By Eve Kearney, Martinez City Manager’s Office
The City of Martinez is continuing to take proactive steps to enhance community safety by hosting a virtual evacuation drill, on July 11, 2026, from 9:00 am to 10:00 am. This exercise will simulate the evacuation and response to a wildfire emergency.
A virtual evacuation drill is an ideal opportunity for residents to review and practice their personal and family safety plan in the event of an evacuation and ensure they are registered to receive emergency alerts.
The emergency scenario for the Unified Command exercise will be a wildland fire burning into the urban interface on the west edge of the City, north of SR-4. The virtual evacuation and emergency scenario will focus on five evacuation zones: MAR-001, MAR-002, and MAR-003. These zones were chosen due to actual wildfire risk and wildland-urban interface (WUI).
What to Expect During the Drill
The drill will begin at 9:00 am. Live mock messages will be sent to all registered Martinez Alerts users. Messages will be clearly marked as drill-related. Residents in the three evacuation zones will receive additional messages during the drill.
There are up to three ways residents can participate in the Virtual Evacuation Drill.
- Ensure expected mock messaging from Martinez Alerts is received.
- Residents may practice preparing to evacuate from their residence, including a list of suggestions on our website.
- Residents may safely leave their residence and use their identified evacuation route.
The Importance of Evacuation Drills
The City as a whole benefits from this drill, extending beyond the target neighborhoods. It serves as an instructive example for emergency response across the entire City and offers an educational and preparation opportunity for all residents. Additionally, Martinez’s first responders will use this
Drill to conduct a Unified Command exercise, practicing multi‑agency coordination as well as response and management of an emergency scenario.
For more information, visit the evacuation drill webpage at cityofmartinez.org/july11.
For day-of messaging options during the exercise, please sign up for the Martinez Alerts e-notification system at www.martinezalerts.com.
Leave a Reply