New Evacuation Siren Policy
The City of Dunsmuir, the Dunsmuir Fire Department, and the Siskiyou County Sheriff have worked together to create a new Evacuation Siren Policy.
Every day, you hear the Noon Signal, a 5-second siren tone. And you probably even recognize the Fire Call Signal, a 5-second on, 5-second off tone that repeats 5 times when there is a Fire Call for the Fire Department. But did you know there is an Evacuation Signal?
When will the Evacuation Siren sound?
The Evacuation Siren will only sound when an Evacuation Order is issued for the City of Dunsmuir. The Siren will not sound for an Evacuation Warning.
Why is this? The Evacuation Siren is reserved for the most dire of situations. An Evacuation Warning means “There is a potential threat to life and/or property. Those who require additional time to evacuate and those with pets and livestock should leave now.” While an Evacuation Order means “Immediate threat to life. This is a lawful order to leave now. The area is lawfully closed to public access. YOU MUST LEAVE NOW!”
This is why an Evacuation Siren will only sound when an Evacuation Order is issued.
What will the Evacuation Siren sound like?
When an Evacuation Order is issued for Dunsmuir, the siren system will sound a 2-second on, 2-second off tone that repeats for 2 full minutes. This tone will sound faster than the fire call signal and last much longer—long enough for you to check Ready Siskiyou so you know where to go.
Why doesn’t the tone last longer than 2 minutes? The Evacuation Siren tone lasts just 2 minutes because it’s just long enough to alert you something is happening so you can check Ready Siskiyou. By the time you are reading the Evaction Order, the siren will stop, and you’ll know what to do. A more prolonged Siren could make it difficult for first responders to communicate via radio.
We are working on a future yearly test of the Evacuation Siren so that residents will become familiar with what it sounds like.
More details to come!
Sign up for Ready Siskiyou to receive emergency alerts, like evacuation orders, directly to your cell phone or landline.
Ready Siskiyou has replaced CodeRed as the Emergency Alerting platform for Siskiyou County.
Know Your Zone
Siskiyou County OES and the Dunsmuir Castella Fire District have collaborated to identify your evacuation zone. Evacuation Zones are listed in evacuation orders. Visit Genasys Protect(Click Here) to find your zone. Memorize your Zone number; City Hall is in Zone DUN-6523. However, your 4 digit number is unique in Siskiyou County, so you don’t need to memorize the three-letter prefix, just the four-digit number. There are multiple different zones within Dunsmuir.
Evacuation Terminology
Evacuation Warning: There is a potential threat to life and/or property. Those who require additional time to evacuate, as well as those with pets and livestock, should leave now.
Evacuation Order: Immediate threat to life. This is a lawful order to leave now. The area is lawfully closed to public access. YOU MUST LEAVE NOW!
If you feel threatened, don’t hesitate, LEAVE, even if no evacuation warning or order is in effect.
Always Stay Prepared
1. Get Ready: Being ready for wildfire starts with maintaining an adequate defensible space and by hardening your home by using fire resistant building materials. Visit our Dunsmuir Firewise page (click here) for more information on how to protect your home from Wildfire.
2. Get Set: Create a plan with your family to evacuate your home should a wildfire strike. Put together an emergency supply kit. Learn how to talk with young children about fire safety. Visit the CalFire page (click here) for information on how to build a Wildfire Action Plan and how to put together an emergency supply kit or Go-Bag.
3. GO! Implement your Evacuation Plan once you receive your Ready Siskiyou Alert or feel your safety is threatened.
For information on preparing for more than just wildfire, visit Ready.gov.
If you have any preparedness or hazard questions email hazmit@ci.dunsmuir.ca.us
The dope plan
The Dunsmuir Operational Procedures for Emergencies (DOPE) establishes an emergency organizational structure, assigns tasks, provides guidance, specifies policies and procedures, and provides for integrated coordination of planning, response, and recovery efforts for large-scale emergencies. The DOPE serves as the City of Dunsmuir’s Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).
Paradise Lessons Learned Video
"A High and Awful Price: Lessons Learned from the Camp Fire" is a mini-documentary taken from interviews with first responders, disaster response officials and the survivors of the Camp Fire, passing on their hard won knowledge to those who may someday face their own disaster.
NWS Skywarn
The National Weather Service (NWS) in Medford serves the Dunsmuir area. The NWS Medford is always looking for SKYWARN Spotters. SKYWARN is a volunteer program with between 350,000 and 400,000 trained severe weather spotters. These volunteers help keep their local communities safe by providing timely and accurate reports of severe weather to the National Weather Service. Anyone can join; all you need to do is take a SKYWARN training course. You can take the online SKYWARN training anytime (click here).
For the official NWS forecast for Dunsmuir (click here).
Jumpstart grant
(Click here) for the PDF version of this flyer which contains the working links for each item listed.
