The City of Martinez will hold a virtual evacuation drill on July 11 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. as part of an effort to help residents prepare for wildfire emergencies and improve community readiness. The exercise will simulate a wildfire spreading into the city’s western edge north of State Route 4 and will focus on evacuation zones MAR-001, MAR-002 and MAR-003, areas identified as having elevated wildfire risk due to their location near the wildland-urban interface. Beginning at 9 a.m., registered Martinez Alerts users will receive a series of mock emergency messages clearly labeled as part of the drill. Residents in the affected evacuation zones will receive additional notifications throughout the exercise. Officials encourage residents to participate by confirming they receive the alerts, reviewing their household evacuation plans, preparing emergency go-bags and identifying evacuation routes. Participants may also choose to safely practice leaving their homes using their planned evacuation route. City officials said the drill is designed not only to help residents prepare for emergencies but also to give first responders an opportunity to practice coordinating a multi-agency response through a Unified Command exercise. Residents who are not in the designated evacuation zones can still participate by reviewing their emergency plans and ensuring they are signed up to receive Martinez Alerts.