By Dan Mahoney and Rico Tabaranza

Wildfire season is a time of heightened anxiety for Marin residents. With memories of devastating fires in neighboring counties still fresh, it’s natural to wonder: Are we truly ready to evacuate safely if the worst happens?

Marin County has made evacuation readiness a top priority. Our community’s safety depends on the ongoing, coordinated efforts of agencies, partners and residents.

Evacuation planning is not a one-time task; it’s a continuous process of improvement, learning, and collaboration. In 2021, the Marin County Civil Grand Jury issued a report on evacuation preparedness.

That report, and the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority’s comprehensive response, launched a multi-year, countywide effort to make our evacuation systems stronger, smarter and more responsive.

Today, Marin County’s evacuation readiness reflects the tireless work of fire and police departments, emergency management, public works, Fire Safe Marin and community preparedness groups like Firewise. This shared commitment is the backbone of Marin’s evacuation planning.

Marin is leveraging cutting-edge technology to detect wildfires early and manage evacuations effectively. Our network of mountaintop cameras, powered by artificial intelligence technology, gives emergency personnel real-time alerts when smoke is detected. These alerts are shared with regional coordination centers, ensuring a swift, unified response.

When evacuations are needed, agencies use “Hi-Lo” sirens, and some are adding long-range acoustic devices (aka LRADs) to alert neighborhoods quickly. The county’s alerting systems have been upgraded. Residents can access live evacuation maps at emergency.marincounty.gov.

Emergency management personnel and the public benefit from platforms like Genasys Protect and EVAC software programs, which help coordinate and share critical information. Comprehensive evacuation maps are available countywide, allowing residents to identify routes and prepare accordingly.

Recognizing that every neighborhood is unique, the MWPA completed its comprehensive Evacuation Ingress/Egress Risk Assessment report. It identifies roadways and communication hazards. The analysis helps identify “one way in, one way out” neighborhoods and informs evacuation planning, parking strategies and focused roadside vegetation clearance.

In January 2024, Marin began using Ladris AI software, which simulates traffic and evacuation scenarios. This tool models real-world conditions and helps planners test and refine evacuation strategies based on data.

Evacuation drills are a regular part of life in Marin, with recent exercises in Southern Marin testing everything from alternate routes to freeway on-ramps. These drills are not just for first responders; they help residents practice what to do, reducing confusion while saving precious minutes when it matters most.

A voluntary evacuation drill is planned for Sept. 6. Residents will be encouraged to grab their go-bags, leave home and check in at the Marin County Fairgrounds during the family-friendly Ember Stomp Wildfire Prevention Festival. There, they’ll learn about defensible space, home hardening and evacuation readiness.

The Marin County Police Chiefs’ Association and the Marin County Fire Chiefs’ Association have co-authored a current evacuation management framework. It is essential to incident success. Marin’s leadership in this area has earned national recognition. The county was invited to help the U.S. Fire Administration develop new evacuation guidelines and joined two other counties in a national tabletop exercise.

MWPA recently commissioned an analysis of heat impacts during evacuations, identifying which roads are safe to travel and where roadside vegetation management is most needed. It also estimates how heat accumulates inside a car, guiding planning for safe shelters and traffic control training.

There is always more to do. Evacuation readiness is an ongoing process and, most importantly, its success relies on the commitment of our entire community. Through coordination, innovation and consistent effort, Marin is working every day to ensure we are ready. Residents are urged to review their local evacuation maps, sign up for AlertMarin and participate in drills.

For more information on how you can increase your evacuation readiness, visit FireSafeMarin.org, Emergency.marincounty.gov and Marinwildfire.org.

Ross Valley fire Chief Dan Mahoney is president of the Marin County Fire Chiefs’ Association. Fairfax police Chief Rico Tabaranza is president of the Marin County Police Chiefs’ Association.