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County details evacuation zones, Ready, Set, Go alerts and motor-vehicle closures during high fire danger
Summary
Coconino County Emergency Management described how residents will be notified during wildfires through Ready, Set, Go messaging, the county Rave/Smart911 system and FEMA IPAWS alerts, and said temporary motor-vehicle closures on specified roads will be used in stage 2 fire restrictions to reduce human-caused ignitions.
Coconino County Emergency Management walked residents through the county’s evacuation-zone mapping and alert tools, urging people to sign up for the county notification system and to learn their evacuation zone ahead of a wildfire or flood.
Tim Carter, deputy director of Coconino County Emergency Management, described the Ready, Set, Go framework adopted statewide and said the county uses Rave Mobile Safety (Smart911) for registered messages and FEMA’s IPAWS for location-based alerts to people in the field. “We’re always in the state of ready. So today, we’re in ready,” Carter said, urging residents to prepare and make a go-bag before a set or go notice.
Carter demonstrated an interactive online evacuation map that assigns each populated area a unique zone number (for example, “Belmont 108”) and encouraged residents to enter their address to find their zone. He said the county and partners can send zone-numbered messages — for example, “Belmont 108 is in set status” — so residents can more quickly identify whether notices apply to them.
Carter and Matt McGrath discussed recent lessons learned from the Tunnel Fire and other fast-moving events and said the county has designated about 200 evacuation zones across its jurisdiction to provide clearer, faster messaging. Carter said the county can deliver messages by text, email, phone and social media and reminded residents to update contact information in Smart911; he said social-media posts are reserved for extreme life-safety notices and IPAWS is used for location-based, broadcast alerts to devices in the area.
On access and human-caused ignitions, McGrath described a pilot practice the Forest Service used in 2023 and during brief intervals in 2024: under stage 2 fire restrictions, the Forest Service and partners close or restrict motor vehicle access on specified roads around the Peaks while allowing foot, bike and horse access. McGrath said the closures are aimed at reducing human-caused fires because “the vast majority of our human caused fires are started within sight of a road.” He added that about 7% of roads on the district are affected by the restriction while Snowball Road and several popular trailheads remain available for public use.
Officials offered materials and QR codes at the meeting to register for alerts and to find evacuation-zone maps; Carter said staff will also provide assistance for people needing help registering and for residents with access or functional needs.
