(COLORADO SPRINGS)– At 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28, phones were ringing for people living in El Paso County and Teller County to alert them about a planned test during an evacuation exercise.
“The time of a disaster is not the time to… try to figure out what you need for an evacuation plan,” said Andrew Notbohm the Director of Emergency Management for Pikes Peak.
Local public safety officials issued two test alerts during their evacuation exercise in the Broadmoor Bluffs area at 11:00 am on Saturday.
“We actually have an in-the-field exercise for first responders, who’re going out. They’re doing door-to-door evacuations and then simulating what an evacuation would feel like,” said Notbohm.
The drill was an effort to teach community members what to do in the event of an emergency.
“If you see smoke, get down on the ground and… make your way downstairs down to the front door,” says Ava McNair a girl who learned what to do in an emergency. “Then when you’re outside, go to the neighbor’s house and… phone 911.”