Every household should be signed up for AC Alerts
Berkeley, California (Thursday, August 12, 2021) - Use community.zonehaven.com to learn your household's evacuation zone - a label that responders will use during wildfires and other emergencies to rapidly identify specific areas under threat.
You'll see that zone label on evacuation warnings orders sent via AC Alert, the countywide emergency messaging system, should your zone be affected. In Berkeley, all the zone labels start with "BER-" -- such as BER-E044.
Signing up for AC Alert and knowing your evacuation zone allows you to quickly act during an imminent threat. Every second matters in crisis. Post your evacuation zone number on your fridge so everyone in your household can memorize it.
Know your zone to make it easier to protect you, others
Zonehaven gives first responders a coordinated way to manage, plan and implement evacuations by providing access to real-time weather, traffic, and fire information. When you know your zone, you make evacuations more effective.
Counties throughout the Bay Area now use Zonehaven, a system that has now supported many fires, including the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Fires in San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties.
Prepare for wildfire season
Knowing your zone is a critical part of preparations for wildfires, which are now more frequent and severe.
The Berkeley Fire Department recommends that residents of hillside fire zones make plans to leave during periods of "Extreme Fire Weather" - severely hot, dry, and windy conditions that allow fires to easily ignite and spread.
We've created a step-by-step guide for the fire weather plan for your household to help you:
- Identify your trigger for leaving the hills
- Decide where you will go
- Identify evacuation routes.
We're also hosting guided discussion groups to help refine your fire weather plan.
- Wednesday, August 18, 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m., Register online
- Tuesday, August 24, 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m., Register online
- Thursday, August 26, 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m., Register online
Take steps to increase your control and lower your risk during fire season: Look up your zone. Sign up for AC Alert. Make a fire weather plan.
