PRESS RELEASE - April 17, 2019

Tomorrow is the Anniversary of the Great San Francisco and Bay Area 1906 Earthquake

It’s never a matter of if we will have another Earthquake – but when ?

Menlo Park Fire Protection District - On, Thursday, April 18, 2019, the 113th Anniversary of the 1906 Earthquake that devastated and tragically destroyed major sections of the San Francisco, Bay Area and the Peninsula, a demonstration of a technological solution that will provide California with an early warning system is gaining momentum and proof of concept.

A demonstration of this amazing early warning system will be held at Menlo Park Fire Protection District, Station 2, located at 2290 University Avenue in East Palo Alto from 2 – 3 pm, on Thursday, April 18, 2019.

Pictured below – Most of the images of the 1906 Earthquake feature the City of San Francisco, but the magnitude 7.7 - 7.9 Earthquake lasted about a minute and damaged and destroyed hundreds of structures along the Peninsula. Built in 1874, out of brick, the Duff and Doyle General Store in Menlo Park, located at the corner of Santa Cruz Avenue and El Camino Real, was completed destroyed by the massive massive earthquake and was later completely rebuilt as a wood building – Credit Menlo Park Historical Society

photo1.jpg

When a moderate earthquake with a Modified Mercalli intensity scale of 4 - 5 approaches Fire Station 2 in East Palo Alto, an earthquake warning will sound over the Stations alerting system along with its intensity and a countdown of the approximate time until it strikes the building and the shaking begins, allowing firefighters to “drop, cover and hold on.” In addition, gas operated appliances will automatically be shut-off and the Fire Station alerting lights will be turned on. When a stronger earthquake with a Modified Mercalli intensity scale of 6 or greater occurs, the apparatus bay doors will be opened so they cannot potentially malfunction or jam shut.

In October of 2018, the Fire District became a pilot program partner with the United States Geological Survey (USGS). That partnership allows them to utilize the new ShakeAlert network of hundreds of ground sensors as part of the Bay Area’s Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) system. The Fire District is the first fire agency in Northern California to use this system and one of a handful of public agencies statewide to integrate this potential lifesaving technology into its day to day operations.

Fire Station notification experts, Telecommunications Engineering Associates, Inc. (TEA) and earthquake early warning experts from Sky-Alert helped to design the actual solution triggers, protocols and process that then connects to the USGS ShakeAlert resilience platform and network. Each Fire Station system cost $15,500 to install and includes one year’s maintenance and $19k for a combined annual maintenance thereafter, all paid by the Fire District.

The Fire District currently has two of these systems installed at each of its newest Fire Stations located in East Palo Alto (Station 2) and in downtown Menlo Park (Station 6) with a third planned at a new Station on the drawing board located in an unincorporated area of San Mateo County in Sharon Heights (Station 4).

Pictured below – Saint Patrick’s Seminary, located on Middlefield Road in Menlo Park, suffered significant damage to the chapel, clock tower and dormitory wings of the building. The chapel was rebuilt, the clock tower was not and the third floor dorm room wings were rebuilt using wood. Credit Menlo Fire Archives (Post Card)

Photo2.jpg

In addition to the ShakeAlert system, the Fire District will demonstrate its new area wide Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) Community Notification System and show how both systems could eventually be tied together to provide area wide audible alerts for earthquake, flood, fire and other emergencies.

Fire Chief Schapelhouman said, “we’ve been working with our partners for many years to implement both of these incredible technologies, ShakeAlert will notify and protect our Station firefighters but we also believe coupled with the LRAD public address system, it can help to bridge the “notification gap” as another important public safety tool and option for community early warning messaging for earthquake pre-notification as well as for fire and flooding information and evacuation signaling.”

Why the City of East Palo Alto?

The City of East Palo Alto is 2.4 square miles in size and is located on vulnerable alluvial soils along the San Francisco Bay, primarily below Highway 101 and on approach to the highly traveled most Southern Bay Crossing, the Dumbarton Bridge. Working with its city partners, the Fire District believes a built out LRAD System could cover the entire area within 12 to 24 months.

Fire Station 2 was modernized, hardened, enlarged, brought up to and then exceeded building standards for Critical Essential Services Facilities, when it was re-opened in 2016. The Station was also equipped with a new 100 foot high resilient communications mono-pole, which will be ideal for the LRAD system.

Fire Board President Virginia Kiraly said, “The importance of the LRAD communitywide notification system, for any kind of disaster, is that our residents will be notified, even at the most unexpected times when notification is most needed. The Fire Board and the East Palo Alto City Council held a joint meeting for the first time last year, and the fire district is committed to supporting this communitywide notification and working collaboratively with the fastest-growing community in the fire district."

About the Menlo Park Fire Protection District:

The Fire District provides critical fire and essential emergency services to its areas in Atherton, East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, four unincorporated areas of San Mateo County and on contract to the SLAC National Accelerator and Laboratories. Created in 1916, the District operates from seven fire stations, using ten emergency response platforms with a frontline staff of one hundred first responders of which over half are Paramedics.

About the United States Geological Survey (USGS) ShakeAlert System

The USGS is authorized to develop a system capable of sending earthquake warning notifications as established by the Disaster Relief Act (P.L.93-288, popularly known as the Stafford Act) and the National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program, as enacted by the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977, 42 U.S.C. 7701 et seq. USGS, in partnership with the University of Washington, Caltech, UC Berkeley, and the University of Oregon is continuing to develop an Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) System. USGS’s specific research objective is to develop the capability of issuing an alert within seconds of detecting an earthquake, thereby providing warning before destructive shaking arrives.

About SkyAlert

Sky Alert is an earthquake early warning solutions provider based in Berkeley, California. The company was founded with the mission of providing technological solutions to prevent and reduce human and economic losses when an earthquake strikes. SkyAlert leverages IoT technology to provide advance warning of an impending earthquake. This warning helps people find cover and prepare before the shaking begins. SkyAlert is an official partner of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and collaborates closely to distribute EEW solutions to organizations and businesses in California, Oregon, and Washington.

More: Home News