The sheriff’s office has developed a new application that will help deputies conduct evacuations more efficiently during disasters.
When an emergency occurs, deputies go into neighborhoods and notify residents by knocking on doors and making announcements over loudspeakers. However, other than handwritten notes, there has been no way to track exactly who has been notified and whether they plan to stay or go.
With this application, deputies can use their issued iPhones to mark locations as they make contact with residents. In just a few seconds, they can note the location and whether or not the residents plan to leave. The information goes directly onto a dashboard allowing incident managers to view evacuation progress in real time. In the early hours of a fast-moving wildfire or other emergency, different teams of deputies may go into areas where notifications have already been made, thus reducing efficiency and slowing down progress. This system will eliminate that problem. A video illustrating the evacuation process can be found here in both English and Spanish: https://countyofventuraca-my.sharepoint.com
As always, we want to remind residents that we may not have the resources to knock on every door. We rely on several methods to make notifications during an emergency. Residents should not wait for an official notice before deciding to leave if they feel there is a threat to their safety. Visit www.readyventuracounty.org for additional information and to sign up for our VC Alert program.
|
