With the recent fire activity locally and the start of Fire Season in Santa Rosa on June 6, it is important to understand the different warning notifications and systems public safety officials will use to alert you during an emergency. Some of these systems require prior registration including a phone number.  Emergencies an happen anywhere, at any time. Knowing how to properly take action during an emergency can potentially save your property and your life.

Know what we mean if we issue an…
EVACUATION ORDER:  You must evacuate immediately due to imminent threat to life.
EVACUATION WARNING:  There is potential threat to life and property within a given time frame. Begin preparing yourself, your animals, and your property for a potential evacuation order.
SHELTER-IN-PLACE:  Stay secure at your current location. This may be required when evacuation is impossible, too dangerous, or unnecessary.

If you hear the Hi/Lo, it's time to GO!
Depending on the emergency, the City’s ability to reach you via traditional alert and warning tools may be limited. Santa Rosa police cars and fire department vehicles are outfitted with Hi/Lo sirens, a different sound than traditional sirens, that will only be used to alert residents to evacuate. This European-style, 2-tone siren will only be used in an emergency to alert residents within specific areas of the need to evacuate. If you hear the Hi/Lo, it’s time to go. WATCH VIDEO

SoCoAlert and Nixle, What’s is the Difference?
Notification systems such as SoCoAlert.com and Nixle.com require registration in order to receive information on local emergencies. They are not the same notification system. SoCoAlert is used for emergency notifications by Sonoma County first responders. SoCoAlert can alert residents by landline or mobile phone, text message and email about imminent threats. Community members can register multiple addresses to receive emergency information for, including a home, school or work. Nixle is primarily used to send the community messages via email, and by text message and email for more urgent messages. The biggest difference between the two systems is that Nixle notifications are NOT delivered by phone call. 

All Hazards NOAA Weather Radio
All Hazards NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) is a low-cost home alerting tool that can be remotely activated by the National Weather Service to broadcast life-saving warnings issued by first responders. All NWR’s furnished by the City of Santa Rosa have been preprogramed to frequency 162.475. If you purchase a radio on your own be sure to set it to the correct frequency in order to receive important warnings including ones for wildfires. Review our complete Know Your Alerts flyer HERE and WATCH VIDEO

Don’t forget to follow the City of Santa Rosa’s social media channels as another way to stay informed. 

City of Santa Rosa: Nextdoor | Facebook | Twitter | Youtube
Fire Department: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Nixle
Police Department: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Nixle