Ladris presented on innovation in advanced evacuation planning at the 2026 NACo Annual Conference & Exposition, held July 16–20, 2026 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Hosted by the National Association of Counties, the NACo Annual Conference is the premier annual gathering of elected and appointed officials from the nation’s more than 3,000 counties, parishes, and boroughs.
For county leaders responsible for protecting residents across the wildland-urban interface, the session examined how data-driven simulation is changing what an evacuation plan can be. Ladris showed how modern evacuation modeling establishes a common operating picture around two questions that decide outcomes: how long before a hazard reaches a community, and how long it takes to move everyone to safety.
Using advanced evacuation planning work in Colorado’s Pikes Peak region as a reference, the presentation demonstrated how large-scale simulation lets counties pressure-test assumptions, compare traffic-management and phasing strategies, and prepare response tactics ahead of time — so decisions in a fast-moving, wind-driven fire are made on evidence, not instinct.
Counties are on the front line of nearly every evacuation. Giving them the ability to model an evacuation before it happens is one of the highest-leverage things we can do for public safety.
Leo Zlimen — Chief Executive Officer, LadrisLadris thanks NACo and its members for the opportunity to share this work with county leaders from across the country. For more about the conference, visit NACo.