Automated emergency evacuation call raises concerns
As flames tore through homes and businesses in North Auburn, a series of automated phone calls from the Placer County Sheriff’s Department’s dispatch office alerted residents to voluntary and mandatory evacuations. One of those, a late-afternoon message announcing a mandatory evacuation within a seven-mile radius of Bell Road was raising eyebrows and questions Monday. Some say it unnecessarily created confusion. Residents as far away as Clipper Gap and Newcastle — several miles from the reach of the 49 Fire — received the call. “Our 80-plus-year-old neighbors were traumatized in their effort to get out,“ Meadow Vista resident Jon Anderson wrote in an e-mail to the Journal Monday. “Another friend called this morning to tell me that his wife crashed their new car into a tree while backing up in a rush. I suspect there were many such instances that occurred as a result of this apparent premature alert.“ A short time after the calls went out, officials announced on radio and TV to disregard the seven-mile requirement. A subsequent robo-call issued a clarification that “there were no evacuations in place for areas south of Bell Road and west of Highway 49.” North Auburn resident Michael Stark, who lives a couple of miles from the Auburn Municipal Airport, found out about the fire when he received a call advising of a mandatory evacuation just for the vicinity of the fire. “I stepped out on my deck and was startled by the size of the smoke cloud looming to the north,” he said in an e-mail. He was further astonished when a neighbor told him of the seven-mile radius call, which he hadn’t heard. “The scope (of the evacuation) made me really question it,” he said by phone Monday. “I thought it had to be an enormous fire to trigger that. That seemed to be totally unrealistic. Just knowing the population of Auburn, we’re talking 10,000 people probably. That’s an enormous number to evacuate. That brings unintended consequences.” Stark’s reaction was to jump into his car and find a vantagepoint to view the blaze. It was then that he heard a radio announcement disavowing the message. As he headed for the airport, he encountered significant but not overwhelming traffic on the roads. “People weren’t heading away, they were heading toward (the fire),” he said. At the airport, he joined a couple of dozen onlookers on the runway. There’s where the full impact of the disaster hit home. “It was a very frightening,” he said. “The black clouds were enormous. The grass was burning close to the western edge of the runway. The most striking thing was the sound of explosions. It sounded like people’s propane tanks were exploding.” It wasn’t until he arrived back home, that he received the robo-message about the seven-mile evacuation — still circulating even though it had been rescinded awhile earlier. He doesn’t know of any of his neighbors who followed the evacuation order. “I discussed it with several of them,” Stark said. “They all thought it was not credible.” At Auburn Ravine Terrace, a care home on Auburn Ravine Road within city limits, several residents received the automated call to evacuate. It created a little bit of confusion but no chaos. “One of our staff members called the Auburn Police Department and they told us we didn’t need to evacuate because the wind was blowing the other way,” administrator Robert Mauer said. “Nobody really panicked. They just asked a lot of questions. We suggested to any residents that were concerned to call their family to pick them up. A couple of them went to family members, but we didn’t evacuate anyone.” In fact, a short time after the mandatory evacuation call was received at the Journal, Auburn Police Chief Valerie Harris contacted the newspaper to post a notice that there were no evacuations for residents living within the Auburn city limits. Closer to the fire, Siena Care Center, on Education Street, did not receive the mandatory evacuation call. “Our emergency system is so good in this area, I knew I would be notified along with a full complement of what I needed to have to evacuate our patients,” executive director Joan Martilucci said. Another Auburn resident, Felecia Bowers, e-mailed the Journal about others not on the robo-call tree. “Some people do not have land lines and use cell phones,” she wrote. “Therefore, some did not receive the mandatory evacuation calls.” For Anderson, it’s an issue that needs to be resolved before the next crisis. “One other major concern would be the “crying wolf” syndrome when an evacuation is truly in order,” he wrote. “Someone made a big mistake and the procedure needs to be evaluated in my opinion.” At the same time, Anderson noted that it is better to be safe than sorry, and it is a reminder to have a plan ready in the event of a real fire emergency. Calls to the Sheriff’s Department and the Office of Emergency Services were not returned as of press time. Gloria Young can be reached at gloriay@goldcountrymedia.com.
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Better safe than sorry. The system works well and it has proven itself many times in Placer County and other locations as well. Imagine if the calls had not gone to an area that was in the path of the fire. How many lives could have been lost?
By the way, while we're knocking the Sheriff's Department why don't you tell the story about Deputy Ken Skogen of the Placer Sheriff Department who went into a burning house to save an elderly lady. Channel 10, a Sacramento TV station can carry the story but the local newspaper doesn't.
Come on people, give credit where credit is due.
Oops, I found the story about the Deputy as I kept reading. My apologies and thank you to Deputy Skogen.
Loomisres your a fool You don't even live here. They tried to evacuate from Newcastle to Meadow Vista so that would include the whole damn city of Auburn.
I live on Bell Road and got the call. After checking on elderly neighbors, we proceeded to try to get ready to go. Other than pets and important papers, I had no idea what else to grab. Even though we didn't have to evacuate, reality showed that we really need some kind of plan just in case something does happen in our area. Thank you to everybody who helped with the fire, and our hearts go out to all those who lost homes.
Auburnlocal, thank you for the complement. By the way, based on what I read I am thankful that I don't live in Auburn, to much hostility there. Read your post.
While I also received the call in Newcastle, I can hardly find fault with this system. It only took a whisper of commom sense to tell me that I didn't need to go anywhere. We saw the smoke on Auburn Folsom road, coming home from Granite Bay. It is hard to tell just where the fire is from that distance, but one quick phone call resolved it. I have a friend who's husband is a fire-fighter. She told me that when firefighters arrived, lines were down, cars burning...many dangerous situations. Emergency personnel practice their craft in a calculated manner that most of us do not understand. It makes them more effective and minimizes their own casualties. We need to trust their expertise, allow the system to not be perfect and step up to plate in areas of self-reliance...
I live in Christian Valley at Stanley and Virginia and we were supposed to evacuate. We didn't get the call because we have broadband phone and TV. So once the power went, out no communication whatsoever. A Good bull horn would have been a thought. I was in the path of the real 49er Fire years ago and they made sure people in the path were out well in advance. If that fire had not been stopped at Moss Rock many many more of us would have been home when the flames came.
While they may be experts this does need to be fixed now in case we have another fire.
I got two calls in Newcastle. The second call gave the precise evacuation location by street names. The military, cia, fbi also practice their craft in a calculated manner that most of us do not understand ....We need to trust their expertise, allow the system to not be perfect......
Observer, Great perception about emergency services. I've taken the liberty to add some other groups.
Cindylou. I worked for Pacific Bell for 30 years. Regular land line telephones work during power failures. The phones in my house are wireless except for one. During a power failure I can still receive and make calls from the regular phone. The wireless phones don't work.
I would prefer to err on the side of caution and have TOO MUCH time to prepare and think and pack up my pets and other valuables! Anyone in doubt could easily have turned on the TV or radio, logged onto the computer, or, I don't know, looked out the window to get a better idea of the risk. The fact of the matter is, this was a very unpredictable fire and county officials did the right thing by warning people. The strong winds were blowing flames and embers everywhere - things could have gotten much worse and instead of complaining and criticizing the people who WARNED US, we should be glad many of us (myself included) didn't actually have to heed the warnings.
"We need to trust their expertise, allow the system to not be perfect...... "
Not when people who should have evacuated did not get the call. That would be me, my family, and pets. And pretty much anyone without a regular land line.
Broadband phones do not work during a power failure. They run off arouter and need power. Good for you for working for PGE
I'm sorry I meant Pacific bell
I'm surprised they didn't call people in Roseville.......
I got a call and shouldn't have; I didn't and should have...government is in my life too much; government isn't doing enough for me. Jeez!
Thanks for the quick response, risking your lives, the people that volunteered with food and clothing and I am sorry for those that lost their personal belongings. I'm grateful for the lives and health of those that are safe today.
Had to scratch my head when I read Cindylou's comments. We live just down the street from where she said she lived. Deputies from Nevada Co Sheriffs Office knocked on our door & told us there was a manditory evacuation. Plus fire trucks drove up and down Helen, Virginia, & Stanley for about 1/2 hour with bullhorns telling people to leave. No power, visible smoke from the fire area. How could she have possible not been aware?????
I live off of Luther road and also received the call. We had been busy around the house and had no idea there was even a fire in Auburn until that call. After going outside. looking behind our home, and seeing what looked like a massive amount of smoke practically in our backyard, we started packing. It was a scramble to figure out what to take and eventually I turned on the tv and realized that it was further away that it looked. We stayed and just monitored the situation but were ready had we been required to leave. One shift of the wind could have been that requirement. I am very grateful for the call even though I had to unpack a lot later. Better safe than sorry. I agree with the earlier post of using some common sense. As far as phones go, people should look out for each other. I have two neighbors, one across the street and one to the side, that only have cell phones. After receiving the call on my land line, I let them both know what was going on.
WHAT HAPPENED TO COMMON SENSE???? STOP THE BLAME GAME PEOPLE, AND TAKE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR YOURSELF! IF YOU THINK YOU ARE IN DANGER, THEN USE COMMON SENSE AND LEAVE.... I BELIEVE EVERYONE WITHIN A 60 MILE RADIUS COULD SEE THE SMOKE ! IT WASN'T LIKE THAT WASNT AN ALERT IN ITSELF.
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I'M GRATEFUL WE WERE GIVEN AN AUTOMATED WARNING BY THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE. WITH ALL THE NEGATIVE TALK ABOUT PLACER COUNTY THIS PAST YEAR, IT IS NICE THAT THEY DID SOMETHING GOOD FOR US ALL WHO LIVE HERE. THANK YOU AND GOOD JOB SHERIFF'S OFFICE.
Auburn Girl no one is doing the blame game. It is just something that needs to be looked into before the next fire. Gladly our local system has not had to practice this too much. Get your panties out of a wad.
As for common sense yes we had everything packed including some pissed off pets with nowhere to go. Gladly we did not have to go anywhere. Because we were not aware of any evac centers because of no communication
cindylou, I also have wave phone service and in the router there is an 8 hour back up battery in my router. But if the cable is out so is the phone. You have to make sure you have a non-cordless phone in case you have a power outage.
I think the people that choose to stay in their homes during an evacuation, while it is admirable, should rethink their priorities. The fire personnel now have to save you and your house not just your house. I don't think the they are helping one bit. In fact I think they are adding unneeded stress to an already stressful situation.
I got a call also, but common sense prevailed, I did help friends evacuate directly in line and Kudos to the Nevada County Sherrifs office for doing the alerting....in Placer county and all that helped.
Rolandmc-Thanks for making a good point. It seems after every disaster the finger pointing starts. Can we agree that everyone involved surely did their best? Mistakes, especially in judgement, are unintentional and instead of being hostile people could be helpful and take their constructive critisizm to the responsible agency. I am a little shocked at the lack of gratitude being voiced here and in the media. I am still sputtering about the guy interviewed on channel 3 saying "where were our heroes"? Well, big guy, they are all home watching the Broncos game and drinking beer. (sarcasm with rolling eyes).
I agree with you Rolandmc. People just love to complain.
I can't believe that anyone in Meadow Vista would complain. Are you kinding me Jon Anderson. If the firefighters didn't do such a great job, you would be toast.
Cindylou, Did your broadband company inform you that your phone would not work during a power failure? Did you ask? What are you going to do to solve your problem?
geez, u people will complain about anything and everything....oh no, they gave us too early of a warning
Cindylou - you CHOOSE to have broadband phone service. you KNOW the government systems lag years behind state of the art technology in their legacy systems and you're complaining about it! Why don't you get your panties out of a wad and install a backup system (ie, generator, battery backup, backup landlines) since you're so smart. The few bucks might save your family's life.
To all those who worked hard to let us know about the fire, and those who fought the fire, and those who are continuing to help those who lost EVERYTHING, thank you seems so inadequate. There are everyday heroes who do things just because it's the right thing to do and then there are people who complain just because.
Thank you to those everyday heroes who notified us to get out. THANK YOU!!! My loved ones are safe because you tried. I can't put into words (without getting this comment pulled) the feelings I have for people who were "bothered" by a phone call that may have notified too many people.
Can you imagine the outrage if no notification when out at all?
Be thank for what you have, hug those you love and go have enjoy this beautiful day.
Ironically, the Journal has helped publish a fire safety/preparedness insert every year. Talks about defensible space, evacuations etc. Might be worth a reprint since many folks haven't had to use the info. And if you have internet, there is plenty of info on what to take in the amount of "minutes" you may have before evacuating. Also, there is a home inventory software, that is free on line. I got a copy from Farmer's insurance at one of the home shows. Its a bit "cumbersome", but it is free and if you didn't know where to start, it is worth considering.
Personally, I'll take that emergency alert call over NO call whatsoever, but that's just my opinion.
I live in Penryn and received a call; then about an hour later received a 2nd. My elderly neighbor across the street phoned me and was a bit nervous. I explained to her about the 7-mile radius and we were way outside of that -- but that if I did leave, I would let her know and take her with me. That put her at ease.
She called me the next day and asked that if there were ever an emergency like this near our homes if she could "hitch a ride" with us. I said of course and we're planning on meeting to set up an evacuation plan and I'm going to help her arrange all her important paperwork and anything else she'd like to take in case this ever happens.
We received the automated call, with the 7 mile radius. A little logic and research showed me that as long at the WIND direction DID NOT CHANGE, we were safe. However, the phone call was a great wake up call to make me realize that we really didn’t have a very effective evacuation plan in our household. Guess what I will be doing for the next couple of weeks! Also, remember, there were no (human) deaths related to this fire. I believe there was one burn victim, but other than that no fatalities. Unfortunately, some pets did not make it and my heart goes out to those in grief; but it could have been so much worse! What happened was a tragedy, of that there is no doubt, but I am thankful for the warnings we did have, for the hard work our emergency personnel did and for the ongoing media coverage to keep people informed. I have also been happy to see members of the community trying to help their neighbors. Let’s keep that support and positive flow going…
ChristinaO, missed seeing you here. Welcome back.
Thank you ChuxxR!
Pretty shocking on how rude people are in a time where people have suffered a great loss. I really don't know what happen to Auburn.
It used to be a nice place and over the last 5 years it has really seen a big increase of people moving in from out of town. Traffic now is getting a bit much and trying to drive to the store without someone trying to pick a fight with you for driving the speed limit is sad.
To all the mean and rude comments
I pray for you
A crisis brings out the best/worst. To all those who are volunteering to help, kudos. It's time to move forward, repair the damage and re-group. I live in CV and was told by the authorities to evacuate, received that telephone call, and a passerby strongly nudged me to leave. I chose Auburn because I wanted no longer to live in a soul-less area and wanted to be defined and safe. I'm glad to have made the correct choice. Onward.
The point that so many miss is that telling people to evacuate, who are not even remotely close to being in harms way, may have unintended consequences that could prove disastrous in future situations. The smart folks understand exactly what I mean and the dumb ones won't, even with lengthy explanations.
chuckeycheese: we are fortunate in our area that most of us have multiple routes to get to destinations...even if everyone in the 7 mile radius were to evacuate for a time I believe our roads and resources would have handled it. Fortunately, however, even with the notification the vast majority were wearing their critical thinking caps and it was not a problem.
I couldn't agree more. People who think are likely to always fare much better than people who trust the government to think for them.
With that said, even though we ended up not needing it, I was ultimately happy to get the call. It helped in other ways...at least for us.
i was born and raised in Auburn- and now i live in Colorado- to see this huge fire in the town i grew up in was very sad- but not half as sad as reading the comments about getting the alert calls when they didnt need them etc- i know it had to be confusing and what not- but really they were just trying to SAVE YOUR LIVES- I have friends that live on dry creek road and family that live in cristian valley- i was worried for them and all the people of Auburn and the local business that were lost. All the people that lost their homes have lost everything that you take for granted and the same with the business- in a ecconomy the way it is- this was the last thing any of them needed.
To the fire departments- police officers etc- and to the Great firefighter who risked his life to get a lady out of her burning home- these people are the heros-. Quit your complaining and say your prayers everynight that at least you have your home or your business or even your job- GOD BLESS AUBURN
Cindylou, don't blame the sheriff because YOU chose to have a nontraditional phone service. Maybe instead of asking them to improve their technology for "next time", maybe you should ask yourself the same question and be prepared to receive their call.
lnewman say's it all.
Well put.
Suggestions to cindylou - Get yourself a radio that works on batteries. Next time the power goes out you can find out why.
AND - learn how to be neighborly. We didn't leave until we were sure that all our nearby neighbors had evacuated. If none of your immediate neighbors made sure that you were OK, it's time to ask yourself why..
We received the 7 mile evac message also and we live off Mt. Vernon.....we could see where the smoke was so we were confident that it was overestimated, we waited a bit and it wasn't but minutes later that they corrected the inaccurate info....it wasn't a big deal. It was however an eye opener as to the magnitude of the situation when we decided to head down to Rocklin to do some shopping and saw about 15 fire rigs heading east to assist with the blaze. They really reacted quickly, and I have actually been very proud to say that my community acted as fast as it did to help its displaced residents. I cannot imagine how hard it must be to lose everything.