TESTIMONIALS FOR EAST COUNTY WILDFIRE AND EMERGENCY ALERTS

Our readers value East County Wildfire and  Emergency Alerts!  Read some of their testimonials below.

You can also support our alerts  with a donation at https://www.EastCountyMedia.org/donate. 

“You guys are fast! Often I get your alerts before I hear from dispatch.  I forward many of your …Wildfire & Emergency alerts to all our people.” – Chief August Ghio, president, San Diego County Fire Chiefs Association (now retired)

“Everyone here should sign up for East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts.”—Supervisor Joel Anderson, at a town hall in Julian

“As Executive Director of the Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego County and President of the Fire Safe Council of San Diego County, I would like to commend Ms. Raftery (founder of East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts) for her suggestions for protection of San Diego County's unincorporated and wildland-urban interface areas.” – Marty Leavitt

“Thank you so much for the unexpected yet timely alert regarding the fire yesterday.  We saw the smoke but were left completely uninformed. Then suddenly I rec’d your email!  I’m referring you to many others.” – Ellen Sullivan, reader

“Thank you, especially, for the wildfire and traffic alerts I get! Of all the news programs you are ALWAYS the first one with concise information that help us make choices and decisions. You are awesome!!!!” – Jan Hedlun, Potrero Planning Group

“The timely wildfire, Sig-alert and other critical alerts provided by the [East County] Wildfire and Emergency Alerts through East County Magazine to those living, working and playing in San Diego’s scenic fire-prone neighborhoods and public lands are an invaluable service that deserves full funding.” – Donna Tisdale, Chair, Boulevard Planning Group

 “We use the Alerts to validate some of our Intel. We do not usually receive any news from the media unless the fire or incident is quite large and only if it may potentially affect downtown. I can attest to the importance of quick, accurate info given to people, as I am a retired Battalion Chief. The information given in a timely manner helps residents prepare for what action they may need to do such as evacuation, evacuation routes and evacuation centers. The quicker the information gets out to residents lessens the potential for injury, loss of life, less property damage and less confusion…I hope the sponsors of the Alerts continue their support of this valuable and much needed resource and that they have our gratitude for providing this service.” – Mark Ostrander, retired Cal Fire Battalion Chief, Jacumba

 “I cannot thank you all enough for this service… I live in Scripps Ranch, and lost my home in the Cedar Fire in 2003.  As I was picking my child up from school today, we could all smell smoke and were getting extremely anxious - wondering where the fire was.  Some of the parents were discussing how impossible it is to get quick info on fires, and that it seems to come too late.  How wonderful to get home and have an email waiting for me letting me know what is going on and where.  As we know from our other fire, minutes can be the difference in evacuating safely from a fire…” – Vicki Collins, Scripps Ranch

 “Thank you!!!  You guys are GREAT/  Living on the border the US never tells us the status of fires in Mex. Keep up the great work!” -  Robin Brailsford

“These alerts provide quick notifications to backcountry residents, including our own tribal members, via e-mail, Twitter and Facebook.” – Anthony Pico, Chairman, Viejas Band of the Kumeyaay Nation

“We love you guys!” – Bobbi Brinks, founder of Lions, Tigers & Bears

 “It's still dark here. We work on Miramar Rd - thanks to you, we know not to drink the water at the office! :-) No one could have expected this kind of outage, but we really appreciate your update.” – Miramar Bath, during Sept. 2011 county-wide power outage

 “I signed up for ECMag’s Wildfire Alert system and it completely WORKED this afternoon. On my way home about 2 p.m. I could see lots of smoke to the north. It was a fire at Camp Pendleton, and I got the full report from my East County Magazine email bulletin.” – Gayle Lynn, reader

“I appreciate you keeping an eye on things for us. The radio stations are not what they used to be. Now they use network news and I do not think they have local reporters working any more.” – Karen Kain,  Julian, (during the Banner Grade fire)

“With fire season coming up, you may wish to sign up for the ‘East County Magazine’ which provides free wildfire and news alert services and a free weekly copy of East County Magazine at www.eastcountymagazine.org.” – Fran Zumwalt, Grossmont Education Association (GEA) in an e-mail to 1,000 teachers

“We cannot express enough our sincere gratitude for your timely alerts to our area.  These alerts would save many lives by us being aware of the situation. AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR THIS SERVICE THAT YOU ARE PROVIDING!”-- Richard and Nita Delnay, Rainbow

“I really like getting your instant updates on county-wide emergency situations. Those are really helpful and it is great that they come right to my inbox.” – Brad Monroe, Ornamental Horticultural director, Cuyamaca College

“The alerts you send out are so valuable.  We are fire survivors and active with the fire safe council and it’s just such a comfort to know you are there and wherever we are, we will have some idea of what is happening.  We came home the other day just because of the Barrett Fire.  We did not want to get blocked out from getting to our home in case the winds and fire got out of control.  Not only could these alerts save lives, they are an emotional godsend.  Thanks.” – Phyllis Dozier, Deerhorn Valley

“After the devastation I witnessed as we raced nature to evacuate our animals and home in both fires previously, I can't begin to thank you enough for having this email service.  Without fail, I see smoke in the sky and relive those worst days all over again. But it is refreshing having a tight community and people like the ones at ECM that know the importance of getting information out there before it’s too late.” – Shawna Schick 

 “I think your magazine is the best thing the East County has.  Thank you.”—Rob Deason, webmaster, Deerhorn Valley community website

““LOVE the magazine.  You are filling a void with this.” – Mary Handfelt, Cedar Fire survivor

Your alerts give us comfort, peace of mind, and the necessary information to keep us safe!” – Danielle Cook,  Jacumba Boulevard Revitalization Alliance

“I’m a fan of East County Magazine and the Wildfire & Emergency Alert service.” – John Fox, Station Manager, Pala Rez Radio

“Thank you for your emails!!We all appreciate how informative you are in regards to our East county families! We are all are touched by all these alerts it truly does help.  Keep up the good work!” – Angie Turner

“Living in San Diego with property in Shelter Valley, I want to THANK THE MAGAZINE/EMAILS for the info ya’ll provide in your wildfire/emergency reports.  It sure helps us knowing we have reporters who understand the back country and know what is important to report to those who rely on info we can get when catastrophes occur out that way.” – Jan Lindsley

“Thank I forward you magazine to so many people. I hope they become subscribers and supporters. To have this tool (when you consider these storms and how lucky we have been.  It's hard to measure the value of the loss that did not happen (because of a source like yours). How do we measure having gotten out unscathed?  Having saved our family or our pets.   But that is the essence of the magazine!!”  –Paul Pitt

“Thank you once again, East County Magazine! You have become a dependable source of information for us back country residents. Someone walked into the office yesterday and said “fire.” And in my e-mail was the information I needed to alert another co-worker and send her back home to Shelter Valley…You are really growing a great network of followers!” – Kerry Hunsinger

 “I have been receiving your emergency alerts at Camp Oliver – where I work in Descanso. I really appreciate the heads-up notifications your paper sends to us … After the Cedar Fires of 2003 and the next ones in 2007 where we almost lost our camp – and where I was evacuated twice from my home in east Granite Hills, during the Cedar fires – I like having the quick alerts you send to me at the camp. I thought it would be good to also have those alerts sent to my home.” –Katie Zolezzi

“East County Magazine, edited by Miriam Raftery, one of the hardest-working journalists I know, covers all the cities and rural areas that lie east of the Interstate 15, a geographic area that may rival those of some of America’s smaller states.  Such incorporated cities as Santee, La Mesa, El Cajon, Lemon Grove, and Poway fall within East County Magazine’s purview as do such unincorporated areas as Spring Valley, Lakeside, Alpine, Ramona, Julian, Borrego Springs, Warner Hot Springs, , the Cleveland National Forest.  During hot summers like this one, East County Magazine is a go-to source for up-to-the-minute reports on wildfires in our area.” – Donald H. Harrison, Editor, San Diego Jewish World

“Many thanks for all the info on the fires, including links.  Very helpful!!” -- —Dan Moody, during 2020 Valley Fire

“I checked all the online local media for a map of the Valley fire and found only images of burning homes and airplanes dropping fire retardant. I went to East County Magazine and on the first page was the East County Alert and the first item was a link to satellite derived map of the fires extent. The link is also in this article. FANTASTIC and thank you East County Magazine!” – Tim, La Mesa

“Thank you so much for sending me these notices and updates.  You are all angels for the community and although I am not in that area, but to the west and north by valley center I truly care about all of you as well.  May the great spirit protect the firefighters and everyone out there from harm.”  --Stephen Markowitz (during Chariot Fire)