The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and Coconino County Emergency Management Department have announced the establishment of an evacuation zone in Coconino County. Evacuation zones are focused on neighborhoods, communities and residential areas across the county to further strengthen the emergency message to the public.

The project builds on the existing Ready, Set, Go program with pre-identified zones and was developed with area partners to enhance pre-evacuation and evacuation messaging.

According to Coconino County Sheriff Jim Driscoll, “Since the Arizona Sheriff’s adoption of the Ready, Set, Go Program, consistent and clear messaging has been key to the success of standardized evacuation behavior. .

With the rapidly changing 2022 fire season and the need for rapid evacuation, we have reviewed our procedures and enhanced our processes for delivering emergency messages. Geographically identifying the exact areas to notify is essential and this new process will further improve the overall efficiency of evacuation and re-entry.

“This is a joint partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, local fire districts, and Coconino County’s GIS department. We are constantly evaluating our procedures to ensure the safety of our community and visitors,” he said. Wes Dison, Director of Coconino County Emergency Management, said.

Every effort has been made to open these evacuation zones to the public. An interactive map can be found at www.coconino.az.gov/evacmap. The website has downloadable maps of each zone and citizens are encouraged to save this information on their phones or print available resources.

This effort is ongoing, and expansion of evacuation zones in both Flagstaff and Page is underway.