SNOHOMISH — Stay safe out there: show up Sept. 10, and a group of local safety officials will show you how.
A town hall Tuesday will present information on how to get involved in neighborhood watch, community emergency response team (CERT), and Map Your Neighborhood. The three national programs are active on a local level and provide tools and information that are imperative during a disaster.
The Public Safety Commission is hosting the town hall from 6 to 8:30 p.m. in the Harvey Auditorium room at the Fire District 4 annex building, 1525 Ave. D. The event is free and open to the public.
“The overarching plan here is to give the community as many tools as we can so they can help stay safe and survive” a disaster, said commission chair Donna Ray.
Attendees will view three 15-
minute program presentations, with the remaining 45 minutes open to questions and signups for additional training.
Forming a citywide Neighborhood Watch is Ray’s interest. It’s a program that connects neighbors and law enforcement for the purpose of crime prevention.
The CERT training presentation will be from Fire District 4 Chaplain Dana Uplinger. Fire Chief Ron Simmons said the multi-week program teaches people survival, if they are without assistance during medical emergencies.
“This is a great initial learning program for the general public and also is intended to provide relief and assistance to emergency services, because we can’t be everywhere and help everyone at the same time,” Simmons said.
The Map Your Neighborhood program’s purpose is to coordinate resources and gain information about who’ll need to be checked on in the event of a disaster.
A facilitator from the county’s Department of Emergency Management will present Map Your Neighborhood.
Data gathered by a program ambassador includes information on which neighbor has a chainsaw or a generator, or which neighbors need someone to show up and help them, due to illness, advanced age, and other challenges. The ambassadors coordinate information for their area.
Disasters such as earthquakes, floods, major power outages and other misfortunes are inevitable, Ray said, which is why preparedness is so important.
“People freak out when they hear the word ‘disaster,’” she said, and she can relate. Even with her background in safety and preparedness, she found herself during the most recent earthquake “standing in the middle of the room looking for my cat.”
Steps printed on a piece of paper and stored with a disaster kit can offer a memory jog when the mood turns frantic. Ray said she plans to coordinate additional opportunities for safety preparedness in future events, such as disaster-related drills.
The drills “get it into your brain” what steps to take when an emergency begins to unfold, overriding an urge to panic or freeze up. Nine steps to take once a disaster strikes will be offered at the event.
Ray explained a kit should include the needed items to ride out a post-disaster stage, when first responders are unable to address every call immediately.
“You have it under your bed,” Ray said.
Experts recommend preparing for five days with no help and no access to food and water. Necessary provisions include food and hydration, as well as any other items required for health and survival, such as EpiPens or insulin.
Sign-ups for Map Your Neighborhood can happen onsite at the town hall, or by contacting Boll: Michelle.Boll@snoco.org or 425-388-5064.
The public safety commission has six members and one vacancy, and liaises with councilmembers Linda Redmon and Tom Merrill.
In the past year, the commission has hosted town halls related to fraudulent scam protection and city crime statistics. Monthly meetings are at 5 p.m., the second Tuesday of every month, at the Fire District Annex, 1525 Ave. D. Agendas are available at the city’s website, www.snohomishwa.gov
