Fire Season is here. Is your family ready?

Good afternoon, here is the News: Fire Season—We all know our traditional Fire Season is fast approaching. That said, some of you may have caught the article in the San Diego Union this morning (Local page 2). Chief Mainar thinks Fire Season is already here. I think he's right. So I have some thoughts about preparing for this year's fire season, and I hope everyone can set aside a little time at an upcoming team meeting to talk about how we can stay ready. Before I go on I think I need to talk a bit about so-called progressive disasters (such as a wildfire) as opposed to sudden catastrophic disasters (such as an earthquake). In general, a progressive disaster "starts small" for lack of a better term, and builds until it impacts a large number of people. The first and most obvious difference in a progressive disaster is that our emergency services and communications remain intact and operational. Under these circumstances CERT does NOT deploy until we are ordered out by the San Diego Fire & Rescue Department. If we are ordered to evacuate our homes with our families, we evacuate. Our duty as CERT is clear in either case, it's Self and Family first. So that means we have two obligations as CERT. The first is the same as every other citizen has, we need to prepare ourselves and our Families for an evacuation. As CERT, we should set a good example for our Friends and Neighbors. Next, we need to prepare ourselves to deploy as CERT if we are called. In our household, we are implementing a plan I learned about in CERT. We bought several mid-size plastic containers with lids. The ones we got came from Container Store and had water-resistant lids, and we made sure they would fit our vehicles. Our next step is to make a list of the things that go in each container. Then we tape a list to each container, and put them away against the day we can just take them out, pack them and leave with them. I'm sure this is going to call for some tough decisions, and we are both very busy right now, but we've made a pact to get it done in the next two weeks. As far as deployment goes, it is recommended that every CERT have a duffle or case sufficient to support three days in the field. Recommended packing lists abound for this, but think in terms of a three-day camping trip that might stretch to five. CERT Members should have food and water sufficient to sustain themselves for at least 12 hours. If space does not permit it, you don't have to have the bag packed and ready, just have it available with a list of the items that go in it. I prefer to have a toiletries kit ready to go with travel sizes of the things I use, the clothes, food and water I'll pack when I need it. I don't think there are any guidelines for this, my goal is to be ready in 15 minutes. If you must evacuate, remember to take your CERT gear with you. One last thing, during our great blackout a lot of San Diegans discovered the wisdom of not letting the car get that close to empty. "How much" is subjective, my thought is always be able to drive at least 100 miles at highway speeds. That can get eaten up quickly in stop and go traffic as many of us discovered, so more is better. I know many of us also carry our three-day pack with us to work during the season. I think that's good practice also. Whatever you do, make a pact with yourself and your family to get it done in the next few weeks. Then let's all hope we don't need it. All for this week. Questions, comments, drop your Team Leader a note. -Steve