vernonia rural fire protection district
september18
2014
15
Vernonia Rural Fire Protection District
School Back in Session: Make a Disaster
Be Prepared and Aware Preparedness Plan

The 2014-15 school
year is underway! With the
start of school comes extra
foot, car and bus traffic. Be
prepared to leave earlier and
slow your commute in the
morning and afternoon hours.
Be aware of children waiting
at bus stops, walking along
roadways and at crosswalks.
Be extra cautious at the
crosswalk in front of the fire
department, where children
are crossing and traffic is
turning in/out to access the
school. SLOW DOWN when
entering this area! If you are
approaching or following a
school bus, pay attention!
School bus drivers will turn
on flashing amber lights 100
- 300 feet in advance, to warn
traffic that the bus is preparing
to stop on the road to load
or unload children. Drivers
should get ready to stop.
Remember that you cannot
pass a school bus when the red
lights are flashing! Let’s keep
our children safe this year!
All it takes is awareness and
patience!

It is important to make sure that the
entire family is prepared and informed in the
event of a disaster or emergency. You may not
always be together when these events take place
and should have plans for making sure you are
able to contact and find one another.

The American Red Cross suggests
some basic steps to make sure you remain safe:
• Meet with your family or household members.
Discuss how to prepare and respond to
emergencies that are most likely to happen
where you live, learn, work and play.
• Identify responsibilities for each member of your
household and plan to work together as a team.
• If a family member is in the military, plan how
you would respond if they were deployed.
Plan what to do in case you
are separated during an emergency:
• Choose two places to meet:

Right outside your home in case
of a sudden emergency, such as a fire.

Outside your neighborhood, in case you
cannot return home or are asked to evacuate.
• Choose an out-of-area emergency contact
person. It may be easier to text or call long
distance if local phone lines are overloaded
or out of service. Everyone should
have emergency contact information in
writing or saved on their cell phones.
Plan what to do if you have to
evacuate:
• Decide where you would go and
what route you would take to get
there. You may choose to go to a ho-
tel/motel, stay with friends or rela-
tives in a safe location or go to an
evacuation shelter if necessary.
• Practice evacuating your home
Calls responded to August 1-31   
Fire
Emergency Medical Service
Hazardous Condition
Service Call
Good Intent
Severe Weather & Natural Disaster
No Emergency Found
False Alarm
Total
3
34
2
5
8
4
0
0
56
Burn Ban in effect. 503-429-8252
VERNONIA
FIRE
**RECRUITMENT**
We Need Volunteers
www.vernoniafire.us
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a firefighter? Have you
ever wanted to volunteer in your community? The Vernonia Rural Fire
Protection District is in need of additional personnel and we have positions
for everyone. From firefighting to support positions, we can use your help.
All training and equipment is provided free of charge. Being a volunteer
firefighter is a very rewarding job. Vernonia Rural Fire Protection District
provides a vast array of Emergency Services ranging from Vehicle
Extrication to fire scene Rehab & Firefighting. We respond to over 400 calls
per year. We hold our general membership meeting every second Monday
of the month at the Fire station. You can call Dean Smith at 503-429-8252
with any questions. Feel free to email us at anytime at
vrfvolunteers@gmail.com
twice a year. Drive your planned evacu-
ation route and plot alternate routes on
your map in case roads are impassable.
• Plan ahead for your pets. Keep a phone list of
pet-friendly hotels/motels and animal shelters
that are along your evacuation routes.
Let Your Family Know You’re Safe
• If your community has experienced a disaster,
register on the American Red Cross Safe and
Well website to let your family and friends
know you are safe. You may also call 1-800-
RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) and select the
prompt for “Disaster” to register yourself and
your family.
• Be informed. Make a plan. Build a kit. Get
involved.

For
more
information
about
disaster
preparedness
visit:
www.ready.gov and www.redcross.org/prepare/
nationalpreparednessmonth
*Courtesy of FEMA and American Red Cross