Emergency Alerts: ALERT Napa County & IPAWS

What is ALERT Napa County and why is it important?

ALERT Napa County can send customized messages from public agencies based on the preferences setup by you through the ALERT Napa County powered by Everbridge page. These messages can include community information, public safety messages and emergency information. Evacuation instructions are issued through ALERT Napa County via the Everbridge app, phone, email and text by the Napa County Office of Emergency Services, Napa County Sheriff’s Office, and we as other impacted municipalities.

What kind of information does the County provide through ALERT Napa County? 

A number of agencies across Napa County utilize ALERT Napa County to provide information to the public. A list of those agencies and accounts is available here. The County of Napa maintains three ALERT Napa County accounts to provide information to the public and recommends subscribers create a member portal to receive customized alerts from each account. Accounts include:

  • Napa County Fire: information regarding red flags, smoke visible, vegetation fire, prescribed burn
  • Napa County Office of Emergency Services: information about extreme weather (ex: Red Flag Warnings, heat emergencies, Flash Flood Warnings, etc..), emergency events (including evacuation orders and warnings), public health and safety advisories
  • Napa County Public Works: utilized to communicate planned road closures (Ex: road work, marathon) 
  • Napa County Sheriff’s Office: police activity, traffic accidents, road closures, and emergency information as necessary 

Fire, law, and EMS agencies routinely respond to emergency events that do not result in a need for mass notification through Nixle. None of these accounts are intended to provide notification of all emergency events happening in the County.  

I want to get more notifications about emergency activities than the County currently provides through ALERT Napa County and social media. Are there any other tools I can use to get more up-to-date information? 

While Napa County Office of Emergency Services does not endorse any particular third-party apps, there are a number of resources available online and through your phone’s app store that provide near real-time updates about emergency events as they are happening in the community.  

These apps notify subscribers of emergency calls and show maps of where the incident is occurring. Additionally, there are several emergency radio scanner apps exist that allow citizens to listen in to publicly available emergency communications between law, fire, and EMS agencies. Scanner traffic is a direct source of information as it happens, but this information is always unconfirmed until it is shared through official channels. 

DISCLAIMER: These “real time” apps provide raw, unconfirmed information as events are unfolding. This information has often not been vetted for public release and should not be confused with official communication from public safety agencies.  For example, through radio scanner apps, response agencies may discuss potential for evacuation and evaluate expanding threats. This discussion does not constitute an official evacuation order or even indicate that an evacuation will be ordered; it may be a routine tactical discussion. Anyone tuning into a live scanner feed or reading a transcription of a feed on social media should not assume that everything they are hearing is accurate.  

Resources for maintaining additional situational awareness include but are not limited to:  

Please listen and monitor responsibly. Stay tuned to official public safety channels (Nixle, as well as social media channels for Napa County, Napa County Sheriff’s Office, Napa County Fire Department, and other public safety agencies and municipalities) for official communication. 

How do I unsubscribe from ALERT Napa County? 

You can text “Stop” to 88911 or click unsubscribe in any emails received from ALERT Napa County.  

If you have made a member portal with ALERT Napa County powered by Everbridge and wish to delete your account or update your information and/or preferences go to the ALERT Napa County sign-in page and sign into your member portal.

Will I be notified about evacuations from Genasys Protect (Zonehaven) or ALERT Napa County?

The public can view evacuation information at Genasys Protect. The County will continue to provide notifications about evacuation orders and warnings, as well as shelter in place orders through ALERT Napa County. The map of evacuated areas will be displayed on Genasys Protect and this link will be provided in ALERT Napa County messages. 

What is the difference between ALERT Napa County and WEA/IPAWS? 

Wireless Emergency Alerts are a short text message designed to capture your attention. Emergency officials currently only have 90 characters for the message, so the messages are short and accompanied by an attention-grabbing tone. You do not need to subscribe to WEA or download an App. You do need to enable WEA notifications in the settings center of your phone such as the Government Alerts Section for Apple, or Wireless & Networks section-Cell Broadcasts settings in Android phones.

ALERT Napa County is a free emergency notification service that provides Napa County first responders and public agencies the ability to notify residents and businesses by mobile phone, text message, email, and social media regarding local emergencies. You need to sign up to receive ALERT Napa County messages and you can edit your notification settings to choose how you want to receive the information, whether it’s over your cell phone by text message, by email, or over the web (or all the above). 

Can I provide feedback to the County about what is written in an ALERT Napa County message? 

The County’s Office of Emergency Services welcomes feedback about how to improve the clarity and accuracy of emergency communication. If you have additional questions or comments about the content of ALERT Napa County messages, send an email to [email protected].

General Information on the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS)

During an emergency, alert and warning officials need to provide the public with life-saving information quickly. IPAWS is a modernization and integration of the nation’s alert and warning infrastructure, and will save time when time matters most, protecting life and property. Watch a video about IPAWS.ns a New Window.