Notification System a Lifesaver During Southern California Fires

It was not luck that more people weren’t injured or killed during the fall 2007 Southern California fires. Officials evacuated more than 500,000 people in an orderly manner, and provided shelter for more than 20,000, both numbers that far exceeded anything done during previous fires.

During the 2003 blazes, 15 people died and just 56,000 were evacuated. Some residents never got notices to evacuate, and that’s not surprising considering the magnitude of the fires, the available manpower and the methods used for evacuation, which consisted of law enforcement personnel knocking on doors and notifying residents from loudspeakers.

By Jim McKay

Full Story: http://www.govtech.com/gt/articles/218882?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=EM_2007_12_11