The night of Oct. 8 changed the lives of North Bay residents forever, when many woke up to the loud pounding at their doors coming from frightened neighbors, others from the noise of brave firefighters rushing towards the thick smoke coming from the horizon that lit up the night sky, and even more from frantic texts from family.

On Sept. 21, statewide emergency alert protocols and regulation became law when SB 833 was signed by Governor Jerry Brown. This legislation was introduced by state Senator McGuire in partnership with Senators Bill Dodd and Jerry Hill. The legislation is the first of its kind that will advance statewide emergency alert standards that all of California’s 58 counties can adopt. “Statewide emergency alert standards will be developed, training for local emergency managers will be implemented and we will be investing in a more proactive and effective mutual aid response system,” McGuire said in a statement.

The California Emergency Services Act establishes that the Office of Emergency Services (OES) is responsible for the state’s emergency and disaster response services for natural, technological, manmade disasters and emergencies. This bill would require OES to provide each city and country with a copy of guidelines for alerting and warning the public of an emergency.

These guidelines must be developed before July 1 of next year will include emergency responders and public safety leaders from across the state, along with local elected officials, disability advocates, radio and television broadcasters.

At Sonoma State, the university is responsible “for protecting the lives and property of every person on the campus in the event of and emergency”. Sonoma State’s emergency management program establishes policies and procedures to ensure campus safety through effective management of operations during an emergency situation. 

Students are quickly alerted about critical campus information and updates in real-time by Sonoma State’s Emergency Notification System (ENS). These notifications are currently sent as messages to cell phones via voicemail and text messages. All mobile phone numbers entered into PeopleSoft are automatically uploaded to the system. 

Sonoma State released its first downloadable application called Sonoma State University Emergency Response Application. Its purpose is to replace paper guides that were previously found in classrooms and offices to give users a quicker way to access critical instructions to keep safe in case of an emergency. The app can be downloaded to a desktop or mobile device and can be accessed without service or internet connection. The guide contains clear instructions on how to keep safe in case of a bomb threat, active shooter, fire, earthquake, hazardous materials incident and more. According to the Sonoma State University Emergency Response App this includes important, “planning, response and recovery information including evacuation and lockdown planning, key emergency resources and designated area, building and floor marshals.” To opt-in or update your information to receive alert messages via voicemail and text message or to download Sonoma State’s emergency response app visit sonoma.edu/risk/emergency.