Ready - Set - Go
New Echo Lake Community Emergency Evacuation Route
In a disaster requiring evacuation of Echo Lake Community EASTBOUND:
Go to 228th St. SE
Turn onto 155th Ave. SE
Turn left (east) onto 230th St. SE for to High Bridge Road.
Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue has confirmed that in a disaster the fire department will open the private gate for evacuation.
Snohomish County Emergency Management Director Lucia Schmit speaks during a community meeting earlier this year. (courtesy of Everett Herald)
‘Ready, Set, Go’
is the new ‘1, 2, 3’ for emergency evacuations
is the new ‘1, 2, 3’ for emergency evacuations
As wildfire season intensifies, Snohomish County and its neighbors have simplified the messaging in the event of a major disaster.
Four Western Washington counties, including Snohomish, are pushing a new evacuation messaging campaign to the public.
Called “Ready, Set, Go,” it provides three levels of action for the public. The messaging is new, while the levels are not.
(The following is an excerpt from the Everett Herald) The full article can be found HERE.
“Historically, the fire service has used a level 1, 2, 3, and it aligns perfectly with ready, set, go,” Snohomish County Emergency Management Director Lucia Schmit said. “The only difference is that you kind of have to know what a Level 2 means and it’s not necessarily intuitive.”
These are the new levels:
Ready (Level 1): There is a hazard in the area, be prepared and gather everything a person would need to evacuate.
Set (Level 2): Be prepared for a sudden or short-term evacuation notice. Everything a person would need should be packed.
Go (Level 3): Evacuate the area immediately.
When Schmit was a child, she was forced to evacuate her home in California on short notice due to the 1991 Oakland Firestorm. Also referred to as the Tunnel Fire, it killed 25 people and destroyed over 3,000 buildings. It moved fast. She wanted to bury some toys in the backyard in case her home burnt down. Her mom didn’t let her.
“My idea of essentials that needed to go in the car were different than hers,” Schmit said.
The three-stage evacuation plan is designed to mirror what incident management teams use while fighting wildfires. The evacuation plan applies to all hazards, county officials said, but it’s mostly geared toward wildfires.
If you ever feel unsafe ahead of an evacuation warning, it is OK to leave. Snohomish County also has a website, Snoco.org/safety, with more information on evacuations and general emergency preparedness.