Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma

Chief Abbott says be prepared to evacuate

Last month's Rock fire (July 28) serves as an important reminder of the importance to be prepared to evacuate, and when told to do so during a wildfire, to evacuate quickly.

Fires across the nation are now regularly burning at once historic rates, and less predictably. The "firenado" that was responsible for four of the six deaths at the Carr fire in Redding is but just one such example.

Staying behind after receiving an evacuation order will put your life at risk. With such aggressive fire behavior, rescue is often not possible even if resources are available.

During the recent Rock fire, the Sheriff's department made 139 contacts through AlertSanDiego, which is the successor to "reverse 9-1-1." Overall, countywide only 527,000 mobile phones have been registered with AlertSanDiego. We always encourage people not to wait for a call to evacuate.

So many times phone lines get burned over, power is out and sometimes cell service is even unreliable during disasters. For these reasons, law enforcement and fire personnel make door-to-door notifications, utilize loud speakers, and distribute information about evacuations through social and traditional media.

We also encourage neighbors to check on each other, to remain alert, and to self-evacuate if residents feel unsafe. Citizens can also stay informed during large scale emergencies through the county's website: http://www.sdcountyemergency.com.

To get the latest disaster information "pushed" to your mobile device so that you don't have to visit a website to seek out official information, you can download the no-cost county emergency mobile application, SD Emergency, on any Apple or Android device.

Finally, for those who prefer a low-tech resource during a large scale disaster anyone in San Diego County can call toll free 2-1-1 from any phone to speak with someone and find out the latest information about evacuation areas, shelters, pet resources, etc.

NOTES: According to a Cal Fire incident report on the Rock fire, approximately 100 homes in the area of Sandia Creek Road and Rock Mountain Road were evacuated. Fallbrook High School served as an evacuation center...Among the cooperating agencies coming together to work the Rock fire were multiple fire agencies from the north zone, San Diego County Sheriff's Department and Cleveland National Forest...The incident report showed that at 7:30 p.m., July 28, personnel working the Rock fire totaled 150 with 22 engines, five water tenders, four helicopters, one hand crew and three dozers. Earlier in the afternoon, four air tankers were also in action.

 

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