Sheriff’s office urges Fallbrook residents to sign up for Genesis Protect and heed evacuation warnings

Heather Mitchell of the San Diego County Sheriff's Office told the symposium that the county uses two formal evacuation levels and several notification systems to get residents out safely. "One is a warning level, which is you have 2 hours or more where a potential threat could come to your area," Mitchell said, adding that the second level is an evacuation order when "you must leave now."

Mitchell demonstrated the high/low siren tone many San Diego agencies use for mass notification and explained that alert delivery can come through the Genesis Protect app, Ready San Diego, Alert San Diego, loudspeakers or door‑to‑door contacts. She recommended residents register their phone numbers with Alert San Diego, enter their address or zone in Genesis Protect, and prepare a go‑kit that includes medications and important documents.

Mitchell and other presenters encouraged residents to visit the symposium tech booth for help downloading and configuring apps and to sign up for official agency social channels; she noted that neighboring agencies routinely coordinate and use mutual‑aid notifications so a road closure or evacuation message may originate from a neighboring city during a large incident.

The sheriff's office also emphasized planning for people with limited mobility and owners of large animals, and it offered resources and live‑animal rescue contact information at the booths.