FOREST LAKES EVACUATION PLAN
By Pete Davis, Coconino County Sheriff's Department
In June of 2000, the Air Horn Evacuation System was
tested and is now operational. This
system is in place due to the time and dedication of several members of
the community over the last few years.
The plan started with lessons learned during the major snowstorm
of January 1997. Although
that "Incidents Plan" was effective, the Fire Department and
myself believed much more could be done and in a more thorough way.
Since that time the plan has evolved into an
Incident Command System we are very proud of and confident with.
The following is an overview of our system:
Upon the recognition of a local emergency
(snowstorm, fire, HAZ-MAT) the Incident Command System will be
implemented. The system is
based on a chain of command which designates particular responsibilities
to individual volunteers. As
the incident expands it may be necessary to evacuate some or all of the
residents of Forest Lakes. This
evacuation will be completed in the following manner:
First, the Air Horn System, which is mounted on a
trailer, will be activated. This
trailer is equipped to notify the entire community with an air horn in
approximately 30 minutes. If
one continuous blast of air is activated, residents should prepare to
evacuate within the hour. If
short blasts are heard, evacuation is immediate, danger is eminent..
Secondly, evacuators will contact you door to door
if possible. These
volunteers will advise you of the following:
-
Type of emergency and location.
-
Approximate time to evacuate.
-
Direction of evacuation route.
-
Tie a white towel or cloth to your doorknob.
-
This will be the only personal contact
received.
Evacuation routes will be designated with either
"E" signs or evacuation volunteers at intersections.
Finally, the Forest Lakes Fire
Department will announce the evacuation over the radio periodically
so having a scanner in your home is strongly advised.
If you would like to know who your
area leader is, you may come by the fire house for a list and an
evacuation brochure with pertinent information.
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