Residents fear emergency warning system didn’t alert them of fire; emergency manager says that wasn’t its purpose either | Top Stories

JACKSON COUNTY, Oregon – The Dead Indian Memorial Road fire raged Thursday evening, and firefighters were working Friday morning to fully contain the blaze and stop it from spreading to 43 acres.

Although the fire posed no threat to buildings or people, many Ashland residents were concerned for their safety because of the embers and smoke.

Many wondered why they had not been notified of the fire through the county’s emergency alert system.

“I haven’t received anything and it confuses me,” said concerned Ashlander Echo Fields.

The Jackson County Emergency Alert System is operated by Jackson County Emergency Management, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and local fire departments.

“I expected it to come from Jackson County Emergency Management,” Fields said.

Those who operate the warning systems say the reason fire information is not shared with residents is because the system is designed only in case residents need to take action or evacuate.

“What is information to some people is not information to others. So we definitely have residents who have a lot of information,” said Holly Powers, Jackson County emergency manager. “And then there are other residents who just want to know when something specifically affects them or they need to take action.”

Rocky Walker is a reporter/producer at NewsWatch 12. Reach Rocky at [email protected].