Napa Can Become a Fire Prevention Leader, Illumination Technologies CEO Chris Eldridge Writes in the Napa Valley Register

Christopher Eldridge, the chief executive officer of Illumination Technologies California, has published an opinion article in the Napa Valley Register arguing that the County has an opportunity to put in place a number of public safety solutions which can greatly enhance our preparedness for wildfires, and become a leading model for the rest of California and the country at large. Excerpt below:

In 2019, ITC played a role in preventing the loss of human life and worse property destruction, through the installation of our Calistoga-based Multipurpose Alert Stations, including sirens.

These stations were installed in May and September of 2019, and connected to the Calistoga Police Department, who reserved the sole right to deploy sirens in the event of an emergency. In initiating the sirens to alert the public, first responders could focus on fighting fires rather than time-consuming door-to-door evacuations.

The siren alert system, combined with Nixle and local AM radio evacuation instructions, notified residents and tourists to vacate premises within minutes of the fire being detected by authorities, which was especially important for Calistoga’s seniors, many of whom may not possess smartphones or other notification technology. Speeding up the evacuation process undoubtedly protected lives, according to Calistoga Fire Chief Steve Campbell.

“That early warning may have been the difference between [people] making it out of their property or not,” explained Campbell, in a recent interview at the Illumination Technologies office. “You can’t have enough communication. In after-action reviews, communication is frequently one of the major things that could have been improved upon.”

Read the full article here.