If you live in or around Diamond Springs, El Dorado County wants you to practice getting out before a real emergency ever hits. The county will run a mock evacuation drill and emergency-preparedness town hall on Saturday, April 18, 2026, centered on nearby neighborhoods and capped with a public meeting in the Union Mine High School gym. The exercise features optional door-to-door notifications, a full test of mass-alert systems, and a chance for residents to quiz law enforcement and fire officials. The event is free and open to all residents.
Event Details
According to the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office, the Spring 2026 Evacuation Drill & Town Hall is set for Saturday, April 18, 2026. The county’s evacuation page urges residents on the targeted streets to opt in for door-to-door notifications so deputies can put neighborhood alert procedures through a real-world test. Organizers say the town hall portion will walk through evacuation zones, shelter options, and step-by-step home-preparedness measures.
Where and Who Can Attend
Union Mine High School lists its campus at 6530 Koki Lane in El Dorado, and the county’s announcement states that the town hall will take over the school’s main gym. The county’s Facebook post notes that the meeting will run from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., that any RAVE emergency alerts sent during the drill will be clearly labeled as a drill, and that signups are available at ready.edso.org, according to El Dorado County, CA - Government. The post also stresses that everyone is welcome, not just Diamond Springs residents.
Who’s Taking Part
County outreach materials list the Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services, local fire districts, CAL FIRE, the California Highway Patrol, fire safe councils, and the Office of Wildfire Preparedness as participants in town halls and evacuation drills, according to a county flyer. It is the same lineup of agencies the county has tapped for past preparedness sessions and practice evacuations. Officials say having all those players in the room at once helps coordinate communication, road closures, and sheltering when a real evacuation is on the line.
How to Sign Up and What to Expect
Residents can register for alerts and opt into neighborhood notification visits through the county’s emergency-preparedness portal, according to El Dorado County’s emergency site. PerimeterMap provides live evacuation-zone maps and suggested routes during actual incidents, and the county points residents to that tool for real-time route information. Organizers say the drill will exercise both old-fashioned door-to-door checks and the RAVE mass-notification system to spot coverage gaps and sharpen response times before the next fire season heats up.
Why This Matters
El Dorado County has been ramping up outreach and planning tools after recent destructive wildfires, and officials say community drills are one of the best ways to test assumptions about how long evacuations take, where traffic bottlenecks form, and how much shelter space is really needed. The county’s wildfire-preparedness push, which includes a Community Wildfire Protection Plan and broader public-education efforts, is intended to cut risk and speed evacuations, according to El Dorado County. The town hall also gives residents a straightforward place to ask about defensible-space programs and evacuation planning directly with agency representatives.
Quick Details
Sign-ups are being handled through the county’s emergency page, and the county’s Facebook announcement lists a contact email ([email protected]) and phone number (530-621-5134) for questions, per El Dorado County, CA - Government. The drill includes an opt-in neighborhood notification exercise, and the public town hall in the Union Mine High School gym is scheduled to wrap up at 12:00 p.m.
