Alerts & Warning Systems

It’s important to understand that you will NOT receive routine notifications whenever the fire department responds to a fire in your neighborhood.  Alert Marin is used when there is a threat to lives or a need for evacuation or other action.  In most cases, firefighters are able to quickly extinguish fires without the need for evacuations, and no notification will be sent. Nixle may be used to provide more general fire information to areas affected by smoke, to help residents of larger areas understand the source of smoke and ease concerns (again, it’s NOT the system used to send evacuation notices!)

If a wildfire requires evacuation in Marin and time allows, emergency managers will use the Alert Marin system to send out notifications by telephone, cellular, VOIP, and text message users who have pre-registered specific street addresses.  If you live, work or go to school in Marin County, you should register to receive emergency alerts sent by voice, text, email, or smartphone application.  You can register to receive notices for several locations you are likely to spend time at, or monitor family member’s addresses as well.  Register every address, phone number, and device in your household.  Don’t delay.

Alert Marin is not a general information tool, and is used only when action is required at a specific address.  If no action is required, residents should not expect a notice from Alert Marin. In those cases, Nixle or other sources are available (PulsePoint…) to provide general information to nearby residents. Please also remember that your fire department is capable of containing and extinguishing most fires quickly, with no generalized risk to the wider community. In other words, the vast majority of fires will remain small and be extinguished by the first arriving firefighting resources, and do not require evacuations or the use of emergency alerting systems.

Alert Marin messages are infrequent and important.  Please be sure to set the Alert Marin contact numbers for “Emergency Bypass” on your mobile phone (more information is here).

During a wildfire, “Nixle” is used to provide INFORMATION by text message targeting ENTIRE ZIP CODES when new INFORMATION becomes available.  

Register for Nixle by texting your Zip Code to 888777 or register online to configure and fine-tune your messaging options.

Please understand that during a wildfire, initial messaging may take time to develop as firefighters focus on attacking the fire and gather information.  Do not expect frequent updates by Nixle (or Alert Marin).  Information will be updated only when conditions change or updates are warranted.  Social media or TV and radio are good options to monitor for “play-by-play” updates.

It is important to understand that Alert Marin and Nixle are different, complementary systems, and currently require separate registrations!  Nixle is an opt-in text message service used to announce local information, targeting zip codes.  You are likely to receive frequent, low-level, non-emergency texts from many local public safety agencies by Nixle.  Nixle may be used to provide general fire information or rebroadcast evacuation alerts, but Alert Marin is a separate and distinct system targeting specific street addresses with the ability to send voice, text, or email ACTION messages.  Fire Safe Marin recommends that everyone register for Alert Marin and Nixle, and understand the difference!

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) are well known as the system used to distribute “Amber Alerts.”  Unlike Alert Marin, WEA alerts are sent to large geographic areas. Because WEA alerts cannot be targeted, they will only be used for large scale, life threatening disasters. Be sure to verify that Wireless Emergency Alerts (Amber Alerts and Emergency Alerts) are turned on in your cell phone’s settings.  For example, on an iPhone, under settings/notifications, scroll to the bottom of the page and ensure all alerts are turned to ON.

A NOAA Weather Radio can be an excellent source of information during emergencies. Prices vary from $30 up, depending on the model. Many receivers have an alarm feature, but some may not. Check the NOAA website for more details.

Local emergency officials (Marin County Office of Emergency Services) can send an evacuation alert through the NOAA Weather Radio system.  This system was used successfully in Sonoma County during the 2019 Kincade Fire.

In late 2020 Fire Safe Marin and the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority (MWPA) began a pilot program to distribute NOAA Weather Alerting Radios to some Marin residents.  This short video helps explain the configuration and use of these radios for alerting to weather and wildfire emergencies.

NOAA Weather Radio Tutorial
NOAA Weather Radio User Guide to Settings

Law Enforcement Officers may drive through neighborhoods utilizing Hi-Lo sirens activated announcing evacuations and/or emergency directions over their loud speakers. Sheriff’s Air Patrol may also fly overhead announcing the same information. If the area is remote, fire engines may also be sent to alert residents physically.

Some communities in Marin County use sirens or horns to alert residents and visitors to an imminent dangerous situation. The siren/horn activation is usually followed up by the distribution of additional information or direction by using one of the alerting systems above or by broadcasting a pre-recorded message on a local radio station. These sirens or horns are location specific but the sound often “bleeds over” into adjoining jurisdictions therefore neighboring jurisdiction work together to coordinate messaging.

Do not wait for someone to come to your door and order you to leave. The information on whether or not you have to evacuate your home will come from your county, and it’s really important to proactively stay up to date on the latest alerts:

Social media such as Facebook and Twitter are excellent sources of public information and may be used by local agencies during emergencies.  Be sure to follow your local fire department, Marin County Fire Department (@marincountyfire), Marin County Sheriff’s Office (@marinsheriff), and your local police department to monitor fire information and receive updates during local wildfires.

A new application for mobile devices now available in Marin County is designed to provide the public with real-time fire agency incident information and to help locate CPR-trained people near someone in cardiac arrest. This app can be configured to send alerts to your cell phone when wildfires, structure fires, or other emergencies are occurring in your vicinity – even emergencies that do not require evacuation.

The free PulsePoint app, available on the App Store and Google Play, recently expanded its geographic scope so that Marin residents will have access to real-time fire incident information, and local bystanders in Marin can be alerted to administer cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) if needed. When pre-selected, cardiac arrest alerts are sent to participating residents only when an emergency occurs in a public place.

Fire Safe Marin recommends that all Marin residents register for Alert Marin and Nixle.  Pulsepoint can be an informative tool for residents who understand that they don’t need to evacuate everytime a fire is burning nearby, but who want to keep informed.