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Board hears large safety update; Fairfield chief outlines evacuation and alert systems
Summary
Travis Unified received an extensive safety briefing covering Measure R‑funded site security upgrades, emergency training, the Catapult communication platform, Stop It reporting, and an evacuation briefing from the City of Fairfield describing Genesis (formerly Zone Haven), Alert Solano/Nixle and reunification zone planning.
Travis Unified’s board meeting on Tuesday centered on school safety, with educators describing a multi‑pillar plan of facilities improvements, training and communications — and a Fairfield official outlining how city and county alert systems would integrate with district plans.
Allison (Educational Services) described facilities projects funded by Measure R, including perimeter fencing, controlled entry reconfigurations to create secured lobbies at elementary schools, and signage and window treatments intended to improve first‑responder access. "We're going to be reconfiguring all of our offices at our elementary schools to create these sort of secured lobbies," she said.
On training, district staff said the district adopted standard response protocols from the I Love You Guys Foundation, expanded incident command system (ICS) training, piloted medical emergency simulations with nurses and introduced a reunification plan. The district has deployed a communications platform called Catapult for action alerts and uses a tip/reporting app called Stop It; staff said Catapult has “revolutionized” emergency communications by making internal and partner notifications instantaneous.
The board also invited the Fairfield Fire Department to update the district on evacuation strategies. Fairfield’s chief described the city’s Emergency Operations Plan and a zone‑based alerting system (Genesis, formerly called Zone Haven) that divides the city into numbered grids and issues pre‑alerts and evacuation notices. He emphasized that evacuations in large incidents are typically managed by the police department for traffic control and recommended shelter‑in‑place when safe to do so. The chief recommended parents sign up for Alert Solano and Nixle and described planned reunification zones for controlled pickup points.
Why it matters: The presentation outlined how capital projects, staff training, mass‑notification tools and interagency coordination will work together to reduce risk and improve response times. The district is investing in both short‑term actions (fencing, secure lobbies) and long‑term culture and SEL work to address safety and connectedness.
Board members asked for clearer public communication about training and responses so families understand what to expect during an incident and urged the district to use social media and other channels to show the community its preparedness work.
Next steps: Several trustees said they will place follow‑up items or agenda checks (for example, the question of campus access outside school hours) on future principal or board agendas; Fairfield and district safety staff said they will meet to tighten operational coordination.
