In a bid to help emergency responders more effectively plan and communicate evacuations, Boulder, Colo., has launched Zonehaven, a new web-based emergency mapping tool for the community.
In addition to aiding emergency responders, the Zonehaven platform also provides community members direct access to real-time evacuation and emergency information. In a press release, the city explains that emergency personnel coordinated with Zonehaven to divide the map of the city of Boulder into a number of zones, with each zone having a corresponding number on the Zonehaven map.
The mapping tool will be used by emergency personnel during an emergency to plan and execute evacuations. Additionally, community members will be able to go to the map to check the evacuation status for their zone(s) and access emergency information, including evacuation points, shelters, and more.
“After many months of hard work from members of multiple departments across the city, we are excited for the launch of this software,” said Boulder Wildland Division Chief Brian Oliver. “Zonehaven not only helps us as first responders execute evacuation notifications more quickly and effectively, it also gets critical emergency information into the hands of community members in a way we haven’t been able to achieve before.”
The city is encouraging residents to explore the new mapping tool before the next emergency, adding that the platform also provides accessibility and language options.
However, the city does stress that Zonehaven does not replace the need for the city’s other emergency alert technologies, including Everbridge and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA). The city explained that emergency alerts sent out to the community via Everbridge or WEA will also include a direct link to Zonehaven, providing community members with quick access to critical emergency information as soon as updates are available.
