Jump Start Your Personal Emergency Preparedness

Photo courtesy of cal fire/San diego county fire

You might not have a flailbot like County Fire, but there are still four simple ways for you to prepare for wildfires.

This year’s higher-than-average rainfall led to an abundance of grasses and brush throughout the region and state, and that is prompting County agencies to clear fire breaks, sometimes with the flailbot, set controlled burns and urge people to start preparing now for a potentially busier peak fire season.

For wildfires and all hazards, the County Office of Emergency Services recommends these four things: make a plan, build a kit, stay informed and get involved.

Make or update your Personal Disaster Plan with the County’s templates available in various languages and tailored for people with who may need assistance. The templates walk you through various hazard planning steps and offer tips such as creating defensible space, making a home evacuation plan and what to do if asked to evacuate or shelter in place. A mobile version of the plan is available on the SD Emergency App.

In an emergency, people may need to rely on emergency supplies and many of these items can  be stored in a grab-and-go bag to take with you if asked to evacuate. A list of supplies is available at ReadySanDiego and in the Personal Disaster Plan templates. The main thing is to personalize your plan to your family so it takes into account factors like food allergies or needed medication. These kits do not have to be expensive with many items available at discount stores.

In any emergency, updated, critical information is vital. The County’s SD Emergency App offers important official information on local emergencies that may affect you. It also has early earthquake warnings, along with before, during and after guidance.

The County also recommends people register their mobile phone numbers for AlertSanDiego, the County’s regional information system which notifies people about an emergency such as a nearby wildfire or other critical incident and has  instructions in the event of an evacuation or road closures.

Finally, the thought of an emergency may leave people feeling powerless, yet there are many ways to help yourself, your family and your neighbors. All of us County employees are Disaster Service Workers and may volunteer to help, or you may be assigned to help.

Even if you are not given an assignment, you can join the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) an adult volunteer program that offers basic emergency training--enough to help your family and neighborhood until first responders can arrive and take over during an emergency. You can also help with getting your neighbors prepared before a disaster.

Those under 18 years of age can become a Youth Emergency Readiness Ambassador (YERA) who assist with community disaster preparedness outreach.