District Overview

Name: National Wireless Emergency Alert Test
Start: 2023-10-04T18:20+00:00
End: 2023-10-04T18:30+00:00

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Serving Tamalpais Valley, Almonte, Homestead Valley, Alto, Strawberry, Tiburon, City of Sausalito, City of Mill Valley, Fort Baker, Marin Headlands California

Public Protection Classification ISO logo The Southern Marin Fire Protection District is an independent special district established by the Marin County Board of Supervisors in July of 1999. Its statutory authority is provided through the California Fire District Law of 1987, (Health & Safety Code §13800, et seq). The District was formed by the merger of the Alto-Richardson Fire Protection District and the Tamalpais Fire Protection District.

On June 24, 2012, the City of Sausalito Fire Department was annexed into the Fire District. In October of 2010 the District signed a contract with the National Park Service to provide services to the Marin Headlands and Fort Baker areas of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. On July 1, 2023, the City of Mill Valley was annexed into the Fire District.

The District has 90 full time employees including a Fire Chief, 2 Deputy Fire Chiefs, 1 Fire Marshal, 1 Deputy Fire Marshal, 4 Battalion Chiefs, 15 Fire Captains, 17 Engineer Firefighters, 17 Engineer Paramedics, 7 Firefighter Paramedics, 12 Firefighters, 1 HR Manager, 1 Finance Manager, 1 Finance Assistant, 1 Communications Coordinator, 1 IT Coordinator, 1 Administrative Aide, 3 Fire Inspector/Plan Reviewers, 2 Wildfire Mitigation Specialists, and 2 Vegetation Management Specialists, and 1 NRG Coordinator.

The Southern Marin Fire District serves the cities of Sausalito, and Mill Valley, and communities of Tamalpais Valley, Almonte, Homestead Valley, Alto, Strawberry, approximately 1/4 of the town of Tiburon, the City of Mill Valley, Fort Baker and the Marin Headlands. The District covers over 25.3 square miles, a population of approximately 41,576 and over 20,500 homes and commercial properties. Each of our zones is protected by one Type I engine with each of the zones cross-staffing at least one specialty piece of equipment such as a Ladder Truck, Rescue, Fire Boat, Jet Skis, Inflatable Rescue Boat, and Type 3 Engine. The District also provide ALS transport services. The District had 2 ambulances and 1 ALS Medium Rescue.

Southern Marin Fire District Geographical Map 2024 image

Zone 1 (City of Sausalito)

Zone 1 (City of Sausalito) is a small coastal town with most of the residential structures built on the hillsides from just above sea level to the top of Wolfback Ridge which reaches up to about 1,120 feet. The wildland urban interface lays approximately within the 450 foot to 1,120 foot elevation line. It consists of close proximity housing with irrigated landscaping punctuated by small jack pots of Eucalyptus stands with deep duff layers, Oak Woodlands with some Sudden Oak Death fuel loading, deep undeveloped canyon areas filled with Bay trees and then large patches of coastal chaparrals in the higher elevations mostly extending from the 750 foot elevation line to the ridgetop at 1,120 feet. The City of Sausalito is bisected by the U.S. 101 freeway that runs adjacent to the City of Sausalito boundary. The Wolfback Ridge Homeowners development is on the west side of the freeway and is unincorporated. The remainder of zone 1 lies in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and is structurally protected by contract by our Fire District.

Zone 4 (Tam & Homestead Valley)

Zone 4 (Tam & Homestead Valley) is a rural type of suburb consisting of mostly single family dwellings built in and upon the coastal mountain range. There is a few small portions, about 5%, that resides on the valley floor. It has a very small commercial area on the valley floor in Tamalpais Valley. This zone is split into essentially two parts: Tamalpais Valley and Homestead Valley. The division between the two valleys is the sharp mountain range running from west to east that divides these two communities although the area is still built out with very large single family dwellings and a few schools. The fuels in these areas are mostly Oak woodland, Bay stands in the deep canyons, Eucalyptus stands with heavy downed material, and between most of the home parcels are sporadically planted or volunteer pine trees with thick beds of needle cast some of which is overgrown with black berry patches and annual grasses. On the perimeter of most of zone 4 lays portions of untreated Golden Gate National Recreation Area consisting of coastal chaparrals and numerous stands of Eucalyptus stands that have not been maintained.

Zone 6 (City of Mill Valley)

Zone 6 (City of Mill Valley) represents the original portions of Mill Valley incorporated in 1901. Zone 6 (located at Mill Valley City Hall) is primarily residential with some light commercial located in Downtown Mill Valley. The zone is located at a confluence of canyons and ridges such as Blithedale, Cascade, Warner, and Middle Ridge. Major roads include servicing the area include Miller Ave, E. Blithedale, W. Blithedale, and Summit. Although a large portion of the zone is located in the Wildland Urban Interface, a substantial portion of the Mill Valley flat areas are located in the flood zone at the confluence of many streams and drainage. Residential occupancies are substantially single-family homes, multifamily homes, and a few mixed-use occupancies. The zone includes several restaurants, a pharmacy, Park Elementary School, Old Mill Elementary School, and government facilities. Zone 6 is bordered by unincorporated Mill Valley, City of Larkspur, Marin County Open Space, and Marin Municipal Water District Lands.

Zone 7 (City of Mill Valley)

Zone 7 (City of Mill Valley) is a primarily residential community with light commercial business throughout the service areas. Bordered by bayfront wetlands, the service area includes portions of the Redwood Highway Frontage Rd and major roads that contain portions of E. Blithedale, Camino Alto, and Miller Ave. Notable commercial occupancies include two grocery stores, one hardware store, among multiple other businesses. Residential occupancies are a mixture of single-family homes, multifamily homes, and a few mixed occupancies. The zone includes Tam Highschool, Mill Valley Middle School, and Edna Maguire Elementary School. The Wildland-Urban Interface represents a significant portion of the landmass within Zone 7, including Seaver, Horse Hill, and Scott Valley. Zone 7 is bordered by Corte Madera, Unincorporated Mill Valley, and Marin County Open Space.

Zone 9 (Strawberry, Alto Sutton & Almonte)

Zone 9 (Strawberry) is a residential community consisting of the Strawberry Area, the Alto Bowl and the newer part of the zone that we call the Black Field area. There is a very large commercial area in this zone that also runs parallel to US Highway 101. The commercial area has a variety of businesses such as Safeway Food Store, Porsche of Marin, Chevron and it also is the home of the Golden Gate Baptist Seminary which is 148 acres. This large chunk of land has many residential and commercial buildings on it but are generally separated by large expanses of open grass lands dotted with large Pine trees of which many of them are maintained. The other part of the zone touches the Ring Mountain Open Space area which is predominantly ungrazed grass lands that directly abut the residential area. The homes in this area are mostly Mediterranean style with stucco siding and tile roofs. A large portion of this area is built on the hillsides as well but the streets are much wider and newer.

National Wireless Emergency Alert Test

Date: 10/04/2023 11:20 AM - 11:30 AM 10/04/2023 11:20 AM 10/04/2023 11:30 AM

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FEMA, in coordination with the FCC, will conduct a nationwide test of both Wireless Emergency Alerts and the Emergency Alert System at approximately 2:20 p.m. EST on Wednesday, October 4, 2023. The WEA test alert will be sent to mobile phones nationwide. Learn more: Test Details

What is Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)?

The Wireless Emergency Alerts system is an essential part of America's emergency preparedness. Since its launch in 2012, the WEA system has been used more than 84,000 times to warn the public about dangerous weather, missing children, and other critical situations – all through alerts on compatible cell phones and other mobile devices.

WEA is a public safety system that allows customers who own compatible mobile devices to receive geographically targeted, text-like messages alerting them of imminent threats to safety in their area.

WEA enables government officials to target emergency alerts to specific geographic areas – lower Manhattan in New York, for example.

The Warning, Alert and Response Network (WARN) Act established WEA in 2008, and it became operational in 2012.

Wireless companies volunteer to participate in WEA, which is the result of a unique public/private partnership between the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the FCC, and the United States wireless industry in order to enhance public safety.

Who will receive the nationwide WEA test message on October 4?

Most, but not all, people will receive the WEA test message on their mobile phones. In order to receive the test message:

You must have a WEA-compatible mobile device. (Some older mobile phones do not receive WEA alerts.)
Your device must be turned on.
Your device must not be on "airplane mode."
Your device must be within the coverage area of a cell tower and able to receive a signal from that cell tower.
Your device must be in a geographic area where the wireless provider participates in WEA.

In addition, some older phones may not display the alert if the user is on a call or in a data session.

Do I need to opt-in to receive the nationwide WEA test message?

No. In the nationwide WEA test, FEMA will send a test National Alert. Under the WARN Act, participating wireless carriers may offer their subscribers the capability to block all WEAs except National Alerts. Although it is possible to opt out from other types of WEAs, such as those warning of imminent threats and missing children, the FCC strongly urges the public to stay opted in to receive all these life-saving messages.

For more information, please visit: www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/wireless-emergency-alerts-wea

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