Notification Systems
The City of Escondido uses a number of different notification systems in order to provide the community with important information about a range of subjects, from urgent emergency situations to local events or developments of interest. The following describes the different types of notifications. Depending on the Emergency, the City may incorporate multiple communications methods to reach as many residents and businesses as possible.
CITY WEBSITE
During an emergency, the City's website (https://escondido.org/) will display an "emergency notification banner" on the website's main page describing the emergency and directions for residents.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Emergency information will be provided through the City's Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/CityofEscondido) account. Additional information will be posted to the Escondido Fire's Facebook page as time permits.
DOOR-TO-DOOR NOTIFICATIONS
For fast moving emergencies, such as wildland fires, police officers and other volunteers may go door-to-door to notify residence to evacuate or to provide additional response information. This will be followed with one or more of the electronic notifications listed below.
EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM (EAS)
In some emergencies, the Emergency Alert System (EAS) is a viable means of communication. EAS is the system that you hear on the radio or TV. While the information will go to most radio and TV stations in San Diego County, KOGO AM 600 and KLSD AM 1360 have dedicated backup systems in the event of a major disaster and can forward the information to all radio and television stations across the county. Emergency Alerts can be heard anywhere within the county with a handheld AM/FM radio or your car's AM radio. Because of system limitations there are many circumstances where EAS may not be appropriate to use for notifying the public. In that case, one of the follow notification systems will be used for emergency notification.
WIRELESS EMERGENCY ALERTS (WEA)
The Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) / Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) can be utilized to quickly disseminate emergency alerts to mobile devices. WEA messages are Intentionally short and should direct residents to take a specific action: evacuate, shelter in place, monitor the news are additional information, etc.
Per the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) guidelines, the following criteria should be met to warrant a WEA message:
- Urgency: The event urgency must be classified as either immediate, requiring immediate responsive action, or expected, requiring responsive action within one hour.
- Severity: The severity of the event must be classified as either extreme, posing an extraordinary threat to life of property, or severe, posing a significant threat to life or property.
- Certainty: The certainty of the event must be classified as either observed (i.e., determined to have occurred or to be ongoing) or likely (i.e., determined to have a probability of occurrence of 50 percent or greater).
COMMUNITY EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION SYSTEM (CENS)
In 2006, the County of San Diego implemented the AlertSanDiego communications system. AlertSanDiego is currently available throughout the County. All listed and unlisted landline phone numbers are already included in the AlertSanDiego database and residents can register their cell phone, VoIP phone number and email addresses.
AlertSanDiego enables emergency dispatchers to call residents, via a reverse 911 callout system, and alert them to emergency actions which may need to be taken. AlertSanDiego combines GIS mapping technologies with 9-1-1 calling data in an easy-to-use interface.
AlertSanDiego is also available in accessible formats. Accessible AlertSanDiego provides emergency management the capability of alerting and informing residents of San Diego County who are deaf, blind, hard of hearing, and deaf/blind before, during, and after a disaster. Accessible AlertSanDiego sends accessible alerts and information to internet and video capable devices, such as computers, cell phones, smart phones, tablet computers, and wireless Braille readers. These alerts are offered in American Sign Language (ASL) with English voice and text.
The AlertSanDiego system, which is hosted by Blackboard Connect, has the capability of making thousands of calls per hour by using automated calling technology. OES, City of Escondido or the Sheriff’s Communications Center can activate AlertSanDiego.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Do I need to register my home line to be included in the database?
No, your home phone number is already listed in the database and does not need to be registered. AlertSanDiego is for cell phone and VoIP registration only. Registering your cell phone will not replace or "overwrite" your home line. All efforts will be made to reach you at all of your contact numbers.
- If I register my cell phone and/or VoIP, will that information remain confidential?
Yes, your information will be kept confidential. It may be shared with other public safety agencies but it will only be used for emergency purposes. Under no circumstances will your information ever be sold or used for commercial purposes.
- Can I add more than one cell phone number per address?
Yes. Fill out the form again with up to five additional cell phone numbers.
- If I send you my information can you register for me?
Unfortunately we do not have enough resources to register everyone individually. Please use the sign up form at www.alertsandiego.org.
- Is AlertSanDiego registration secure?
Yes, the sign up page is hosted on a secure server and all data submitted is encrypted.
For more information on AlertSanDiego, please visit the AlertSanDiego website at: https://www.readysandiego.org/alertsandiego/
Additional information on Emergency Notifications to the public can be found at:
https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/dam/sdc/oes/emergency_management/plans/op-area-plan/2018/2018-Annex-L-Emergency-Public-Information.pdf