Countywide Emergency System Test Planned Next Month In Marin

MARIN COUNTY, CA — Marin County is preparing to conduct its biggest-ever test of emergency alerts, and officials are encouraging neighbors to sign up ahead of time so they can participate.

The county's Office of Emergency Management plans to send the countywide test message via AlertMarin on March 23 at 10 a.m.

Based on each user's settings, the alerts may arrive by text, call or e-mail. Officials said next month's test will be the first of its magnitude, designed to ensure the effectiveness of Marin's primary method to alert community members to emergencies that could require evacuations, sheltering in place and other urgent actions.

"The success of our efforts during an emergency can quickly turn depending on our community's ability to receive emergency notifications," said Steven Torrence, director of the Marin OEM. "Our hope is that this test will give communities throughout Marin a greater understanding of the ways they can be alerted by the AlertMarin notification system."

The OEM will operate a call center to answer community questions between 9 a.m. and noon on the day of the test. County officials will work with cities and towns over the coming weeks to encourage more people to enroll, noting that some jurisdictions have higher participation rates than others.

"Signing up and verifying you are signed up for alerts is one of the easier steps to building a resilient community," Torrence said. "At the end of the test, members of the community will have a greater understanding of how the AlertMarin system works, and the various devices that can notify them during an incident."

Residents can sign up to receive AlertMarin notifications online and update their information in the portal to ensure their phone, email and address information are correct.