The Amador County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services, in partnership with Cal Fire, is planning a major disaster preparedness exercise to be conducted at the Amador County Fairgrounds. This year’s exercise will consist of an actual neighborhood evacuation drill due to a catastrophic wildfire situation. Law enforcement representatives will go door to door in a pre-designated neighborhood simulating an evacuation in the Plymouth area. Residents will not be asked to evacuate but will be provided fire safety information. The purpose of the exercise is to give participants an opportunity to evaluate current response concepts, plans and capabilities for conducting a large scale neighborhood evacuation due to a catastrophic wildfire. The exercise will focus on key local emergency responder coordination, critical decisions and the integration of supporting agencies and mutual aid assets necessary to save lives in an effective and safe manner. Amador County, like many Sierra Nevada counties, is at a very high risk of experiencing catastrophic wildfires. Long, dry summers punctuated with periods of severe drought combine with erratic weather and heavy fuel concentrations to create an explosive fire environment. Amador County’s growing population creates conditions for catastrophic loss of homes and businesses as well as human life. “We recognize the potential for a catastrophic wildfire event and will continue to enhance our response capabilities to protect the lives of our citizens”, says Amador County Sheriff Martin Ryan. Ryan emphasized the importance that many agencies play in responding to a disaster and views this exercise as an excellent opportunity to bolster interagency cooperation and to provide for a more efficient use of limited resources. The exercise takes place on Thursday, June 5th from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, at the Amador County Fairgrounds in Plymouth. For more information, contact Lynne Olson, Emergency Services Coordinator at (209) 223-6384.