People in the Siuslaw Valley Fire & Rescue service area will receive a test alert via phone or email on Saturday

April 25, 2022 — A test of the emergency alert system in the Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue (SVFR) service area is scheduled for noon on Saturday, April 30.

Residents in the SVFR service area, which covers Florence, Dunes City and other coastal communities, may receive a test alert on their mobile phones, landlines or via email. The messages will include “TEST ALERT” to reduce any potential confusion. Residents should not call 9-1-1 in response to the test alert.

“Florence and surrounding communities face the same risks as the rest of Lane County, but with the addition of possible tsunamis,” said Florence Emergency Manager Megan Messmer. “We felt it was important to conduct this test so that we can all — as a community — be better prepared for a real emergency. Understanding how you will receive alerts and being ready to act quickly will save lives when the time comes.”

 Emergency responders use several tools to alert residents. Some tools do not require residents to sign up, including Wireless Emergency Alerts or Reverse 9-1-1; however, everyone in Lane County is encouraged to sign up to receive AlertSense emergency alerts at lanecounty-or.myfreealerts.com. The City of Florence also has resources available at www.ci.florence.or.us/em, and Western Lane Emergency Operations Group has information at wleog.org.
Residents can plan to stop by SVFR’s Main Station #1, 2625 Highway 101, on April 30 between noon and 1 p.m. to learn more about preparing for emergencies and emergency alerts. 

The West Lane Emergency Operations Group and Lane County Emergency Management are working together to conduct the test. 

This test will not include the Emergency Alert System (television and radio messages) because those air countywide and are likely to cause unnecessary confusion for residents outside of the test area.