Red Flag warnings, fire maps, Nixle alerts, evacuation zones…these terms should be familiar to all of us in Sonoma County by now. With our first large wildland fire and our first Red Flag warning of the season both already here, I want to first and foremost thank all of our first responders currently responding to the Point Fire, and say that my heart goes out to all the residents impacted. Additionally, I wanted to take a moment to remind everyone how to stay informed on current conditions and active fires, and how to get prepared. All of this information can be found on the County’s dedicated emergency website, SoCoEmergency: https://socoemergency.org/. SoCoEmergency is a wonderful resource, and current incidents and warnings are always front and center on that site. 

Ready, Set, GO!

“If the people in our household were all in different places when our home was evacuated, where would we meet up?”

“Do we know multiple routes to evacuate out of our neighborhood? What about when we hit the main road—do we know how to get South? North? East? West?” 

“If we had to evacuate in 10 minutes, what do we need to grab? What about 30 minutes? An hour?”

If you haven’t had conversations like this around your kitchen table, it’s time to start. Now is the time to repack that go bag and think about what you need if you’re going to evacuate, including emergency food, water, lights, important documents, face masks, and medications. Do you have pets? Put aside some extra food, bedding, and any other supplies you need in an easy to grab place with your pet’s travel carrier. Set aside an extra supply of any medication you need and keep a hard copy of any prescriptions. I like to keep things I can’t replace, like old photos and small keepsakes, in one place so they’re ready if I need to leave. If you’re able, keep a stash of cash nearby and always keep your gas tank at least half full during fire season. Most importantly, write down your plan and make sure everyone knows where it is. When we get into a crisis, we often forget simple things; plan ahead now so if you need to react at a moment’s notice, you’ve already done the hard work by thinking ahead. If you have small children, considering practicing what you would do a few times a year so they get used to it and are less likely to panic.

SoCoEmergency has a great Personal Emergency Plan template as well as go bag suggestions here: https://socoemergency.org/get-ready/. 

Watch Duty

Watch Duty is an app for your smartphone, as well as a website. It was started by local Sonoma County current and retired emergency responders, and has expanded to cover more states and have more information. You can set alerts for various counties, and toggle on and off layers like wind direction, air quality readings, satellite imagery, hot spots, and more. During an active incident like this week’s Point Fire, updates from the ground are posted, as well as evacuation orders and warnings. It’s a very helpful one stop shop for data and information. It also lists prescribed burns, so if I see smoke on the horizon, I always check Watch Duty first to make sure it is “good fire” instead of something to be concerned about. 

Know Your Zone

Residents of the unincorporated county as well as Sonoma County cities should know their evacuation zone. Over the past few years all nine cities and the county have worked to create one map, with all the different zones. If an evacuation warning or order is issued, it may be by zone, or by a subsection of the zone. Once you know your zone, write it down and keep it somewhere you’ll remember, and make sure all members of your household know it as well. If you are not sure what zone you are in, or if you need a refresher, you can visit https://socoemergency.org/get-ready/evacuation-map/ to look up your zone in a few different ways. 

Warnings and Alerts: SoCoAlert, Nixle, Civic Ready

The county’s alert and warning program has been continually improving in the years since the 2017 fires. It is important to know that currently, emergency warnings and alerts are almost always geotargeted—which means they are only being sent to the people who really need them. All alerts and warnings can be seen online at SoCoEmergency, Watch Duty, and other outlets, but only those who are directly impacted by an incident usually receive them on their mobile phones. For more information about alert and warning in the County, including informational short videos about each method and a few additional options, visit https://socoemergency.org/get-ready/sign-up/.

The County uses SoCoAlert to notify residents of direct, immediate threats to their safety and property. SoCoAlert is tested periodically and further refined. SoCoAlert is available in English and Spanish, and can send you a text message, phone call, and e-mail. It also works with telephone devices for the deaf. By creating an account you can sign up to be notified in multiple locations around Sonoma County; consider adding the information for your home, work, and any family or friends who might need a bit more help in an emergency—this way you’ll get notified if there is a threat to any of these locations. Now is a great time to make sure you are signed up for SoCoAlert and update your locations if needed, or make an account if you’ve never signed up: https://socoemergency.org/get-ready/sign-up/socoalert/

Nixle is used by law enforcement and fire agencies for both informational updates as well as critical information in a disaster. In Sonoma County, the Sheriff’s office calls for evacuation warnings and orders, so these may be sent by Nixle, as well as SoCoAlert. Evacuation information should only be sent to the people who are impacted by the order, where informational Nixle updates—such as those about a missing at-risk person, for example—are usually sent countywide. Some other agencies like Sonoma County Fire District and SMART also use Nixle for both emergency and routine information sharing. To sign up for Nixle you can text your zip code to 888777, or better yet, create an account so you can sign up for multiple jurisdictions in one place here: https://local.nixle.com/register/.

If you live in the City of Santa Rosa, you may have received notice some months ago that Santa Rosa is no longer using Nixle, and is instead using CivicReady. This system provides both informational updates and emergency alerts. To sign up for CivicReady, visit https://www.srcity.org/3796/CivicReady

SoCoAlert, Nixle, and CivicAlert all require you to sign up to receive alerts. There is also a fourth alert called Wireless Emergency Alerts, or WEA. These are set up at the federal level, though Sonoma County is one of a handful of counties in the US that can initiate one if needed. We think of these as “amber alerts”, as they wake up your phone, make a loud tone, and flash a message across the screen. You might not receive these if your phone settings are not right, so make sure your phone is set up to accept emergency and public safety alerts. They also do not work on all mobile carriers.

And finally, “if you hear Hi-Lo, it’s time to go”. Emergency vehicles throughout the County are equipped with “hi-lo” sirens, which sound a bit like British emergency sirens and feature two alternating tones. If you hear this, this means you are in danger and to leave immediately. 

Neighborhoods Working Together



No one can do it alone, and some people need more support than others. Get to know some of your neighbors and ask them what their plan is for an emergency. If you have a neighbor with mobility limitations or other needs, and you have capacity, ask them how you could help them in a time of crisis. If your neighborhood has a Communities Organized to Prepare for Emergencies (COPE) group, Map your Neighborhood group, or a Fire Safe Council, consider getting involved. Where I live in Oakmont, we have Oakmont COPE, which has been running for decades. My husband is one of the neighborhood leaders, and it is our responsibility to make sure that everyone is informed about a disaster and can safely evacuate before we leave ourselves. If you don’t have a group like this in your neighborhood, start small. Even a neighborhood e-mail list or phone tree can make the difference when disaster strikes, so consider getting something started for your community.  

Agricultural Access Verification Card Program

In the case of the Point Fire, on Tuesday, June 18th, the Sheriff's Department announced that the Agricultural Pass Program had been activated. Those with a valid Ag Pass could enter Zone SON-2E2 (Dry Creek Valley) for approved agricultural activities by presenting their pass to the peace officer at the road closure and following their instructions.

Learn more about the program on the Agriculture/Weights & Measures website: https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/awm/agaccess

Official Sources of Information

Identifying official sources of emergency information is important so that during an emergency all members of the community have direct access to accurate and timely facts. This will allow everyone to be able to make the best decisions for themselves and their families.

Make time now to identify your local sources of official information. As I mentioned above, subscribe to official emergency alerts from trusted sources and follow social media accounts on the platforms you are comfortable using. See here for a vetted list of official sources from authorities in Sonoma County: https://socoemergency.org/get-ready/official-information/

Fire season in Sonoma County comes with a lot of trauma, and many of my friends and neighbors were instantly on edge when smoke from the Point Fire started drifting down on the wind on Father’s Day. I find that being prepared, and staying informed, helps me manage the anxiety I get whenever the wind blows hot, or it’s still over 70 degrees out when night falls. Remember to take care of yourself and those around you and give everyone a little bit of grace. We will make it through yet another fire season, together.

Springs MAC - Join the Springs Municipal Advisory Council on the second Wednesday of each month at 6:30pm.

Next Meeting: Wednesday, July 10th at 6:30pm.

North Sonoma Valley MAC - Join the NSV MAC on the third Tuesday of the first and third months of each quarter: Jan, Mar, Apr., Jun., Jul., Sept., Oct., Dec.

Next Meeting: Tuesday, July 16th at 5:30pm.

Sonoma Valley Community Advisory Committee - The Sonoma Valley Community Advisory Commission advises on local planning projects in the Sonoma Valley, and hears informational items on other areas of interest. Join the SVCAC on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 6:30pm.

Next Meeting: Wednesday, June 26th at 6:30pm.