COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — The City of Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak Office of Emergency Management invite residents in the Rockrimmon neighborhood to participate in a wildland fire evacuation drill and preparedness fair on Saturday, June 25. First responders will use this drill to practice evacuation procedures and multiagency response coordination, relying on public participation to make it a realistic exercise.
This exercise is seeking residents from the following neighborhoods:
- Discovery
- Comstock Village
- Golden Hills
Participating residents will evacuate their homes to a pre-determined location. Participants will receive lunch, be entered in a drawing, receive a briefing from local emergency responders, and have the opportunity to visit educational displays.
- Agencies participating include
- Colorado Springs Police
- Colorado Springs Fire Department
- The American Red Cross
- Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region
- The Pikes Peak Regional Office of Emergency ManagementThe City and County are consolidating their Offices of Emergency Management in an effort to optimize staff resources, establish a single point of contact during major incidences and enhance communication both during and after an event. The new office, the Pikes Peak Regional Office of Emergency Management (PPR-OEM) will support operations during a disaster or emergency in El Paso County and Colorado Springs.Because disaster knows no jurisdictional boundaries, we can most efficiently prepare for an emergency and respond to one by coordinating our efforts on a regional basis. The establishment of the PPR-OEM will allow the county and the city to more effectively coordinate and assist first responders in an emergency as well as preparing the government and the community for a disaster.
- and many more organizations that support local emergencies.
These groups and many more are working together to prepare our neighborhoods for emergencies and disasters.
Pre-Registration is required for the evacuation drill on June 25th and participation will be limited. The informational meeting June 8th is optional and does not require advance registration.
- Pre-Evacuation Sign-Up Meeting
- Wednesday, Jun 8
- 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
- Foothills Elementary School
- 825 Allegheny Dr, Colorado Springs, CO 80919
- Evacuation Drill
- Saturday, June 25
- 10:20 – 12:30 p.m.
- Instructions will be provided to registered participants
“Evacuation drills like this are an excellent way to understand how and why to evacuate,” said Jim Reid, Director of the Pikes Peak Regional Office of Emergency Management, “We practice so that when we really need to evacuate during an incident, we are not learning how to do it for the first time. On this tenth anniversary of the Waldo Canyon Fire, we want to make sure we keep improving our community’s safety by practicing how to evacuate.”
The evacuation drill is part of efforts to build awareness for overall preparedness during a wildfire. For information and to register to participate, please visit www.ColoradoSprings.gov/2022EvacDrill . Residents of the specified subdivisions listed above can also register online, or in person by attending the Pre-Evacuation Sign-Up Meeting at the date and location listed above.
Media Note: There are opportunities for media to cover the evacuation drill. More information will be released Tuesday, Jun 21. Confirmed areas participating in the evacuation drill: Highlighted on the Map (Discovery, Golden Hills, and Comstock neighborhoods).