LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services is encouraging residents to prepare for disasters and emergencies.

Based on what has occurred so far this year, authorities expect it to be an active year for fires, and now is the time to take action to prepare for evacuations.

Lt. Steve Brooks said the direction to “leave early” cannot be emphasized enough. If you think a wildland fire may be a threat to you or your property, do not wait for an evacuation order to leave.

The sheriff’s office will issue shelter-in-place, voluntary and mandatory evacuation notices via the CityWatch telenotification system, Nixle and local media, Brooks said. If time and safety permit, emergency personnel may be used in small areas to make announcements.

If you do not have a wireline phone through AT&T, you will need to sign up for CityWatch via the sheriff’s Web site, http://www.lakesheriff.com . You can also sign up for Nixle alerts via the sheriff’s Web page.

Brooks said the sheriff’s office also has the capability to use the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, or IPAWS, which sends a wireless emergency alert to compliant cell phones within the warned area.

You can check to see if your cell phone is capable of receiving WEA messages at https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/111479 . You do not need to sign up to receive WEA Messages.

In some events, you will be directed to shelter in place. In case of fire, close your windows, doors and air intake systems to prevent smoke from entering your home or business. Attempting to leave may place you in harm’s way from either the hazard or responding equipment, Brooks said.

Brooks said a voluntary evacuation is issued when authorities estimate the hazard to be at least six hours away. This is the time to prepare to leave, and to leave if you have small children, animals or limited mobility persons in your care. If you do not have the resources to evacuate, this also gives you time to request assistance.

A mandatory evacuation is issued when authorities estimate that the hazard is two hours or less from impacting you, Brooks said.

In such cases, Brooks said it is time to leave immediately. Emergency resources may already be in the area. During a mandatory evacuation, the evacuated area will be closed to all but emergency personnel until the danger has passed.

If you wait to leave until 30 minutes or less before the hazard affects you, emergency personnel will consider that a response to you will be a rescue, and each case will be evaluated with the safety of emergency personnel in mind, according to Brooks.

If you are instructed to leave, Brooks said you will be directed to a shelter or assembly point where further assistance will be available.

When an evacuation order is issued, it is imperative that you comply with the order, Brooks said. Firefighters are placed at a higher risk when performing structure protection, and protecting residents during evacuations under extreme conditions compounds the issue.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Lake County Fire Chiefs Association and Lake County Animal Care and Control Office all encourage residents to take time now to prepare.

For further information, contact the following agencies:

– Lake County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services: 707-263-3450.
– Lakeport Fire: 707-263-4396.
– Kelseyville Fire: 707-279-4268.
– Southlake County Fire: 707-987-3089.
– Lake County Fire: 707-994-2170.
– Northshore Fire: 707-274-3100.
– United States Forest Service: 707-275-2561.
– Cal Fire: http://www.readyforwildfire.org/Get-Set/ .
– Lake County Animal Care and Control: 707-263-0278.