Remote Automatic Weather Stations (RAWS)
The Santa Rosa Fire Department (SRFD) received grant funding through FEMA and CAL OES to purchase six Remote Automatic Weather Stations (RAWS). Five of the stations have been strategically placed around the city and will monitor local weather conditions. The information will provide the Fire Department and our Emergency Management team better weather-related situational awareness year-round including during fire season and winter storms. The sixth RAWS is a portable station and can be deployed around the city as needed. During the recent heat event, the RAWS was placed in the upper elevations of Fountaingrove and firefighters were able to monitor the drastic differences in temperature, wind, and humidity in the hills of Santa Rosa versus the valley floor. The data will allow the SRFD to identify potential wildfire threats within the city limits and be better prepared. Plans are being made to make our weather stations available to the public. Visit srcity.org/Weather to learn more.
Wildland Danger Signs
It’s critical that our community is aware of the various levels of fire danger in and around our city. Historically, the city has used various methods to alert our community about fire weather concerns and red flag warnings including publishing information on our website, posts to multiple social media channels and sending out emergency alerts. The city has begun the installation of Wildfire Danger Signs in and around our Wildland Urban Interface (WUI). Our goal is to help those who live, work, visit or commute in and around our WUI recognize these signs and be aware of the current fire risk. The signs are designed for our local use and will be installed in these locations: Fountaingrove Parkway, Summerfield Road, Calistoga Road, and Sonoma Highway. The signs will have the standard Low-to-Extreme scale and will have additional messages during Red Flag Warning events.
Are you ready for a wildfire or next emergency? To help the community prepare, we published wildfire and emergency-preparedness information and resources on our website. Visit SRCity.org/WildfireReady and SRCity.org/ReadySR to prepare an emergency plan today.