Solano County Launches Emergency Evacuation “Zone Technology”

I got a note from Solano County Office of Emergency Services coordinator Jennifer Novelli that the agency is launching their “Know Your Zone” campaign. It’s a collaborative effort between Zonehaven and Solano County, including all seven cities, which aims to better prepare residents and businesses for emergencies and evacuations. I asked Jennifer to explain this further: “To find your zone, residents can enter their address into the interactive map on www.community.zonehaven.com using the search bar. This will open a pop-up window, which includes the zone name and information about the zone. Residents and businesses should record the names of all the zones they frequent–such as home, work, school, or homes of loved ones–and keep them in a visible place. Use the “Subscribe to Alerts,” button, located under the Community Links section, to sign up for emergency notifications through Alert Solano.”

Zone names, in addition to the zone boundaries, will be used in emergency notifications, so, according to Jennifer, knowing the name of your zone is critical to staying informed during an emergency. In the event of an emergency, first responders and other public safety personnel will use Zonehaven to assist in issuing evacuations and other critical emergency notifications. Residents can see up to date information about their zone through the Zonehaven AWARE platform. This is exciting and potentially life-saving technology, and OES staff are excited to get it implemented. Jennifer reminds everyone to “follow your local emergency response agencies on social media, too, and be sure to Know Your Zone.”

www.AlertSolano.com

www.community.Zonehaven.com

John Young