Residents press council over delayed Alert Solano notice after Valero smoke plume

Residents described the Valero incident and asked why county emergency alerts lagged on the morning of the fire. Mary Shaw, a Benicia resident, read a timeline saying the incident occurred about 8:35–8:40 a.m.; she said she called police at 9:12 a.m., received the county Alert Solano message at about 9:32 a.m., and that a shelter‑in‑place advisory from the county arrived roughly an hour after the event. She said Benicia Fire posted on Facebook earlier but that relying on social media is insufficient as a primary alert method because not all residents see those posts.

Fire Chief Josh Chatto responded that the refinery’s horns are private and intended for refinery staff, not public notification: "The Valero horn is not anything to do with the city." He said Benicia Fire crews were on scene within minutes but experienced errors when trying to send the county alert through Alert Solano; staff ultimately relayed the message through the county sheriff’s office, which re‑queued the countywide alert and added processing delay. Chatto described the shelter‑in‑place as precautionary, said air monitoring was in place and reported no injuries.

Council members acknowledged the public’s concerns and said staff will review Alert Solano sign‑up messaging and consider alternatives. The chief and mayor noted that residents must opt in to Alert Solano for direct phone/email push, and that the city will explore backup solutions and have the Industrial Safety Citizens Oversight Commission examine alerting options and software alternatives.