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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (June 8, 2016)
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL June 8, 2016 9A Are you ready? D ISASTER P REPAREDNESS How to insulate your home against a deadly fi re As fi re prevention awareness efforts gear up across North America, the National Fire Pro- tection Association and insula- tion company, Roxul Inc., are spreading the word to Ameri- cans from coast to coast about the importance of fi re prepared- ness. Through the “Hear the BEEP where you SLEEP” campaign and Roxul’s “When Seconds Count” initiative, Americans are reminded that simple steps can cut their chances of dying in a fi re in half. Here are some measures you can take to dramatically reduce your risk: • Be sure to have a smoke alarm on every story of your home and outside sleeping ar- eas. • Develop a fi re escape plan and practice it. • Use non-combustible ma- terials when renovating. The choice of insulation can make a big difference. Opt for a product with the highest fi re resistance possible, like Roxul mineral wool insulation, which, in the event of a fi re, will not produce harmful gases, toxic smoke or promote the spread of fl ames. • Purchase a multi-use fi re ladder for each bedroom in your home and practise using it. • Place fi re extinguishers within reach throughout your home. • In the event of a fi re, leave through the closest exit. Do not stop to collect belongings and never reenter a home once safe- ly outside. Additional fi re safety tips are available at nfpa.org. You can also improve your fi re safety knowledge, with a contest in- centive, by visiting roxul.com. Ready Kids None of us would consider going on any kind of road trip without a spare tire. Few wom- en would entertain leaving the house without their purse. Just in case. If you are low on Band- Aids at your house, you stock up, just in case. Yet often the same people can’t see the need to prepare for a disaster, just in case. Go fi gure. A really great resource is FE- MA’s “Fun For Kids” link. Go to www.ready.gov/kids. There are games, exercises, puzzles and even a scavenger hunt to get the kids involved in being pre- pared. Even a section for par- ents and another for teachers. Every child needs their own kit and this will help include them in the conversation. Kids like to be a part of what’s going on with preparations. To them it’s like getting ready to go camp- ing. In fact when you do go camping, take their kit along as a sort of shake-down cruise to see whether or not you’ve missed anything. Back to the FEMA page, a couple of games will have your kiddos sharpening their skills in no time. “Disaster Master” takes your kids through sev- eral different types of disaster with an interactive approach to learning about preparing for wildfi res, tornados, blackouts, earthquakes and more. Then the “Build a Kit” game provides the kids with choices of what to put in their kit. Lots of fun and very educational for the kids. Each child should have their own backpack with extra clothes, fl ashlight, games, and other items they would need in the event of a disaster. Use your judgement in supplying age-ap- propriate items such as a pocket knife, hatchet or fi re-starting implements. And remember to keep it positive! Do your best to keep out the fear-factor. Keep in mind you don’t have a spare tire because you’re afraid, you have it “just in case.” Finally there is a bit on WEAs. Wireless Emergency Alerts are emergency messages sent to cell phones by authorized govern- ment agencies to let you know about dangerous weather condi- tions, emergencies, and other lo- cal hazards. Check out this fun and very informative website. Wildfi re evacuation When it is no longer safe to live in your home, then it’s time to evacuate. Some evacuations are middle-of-the-night, grab what you can and run because the water heater just set the house on fi re. But more often we think of evacuating in the face of a hurricane, tornado, or other cataclysmic event. Then there are the times that you have a little more warning. In past columns, I haven’t dwelt too much on evacuation because in our region, hurricanes and tornadoes are just not that com- mon. Recent wildland fi res in northern Alberta, Canada, have underscored the fact that evacu- ation can be a reality. Accord- ing to news reports, over 80,000 people have fl ed their homes as a result of out-of-control fi res in the region. When it comes to wildland fi res, our local offi cials tell us there are three levels of evacuation notices. Level 1 is to be ready. Residents are encour- aged to move livestock and pets out of the area. Check your plan and begin to make preparations to bug out. Gas up your car. Evacuation is voluntary at this point. Level 2. Residents are ordered to leave soon! Roads are usually closed and entry to evacuated areas may be denied. Residents may have time to gather necessary items, but will do so at their own risk. The time for making a plan is past and it is now time to gather your fam- ily, supplies and head for safety. A Level 3 notice is an order to leave immediately, that immi- nent danger exists and there is no time to gather personal be- longings. Jump in your car and hit the road. Fire offi cials noted some folks were more “disaster- ready” than others. Each family was told to consider the 5 “P’s” when making plans to evacuate. The 5 “P’s” include (1) People and Pets (and livestock too), (2) Papers (important documents), (3) Prescriptions, including hearing aids, eyeglasses and your medications, (4) Photo- graphs, so your memories are preserved and fi nally is (5) your Personal Computer. There is often invaluable, irreplaceable data on your hard drive. Of course, having a com- plete 72 hour kit at the ready is going to ease the task of decid- ing what to take, and as always having a plan in place will elim- inate a whole lot of confusion when the time comes to evacu- ate. When you have a plan, the panic factor, not to mention the stress on the marriage and over- all volume of the conversation, is greatly diminished. Get a Kit, Make a Plan, and Be Informed is still the theme for every disaster. The best time to make ready is now, before the fi re department comes knocking. Customer Engagement 24/7 Web Design & Development Mapping your neighborhood Let’s play a little game of pretend. A major disaster has hit your neighborhood. The electricity just went off all over town. Maybe a tornado or earth- quake or hurricane-force winds. You’re pretty sure there’s dam- age to your neighbor’s house so you pick up the phone to call 9-1-1. The line is dead. Cell phone, “Sorry all circuits are busy try your call again later,” in that irritating, metallic voice you hate to hear. You can’t reach anyone. But you feel a responsibility to your neighbor, an elderly lady who lives alone and someone really should go check on her. After all a big tree just fell across her house. She could be injured. You try the cell phone again. Same answer. Pick up the landline, still dead. The reality is that during a major catastrophic event, YOU are often the fi rst responder. Y.O.Y.O. (You’re on your own.) The police, fi re and ambulance personnel are probably not go- ing to respond to your emergen- cy. They are already stretched beyond their resources. This is why neighborhoods all across the country are instituting a program called ‘Mapping Your Neighborhood’. In my opinion, this is the most important and effective thing you can do to prepare for an emergency. And it doesn’t cost a cent. Mapping Your Neighborhood is a simple grassroots plan that relies on people organizing their own neighborhoods and building a network of contacts based on who lives on your block or in your immediate vicinity. Gen- erally made up of fewer than 20 homes, a list is compiled of who lives where. Do they have natural gas or a propane tank? Is there an elderly per- son in the home, one who may need assistance in the event of a disaster. Are they on oxygen? How about insulin? Does any- one have a toddler or infant in the home? On the other hand, is anyone in your neighborhood equipped with a backhoe, gen- erator, chainsaw or other item that could come in handy dur- ing a crisis. How about skills? Is anyone trained in medical care, maybe a nurse or someone who can give care to an elderly person or a young child? Does anyone have carpentry, electri- cal or plumbing skills? Anyone skilled in counseling, maybe a minister? All these questions will be answered at your fi rst neighbor- hood meeting. What is needed is for someone to grasp the vi- sion of seeing their neighbor- hood come together and get organized on a very local level. Most groups also agree on a plan to check on your neighbors immediately after a disaster. Remember Y.O.Y.O. Only one meeting per year is really nec- essary and only then to update fi les. Some groups simply com- pile a list of their neighbors and make a basic plan while others do fundraisers to buy needed equipment like fi re extinguish- ers, generators or community- owned chainsaws. How far you want to take it is strictly up to your local neighborhood. To begin, contact your local offi ce of Emergency Manage- ment or search online for “Map- ping Your Neighborhood.” You will fi nd information you can print off to get you started. If you want to contribute to your neighborhood, this may be just the opportunity for you. There is no federal funding, but most cities have someone who is des- ignated to assist with disaster preparedness. As always you may contact me at disasterprep. dave@gmail.com Other in- formation can be found on my blog at www.disasterprepdave. blogspot.com. Dave Robinson is the Postmaster in Bandon, Or- egon, and the author of “Disas- ter Prep For The Rest Of Us.” Ask us how we can help grow your business. Cottage Grove Sentinel Make sure all the pieces are in place to render you and your family prepared in the event of a natural disaster. • Listen to radio or television newscasts for the latest weather information, and follow all evacuation directions and suggestions. • Keep a stock of non-perishable food items as well as bottled water on hand inside your home. • Keep a 72 Hour Kit on hand inside your home that is easy to get to in the event of a disaster. For more information and tips on disaster response and preparedness, contact your local emergency services center. South Lane Fire & Rescue • 233 Harrison Ave, Cottage Grove 541-942-4493 • 55 South 1st Street, Creswell 541-895-2506 Twitter: @southlanefi re Facebook: southlanecountyfi reandrescue
