Full Notification

On Sunday, May 2nd there will be a TEST of the Community Warning System (CWS) in the City of El Cerrito and Community of Kensington. This test will be conducted in coordination with El Cerrito and Kensington Fire and Police Departments.  
 
During the May 2nd test residents can expect to receive notifications between 8:00 and 8:30 am.  Notifications are issued via text, email, and voice messages on land lines and registered cell phones.  You MAY receive more than one message per household. (ex. land line, cell phone) according to your registration.

In a real emergency, EVACUATION orders are ONLY issued via the Community Warning System (CWS).  CWS is the only source for this information.  Nixle will not be used to issue evacuation orders but may be used to provide other information.  You should subscribe to both services.

What should residents do to prepare for the TEST? 

• First, ensure that you are registered for the Community Warning System (CWS) by going to www.CoCoCWS.us.  CWS calls to your cell phone will display a return number of 925-655-0195.  Please add this to your Favorites so that calls or messages are not blocked or filtered as Spam.  You should register all phone lines associated with your residence.

 

• Second, have discussions with your family about what to do if an evacuation is ordered.  You should only take one car and bring important papers, wallets, phones, and pets that can be grabbed quickly.  For more information about what to take and how to prepare in advance, go to https://www.readyforwildfire.org/wp-content/uploads/calfire_set_brochure_LINOweb.pdf  

 

• Third, please complete the survey at the end of the alert to provide feedback. The survey will help emergency preparedness managers better help you and your neighbors prepare for disaster needs in the community.

 
If you did not receive the TEST evacuation alert:
Wait until 8:45 am. If you do not receive the test alert by 8:45 am, please contact CWS on Monday to troubleshoot your registration. They can be reached via:

• Phone: 925-655-0111 (M-F 8-5 pm)
• E-mail: [email protected]
• Mail: 1850 Muir Road, Martinez, CA 94553

 
Closing:
Tests like this help both our Fire and Police Departments assess and improve our practices in reacting to and notifying residents of emergency evacuation situations.  They also help residents ensure we are all prepared, in the event of a real emergency, to evacuate the area safely so that first responders can focus on addressing the emergency.
 
Thank you in advance for participating.  Questions about this test of the CWS alert system can be directed to El Cerrito Battalion Chief Joe Grupalo. [email protected]