and concise version, such as a refrigerator magnet, may be helpful as well.
“My biggest concern is the application piece of this, education like the brochure is good, but I don’t know how residents will get the brochure and it may be better just to keep it simple,” she said.
However, Boaz said the informational hand out is only one component of getting Healdsburg more disaster prepared.
In addition to the brochure, Boaz cited stationed strike teams, additional communication alerts and collaboration with the city and county as other ways the city is preparing its residents for the worst.
Boaz said, “Operationally, behind the scenes we’ve been up-staffing positions.”
In other words, anytime there is a Red Flag warning, fire departments have in place one strike team and one task force. The teams are then pre-positioned throughout the county during extreme fire conditions and high wind events.
“They’re literally out all night on patrol looking for fires, ready to launch if there is an event,” Boaz said.
This approach was used early in November when a team spotted a 2 ½-acre fire near Lytton Springs Road and were able to quickly extinguish it. According to Boaz, the fire burned on the west side of Highway 101 and burned into the vineyards north of city limits.
Geyserville, Cloverdale, Healdsburg Fire and CalFire were able to respond and were able to get it contained quickly.
Boaz also said the strike team had a fire helicopter at the ready; however, they did not need to deploy it.
“We were able to get a lot of resources there quickly and I think it helped,” he said.
Increased community communication via alert systems such as Nixle and SoCo Alerts are also being used to increase awareness.
“After the fire storm last year we took a close look at what we have in place for emergency notifications,” Burke said.
While the city already heavily relies on Nixle, with around 16,629 people signed up to receive Healdsburg alerts, Burke also encouraged folks to sign up for the county wide alert system, SoCo Alert.
Focusing on a layered approach of communication, the city also worked to receive approval to use FEMA’s IPAWS (Integrated Public Alert & Warning System), which can send reverse 9-1-1 alerts and wireless notifications to landlines and cell phones without requiring users to sign up.
Burke is currently training staff on how to use the system and it will later undergo a series of tests before being launched.
Lastly, in an increased focus on disaster preparedness for all, Boaz said police and fire agencies are working with the city and county to stay on top of emergency planning and management.
The two agencies worked with the city to update their hazard mitigation plan, which will be brought forward for approval by city council in January. They also have a fully operational emergency center at the police department, which Boaz said is ready to be set up at any time.
Police and fire agencies are also working with local COPE (Citizens Organized to Prepare for Emergencies) groups to provide them safety and emergency preparedness information. COPE groups are organized neighborhood groups that work together to create more emergency preparedness and in the event of an emergency, can help to evacuate neighbors or initiate a phone tree, warning people of a coming disaster.
“Fire has become more and more destructive and has done a lot more damage to life and property. Citizens are understandably concerned, and that is why we are here today to reiterate the things we are doing to prepare for these types of emergencies in our community,” Boaz said.
According to City Manager David Mickaelian, once the safety brochures are made available they will be available to download online and will be available at city hall and the Healdsburg police and fire department.
To sign up for Nixle, visit: http://www.nixle.com/. To sign up for SoCo Alerts, visit: https://public.coderedweb.com/CNE/en-US/BF7053564662.
