Full Notification

As part of Emergency Preparedness Month, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office participated in a readiness training exercise with the 26 departments and agencies of the County of Sonoma.

During a complicated region-wide simulated catastrophic incident we collaborated inside the Emergency Operations Center. We were evaluated and trained in this virtual mass casualty incident. The full-scale operations center was activated for a county-wide response.

Representatives from almost every agency that would respond to a major event were present. Through mock scenarios with real-time role players from across the northern California area, the team assembled to provide response for the citizens of the county. The focus of this exercise was to apply information sharing systems among intra-county and regional public agencies.

We tracked simulated responses from allied agencies in several counties in northern California. In real-time we were able to coordinate resources to attend to the needs of our citizens. We used best practices and performed our individual roles in support of the whole region, while keeping our Sonoma County residents at the forefront of our efforts.

Since Sonoma County encompasses over 1,600 square miles and is home to almost 500,000 residents it was important that we have all our resources and connectivity intact before a major event occurs.

Sonoma County public safety partners with all other public agencies to provide excellent and responsive service to our community. When operating in a highly-charged, stressful environment we worked as a team to address the potential concerns of the population in the event of a disaster.

We are pleased to report that our county is prepared with systems in place and personnel identified for immediate meaningful response. Sonoma County is no different than any other entity – preparedness is in everyone’s interest. The recent events in Napa County are a vivid demonstration of the need for emergency preparedness.

The Sheriff’s Office encourages you to evaluate your planned response to an emergency. This includes fire drills, family communications, emergency kits in your home and car, utility shut-off, financial preparedness, medical supplies, caring for animals and first aid training.

Resources and information are available at the local level http://sonomacounty.ca.gov/FES/Emergency-Management/Emergency-Preparedness/ or a t http://www.211wc.org/ , the California Office of Emergency Services http://www.calema.ca.gov/PlanningandPreparedness , FEMA http://www.ready.gov/ and the Red Cross http://www.redcross.org/ .