Vail to conduct full-scale wildfire evacuation exercise in East Vail
Exercise will simulate an approaching wildfire and mandatory evacuation
Town of Vail emergency responders will be conducting a full-scale evacuation exercise in East Vail on Tuesday, June 6. The exercise, which will simulate an approaching wildfire and mandatory evacuation, will take place from 9 to 11 a.m. in the Booth Creek and Bald Mountain neighborhoods.
Drivers in the area should be mindful of emergency responders. All roads, parking lots and trails will remain open, but there may be short travel delays due to exercise activity. As part of the training, first responders may knock on doors and subscribers may receive EC Alerts from the Vail Public Safety Communications Center labeled “EXERCISE ONLY.”
Participants will use the training to test the town’s emergency evacuation plans, messaging and internal communications.
Officials are also reminding the public of the importance of developing and practicing their own personal or family emergency plans. Take steps now to determine your evacuation route and create an emergency supply kit with the six Ps in mind: people and pets; important papers and documents; prescriptions and medications; pictures; personal computers and external hard drives; and plastic (credit and debit cards).
In addition, those who are not yet subscribed are encouraged to register for EC Alert, the emergency alert system for Eagle County. Subscribers can elect to receive time-sensitive emergency messages on their phone, computer, or other device based on chosen areas and categories. Non-emergency messaging from EC Alerts, such as traffic alerts, area alerts, business alerts and red-flag warnings are only sent via email and through the Everbridge app. Emergency messaging such as gas leaks, evacuations and wildfires are sent via text, phone calls, email and the app. New and existing subscribers should verify their notification settings at ECAlert.org.
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For more information on Vail’s upcoming exercise, contact Fire Chief Mark Novak at 970-477-3474.
To learn more about developing a personal plan, visit Ready.gov/Plan.