In a fire, quake, or other emergency, you need to know what's going on. Here are the initial first steps every resident should take:
Redundancy is a good thing in crisis communications. One system may get through if another fails because of power outage, cell tower damage, burnt cables, spotty mobile access, etc. We recommend an old-fashioned corded land-line in addition to any other phone.
Are you signed up for the County's official evacuation system, SoCo Alerts? You should be. Register here, or call (866) 939-0911.You can get notification via land-lines, cell phones (voice & text), and email.
One Call Now is a back-up notification system we've set up just for our FRVFD area, via land-lines, cell phones (voice & text), and emails. Email Gayle to make sure you’re on it.
GMRS Radios/Walkie Talkies form a local community emergency radio network for the Fort Ross and Timbercove VFD response areas. If power, phones, and internet go down, GMRS still works. We strongly encourage every household to be in this system. More information on our home page; contact Nancy at 847-3369, nancyfeehan@gmail[dot]com.
Alert Us is a local email system that warns of urgent conditions, road blockages, fires, and the like. Sign up by sending an email to AlertUsList@theboonies[dot]net from the email address where you want to receive notices.
Cell phone users can also enroll in Nixle to receive official public safety notices from the County and Sheriff's offices. Choose “Only Urgent Messages” in Settings to avoid minor matters.
If phones and internet go down, ham radios still work. Email Dave and learn about licensing through the Coastal Hills Radio Group.
Good communications in an emergency are essential. You have to know what the emergency is, from what direction the fire is coming, what routes are open if evacuation is called for.
To track a fire or other emergencies through scanner radio, listen online to live audio feed as emergency dispatchers interact with first responders, including FRVFD. This is in-the-moment information on where the fires are throughout the County. It may be hard to understand radio communications between fire agencies; practice helps. The code for Fort Ross is 43.
You can also purchase a pager/scanner or personal radio from electronics stores, and you don’t need a fancy model. Learn how to use it and keep the batteries charged. Contact the FRVFD to get appropriate local channels.
Get very local, crowd-sourced reports and real-time information at the Caz Hills Fire/Emergency Group at Facebook. (This is a private page, meaning you must be a Facebook patron to view this.)
This interactive County map shows current evacuation zones, fire boundaries, and road closures.
For daily information on fires in progress, check the Cal-Fire Incidents page. Click through to find details on local fires.
FRVFD has a community siren system. When you hear it wail, it means "Check your scanner." (The quick way to do this is online.) The issue may be a medical call, an accident, or a fire. If it's medical or accident, you won't hear anything more. On three Mondays a month, the siren sounds for FRVFD trainings. However, if it is a fire, it will be on the scanner and Alert Us emails (above) will go out.
Emergency vehicles are all equipped with a Hi-Lo siren that is only used for evacuation. If you hear the Hi-Lo siren, the situation is severe. Evacuate immediately, if you haven't already.
By the way, our colleagues at the Cazadero Volunteer Fire Department have a noonday siren every day at 12:00 p.m. It's nothing to worry about.
NOAA weather forecasts give advance notice of Red Flag Warnings, Critical Fire Weather Watches, and Extreme Fire Warnings, as well as winter storm hazard warnings. Read their "Forecast Discussion" page for more detailed information, updated three times daily (can be a bit technical, but skim for relevant info).
Pole Mountain Lookout and Morhardt Ridge both have two 24/7 fire detection cameras that emergency personnel use to spot and track wildfires. Watch in real time at Alertwildfire.org.
Local weather conditions can be found at Black Mountain Communications' page at Weather Underground.
Long-range California forecasts and weather/climate discussions (accessible to the layperson) are at the Weather West blog: www.weatherwest.com. Subscribe for regular updates.
Windy.com is an interactive wind map that shows direction and velocity, especially helpful in a red flag condition with diablo winds, or winter storms. You can also view map layers for rain, thunder, air quality, and more — all in real time.
To monitor a lightning storm, check out LightningMaps.org for real time strikes.
Smoke from major fires near and far can strongly affect our air quality for days. Don't ignore the smoke, it has serious, long-term health effects. Monitor local air quality and get more information at NoSoCoAir. See our own tips for coping with smoky air.
Road closures in Sonoma County rural areas are listed at www.roadconditions.sonoma-county.org.