Forest Park evacuation dicey

Whatever the cause, escaping Forest Park in the event of a wildfire may be complicated. Many areas have only one exit route, and narrow roads without shoulders could be jammed. The extent of the danger area and the overlay with escape routes would be largely unknowable in the moment.

Residents would be notified of a serious fire through the Community Emergency Notification System (CENS), also known as reverse 911, operated by the Portland Bureau of Emergency Communications.

All cellular and land-based phones within a defined geographic area would receive alerts, but the messages would not answer predictable questions: Which route should I take, based on my location? Are any roads blocked by fallen trees or traffic? How much time do I have?

“These messages are very rigid in nature and do not have the ability to alter or add any nuance to the message,” said Rick Graves, public information officer for Portland Fire & Rescue. “These are simply a set of messages, such as ‘shelter in place’ or ‘evacuate.’

“The reason the language is canned and not nuanced for any particular emergency is the need to have it available in all the languages that are observed by the jurisdiction,” Graves said.

Law enforcement personnel on the scene may provide information tailored to the situation, he said.

—Allan Classen