SAN DIEGO — A Red Flag Warning will go into effect Thursday, and San Diego firefighting agencies at all levels around the county will be on high alert.
In the years following the devastating Cedar Fire in 2003, and Witch Creek Fire in 2007, firefighting in San Diego County has made dramatic leaps forward both in terms of technology and teamwork among different agencies.
One of technological improvements has been the development of the Alert San Diego System, which communicates fire danger and evacuation orders to residents.
The system is run by San Diego County’s office of emergency services.
Captain Thomas Shoots of Cal Fire San Diego points out that Cal Fire has the ability to better verify 911 calls when they come in by using high tech video equipment.
“We now have cameras on all the peaks where we are able to see what is going on in real time,” said Captain Shoots.
Advances in technology have also allowed firefighting departments on all levels, local, state, and federal to communicate with each other much more effectively through the Computer Aided Dispatch, CAD, system, which is used in emergency communications centers.
On the ground, all departments are in sync too.
“They are now all linked so we are able to request resources coming in a lot easier. We are all utilizing the same radio channels. Everyone has the same training skills sets,” said Captain Shoots.
The cooperation extends beyond firefighting agencies to Sheriff’s and other law enforcement.
“We are able to, with the help of law enforcement, evacuate in segments so there is not a mass rush of everybody on the roads,” said Captain Shoots.
Getting the world out on fires and evacuation orders to residents has also improved through Alert San Diego, the reverse 911 system.
“Alert is making up for the fact that a lot of people do not have landlines anymore,” said Captain Shoots.
It is critical, though, that San Diegans who have ditched their landline to sign up for the alert using their mobile phone number.
“Go to Alert San Diego, add your cell number to the data base so you’ll get the information,” said Captain Shoots.