Heads up, Palo Alto: if you live near Los Altos / Los Altos Hills in the southwest portion of our city, it is possible that you will receive a TEST message via the AlertSCC emergency alerting system on Friday morning at 10:00 a.m. It is only a test, and not a true emergency.
The Santa Clara County Fire Department is testing their use of the AlertSCC system to their primary jurisdiction, which includes Los Altos and Los Altos Hills. While they will be distributing the message to a focused area, it is possible that some Palo Alto residences adjacent to the designated area will also receive the message (see map). There's no need to worry.
Here in Palo Alto, we also use the AlertSCC system as one of many tools to broadcast information in the event of an actual emergency. While most *landline* phone numbers are automatically registered with the system, you can also choose to receive messages on your mobile phone and/or e-mail address. To register for free, visit www.alertscc.com.
For more information about the Santa Clara County Fire Department's test of the system on Friday morning, visit www.sccfd.org/rsg.
