Red Flag Warnings
When the National Weather Service issues a Red Flag Warning, it means that weather conditions are expected for certain areas during a specific time frame, which would have a critical effect on fires that can develop and will likely spread rapidly. See FIRESafe Marin for more details.
A Red Flag Warning in effect is indicated in the Park by a red flag at the top of the hill next to the banner area and two red feathers outside the clubhouse with a banner that reads:
Red Flag Warning TODAY
Fire Danger is EXTREME!
DO NOT:
• Bar-B-Que
• Drive on dry grass
• Use outdoor power tools
ALERT:
• Be ready for EVACUATION
• Be ready for POWER-OUT
• Charge your cellphone
• Fill your gas tank
• Stay hydrated.
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Emergency Response Notifications – Back to Top↑
Nixle
Nixle is a principal means by which the Marin County Sheriffs Office posts emergency notices. Sign up to receive safety information on Nixle by texting your ZIP code to 888-777. Once you are registered on the Nixle system, you will receive all text messages posted by the police and fire departments for this area. These include road closures and missing persons, as well as fire danger and power cutoff notices. Some messages take you to web links that provide additional information.
An even more informative and focused feature of Nixle is their city specific web pages. For instance, on the Nixle Alerts for Novato page you can find an entry by the Marin County Fire Department for the Red Flag/Power Shutoff incident on October 8. That notice included the following:
Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) has notified the County of Marin that it will activate its Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) protocols in response to high temperatures, Red Flag conditions and high winds. At 2:45pm today, PG&E said it will initiate a planned power shutoff in the areas in or near Bolinas, Fairfax, Mill Valley, Muir Beach, Olema, Sausalito, and Stinson Beach by 4:00am Wednesday morning. *** The duration of the event is unknown and will be determined by PG&E. ***
Fire agencies in Marin, including the Marin County Fire Department, have increased staffing resources during the heightened threat.
The Marin County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services is putting into motion its electrical system De-energization Response Plan. Additionally, it is coordinating with nearby response partners in monitoring the power situation.
Residents and business owners can review PG&E’s Fire Threat, PSPS Event Maps and Service Impact Map webpages to see if a property is in an area where power may be shutoff. (Editors note: In an actual emergency these PG&E pages are often overloaded, and the site may be a long time in responding.) PG&E is monitoring weather patterns and said it will provide updates to customers and the County of Marin when more information is available. If a PSPS event does occur, residents can access updated information from PG&E on the PSPS Updates webpage.
All questions regarding PSPS events and extended outages should be directed to PG&E via their website and (866) 743-6589.
Please only call 9-1-1 if you are experiencing a medical or life threatening emergency.
Seniors and vulnerable populations who may be adversely affected by an extended outage can contact Marin Health and Human Service’s resource line at (415) 457-INFO to access available resources.
Emergency Management officials remind residents and visitors that it is important to have a plan to adjust daily routines to one without PG&E power.
The notice also includes FEMA recommendations:
- Sign up to receive safety information on Nixle by texting your ZIP code to 888-777.
- Sign up for AlertMarin notifications to receive information on immediate threats to personal safety or property, tailored to an address of your choosing.
- Watch for wireless emergency alerts if evacuations are ordered, intended to reach all cell phones in the area.
- Sign-up for PSPS Zip Code Alerts by texting ENROLL to 97633 or by calling 1-877-9000-PGE.
- Update contact information with PG&E at www.pge.com/mywildfirealerts or by calling 1-866-743-6589.
Review plans - Identify several evacuation routes for your location in case roads are blocked. Tell someone out of the area which routes you plan to use.
- Keep vehicles fueled and ready in case of an evacuation.
- Make a list of what you’ll want to take with you if you leave your home quickly. Consider the Five P’s of Evacuation: People/Pets; Prescriptions; Papers; Personal Needs; Priceless Items.
- Talk to a medical provider about a power outage plan for medical devices powered by electricity and refrigerated medicines. Take stock of batteries and other alternatives to meet your needs when the power goes out.
- Take inventory of available supplies such as food, water, clothing, and flashlight batteries.
- Have some cash available in case retail point-of-sale devices are unable to accept credit cards during an outage.
- Check thermometers in refrigerators and freezers during an outage. Dispose of perishable food if the appliance temperature reaches 40 degrees or higher for an extended period.
- Keep mobile phones and other electric equipment charged.
- Know how to manually open electric garage doors and gates.
- For more information, including what to do during a power outage, visit readymarin.org and www.ready.gov
The notice ended with a table listing how many service connections in each affected city would be impacted, with a service connection ranging from a single household to an entire apartment complex or larger. A map image of affected areas was also included.
In short, Nixle will help keep you informed.
Alert Marin – Register your cell phone of VOIP for ALERT MARIN
If a wildfire requires evacuation in Marin and time allows, emergency managers will use the “Alert Marin” system to send out notifications by telephone, cellular, VOIP, and text message. If you live, work or go to school in Marin County and are 18 and over, you may register your cell phone or VoIP (voice over internet protocol) phone to receive emergency alerts sent by call, text, email, or smartphone application from the County of Marin.
Listed and unlisted/blocked Marin County landline phone numbers are already included in the Alert Marin emergency notification system. Cell phone and VoIP numbers are not included and will require your registration in our Self-Registration Portal.
Alert Marin will help you know when to take action.
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General Preparedness – Back to Top↑
There are several good sources of general preparedness info in back issues of Echo magazine:
- On pages 4-5 of the June 2019 Echo, John Hansen talks about Red Flag Warnings and Power Outages, and how to deal with them.
- On page 7 of the July 2019 Issue, Kevin Mulvany discusses Power Outage preparations in more detail.
- On page 3 of the August 2019 Issue, Bill Davis provides a further update on Red Flag Warnings and Power Outages.
- On page 4 of the October 2019 Issue, Pam Berkson provides suggestions for what kinds of emergency provisions we should have readily available.