How to use Solano County’s emergency alert systems

SOLANO COUNTY, Calif. — Solano County residents have several ways to receive emergency alerts and other important information for their area. As fire season approaches, here’s what you need to know about these systems and how to sign up for them.

There are two main ways to get information from the Solano County Office of Emergency Services: Alert Solano, Nixle for police announcements, and the Genasys Protect evacuation map.

Alert Solano notifies registered residents about unexpected road closures, severe weather, missing persons, evacuations, natural disasters and more. After registering, you can choose which cities you want to receive which alerts from and how – via text, call or email.

Solano OES sends emergency notifications to the unincorporated areas of the county and when events affect the entire county. Citywide notifications are sent through the city government.

You can also follow Alert Solano on X, formerly known as Twitter. HERE and on Facebook HERE.

Sign up for Alert Solano HERE.

Nixle is often used by law enforcement agencies to publish information about “critical events.”

It is used to alert residents to missing persons, sudden road closures, accidents, evacuations, etc. Nixle is commonly used by public safety agencies and can be used by others as well.

The Fairfield Police and Fire Departments appear to be the only agencies that actively use Nixle.

Sign up for Nixle alerts online HERE or text your zip code to 888777 to subscribe to SMS alerts from agencies in your area.

The Solano County Office of Emergency Services joined Genasys Protect (formerly known as Zonehaven AWARE) in 2023 as part of its “Know Your Zone” campaign, which aimed to “better prepare residents and businesses for emergencies and evacuations.”

It is an online system whose goal is to “save lives with tools that help communities and first responders plan, communicate and conduct evacuations more effectively,” the company’s website states.

The new tool will be used nationwide, in all cities and unincorporated areas.

The new system not replace Alert Solano and will work hand in hand. Sign up HERE to receive emergency alerts.

“We have a good tool now that we didn’t have before,” said Sergeant Rex Hawkins, spokesman for the Solano County Sheriff’s Office. “Tools are only useful if you use them. More tools are better than fewer tools.”

The Genasys Protect map – which you can find HERE and below – contains all the evacuation zones designated by emergency authorities. To find your evacuation zone, enter your address or city in the search bar, allow location sharing, or scroll down to view and pan the map. You can also download the Genasys Protect app HERE.

Each evacuation zone consists of three letters that represent a city or county name followed by a four-digit code. Each zone has a unique number to avoid confusion about which warnings apply to which zones. Examples: SOL for unincorporated Solano County, FRF for Fairfield, VLJ for Vallejo, BNC for Benicia, SUC for Suisun City, VAC for Vacaville, DIX for Dixon, and RVS for Rio Vista.

OES officials urge residents to know the name of their evacuation zone so they can understand warnings and respond more quickly to emergency information.

“I can’t stress enough how important it is for residents to know their zones,” Hawkins said, adding that Genasys Protect is more user-friendly and will be used primarily for evacuations.

In the event of an emergency, first responders and officials use Genasys Protect to assist with evacuation. Officials then publish evacuation orders and zone status to Genasys Protect and send emergency notifications through Alert Solano.

In addition to Solano County, Siskiyou, Modoc, Lassen, Shasta, Humboldt, Tehama, Plumas, Sierra, Yuba, Nevada, Sutter, Mendocino, Lake, Napa, Marin, Contra Costa, Calaveras, Alameda, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Madera, Monterey, Tulare, Kern, San Luis Obispo, parts of Los Angeles, and Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties also use Genasys Protect for evacuation information.

Information on evacuations, road closures, fires, weather conditions, sandbag locations and more is available through the website or app.

Emergency warnings are color-coded on the map.

• Blue – Advisory
• Yellow – Evacuation Warning (There is a potential threat to life and/or property. Persons requiring additional time to evacuate and persons with pets and/or livestock are requested to leave the building immediately.)
• Red – Evacuation Order (There is an immediate threat to life. It is a lawful order to leave the area immediately and the area is lawfully closed to the public. It is important to note that not all evacuation orders begin with an evacuation warning.)
• Green – Evacuation order lifted

For more information about the Know Your Zone campaign and emergency response, click HERE.

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