Community Preparedness Fair

Did you know that in California, in the United States, and all over the world, there are chances of wildfires, earthquakes, and many more terrifying (natural) disasters? Are you prepared?

We went to the Community Preparedness Fair to learn more about how we can be prepared. How can you be prepared? This free preparedness fair was presented by the Alameda County Sheriffs Office and Urban Shield! We learned about safety and evacuation drills, met with city departments, and trained with professionals!

When we arrived, we were greeted at the first tent with tote bag for us to carry the preparedness informational materials in. Visit each booth for an initial and when the card is filled, turn it in for an entry in the raffle drawing. They had giveaways throughout the event as well. The kids got a bag with a scavenger hunt page.

This picture shows us at the CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) booth. I found two things from my scavenger hunt there. If you found them all, you got a prize.

 

These are emergency kits. There are kits for every type of situation – if you are at work, or if you have kids and have to leave, or if you have a medical disability, and more. Emergency kits are important because supplies don’t last long, especially if you’re on the run. They have items like non-perishable foods, water, hygiene products, and other things in case you can’t get back into the building you came out of. MAKE YOUR OWN KIT

 

This is my sister spinning the wheel to get a prize. You would tell the lady what you know about the question on the wheel and she can give you more information about it too.

 

This is what you SHOULD have in case of an emergency. It’s very detailed, so look at it closely.

 

This is a search-and-find dog. There were a few there and we asked about how they got trained. We found out that there were different types. One kind goes to search for any human in the forest. Another kind goes in search of a certain scent of a missing person.

 

More emergency kits. They were SUPER heavy! That means they were FULL of important items in case of emergencies. If you don’t have time to put together your own kit, you can buy one from them. http://readyamerica.com

 

It’s important to pay attention to road signs. Especially during an emergency, roads may be closed or there are dangerous objects like broken glass, power lines that are down, or holes in the road.

 

How do you escape from a fire? And what are the possibilities of it happening? We got to go in a “smoke safety trailer” and learn about what to do if there was a fire. There was also a loud alarm and some smoke so we can practice getting down low and exiting calmly. Right outside, there were mats for people to practice the “Stop, Drop, and Roll” if their clothes are on fire. ALAMEDA COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT

Emily got a tattoo and a Chinese finger trap as her prize for the scavenger hunt.

 

This is an earthquake simulator. You have to hold on to something and cover your head when an earthquake strikes. If you are in bed, then stay there until the earthquake passes. The fake earthquake we experienced was about 6.5 on the scale. Check that any big furniture pieces in your house is anchored. It is also important to move big items away from doors so they don’t trap kids in a dangerous room. QUAKE HOLD!

 

This is where earthquakes have struck in the past couple of decades. We live near the Hayward fault line, and since we live in California, we’re also near the San Andreas fault line. I hope there aren’t any big earthquakes soon, but if there are, it’s good to be prepared. USGS (US Geological Survey) | Great Shake Out Earthquake Drills

 

At the PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric) booth, we learned about emergency numbers and learned how to shut off the gas if there is a leak.

This is me turning off the gas. This is important if there’s a fire or an earthquake. You have to turn it toward you 45 degrees.

 

There were also some food trucks there, but we didn’t get a chance to eat there.

Training Classes:

• SKIP (Safety Kept in Place) – learn how to make a simple safety kit
• Camping Out at Home: preparedness for seniors and persons with disabilities
• Stop the Bleed Training

There were some other groups at the fair and also some helpful resources:

• Alameda County Sheriff – alamedacountysheriff.org
• Alameda County Search and Rescue – alamedacountysheriff.org/cws_sar.php
• Alameda Country Vector Control – acvcsd.org
• Alameda County Alert – acgov.org/emergencysite
• AC Fire Dept Personal Preparedness Workshop – acgov.org/fire/emergency/pep.htm
• Red Cross – redcross.org
• Salvation Army – salvationarmyusa.org/usn
• Community Resources for Independent Living – crilhayward.org
• National Voluntary Organizations Active In Disaster – nvoad.org
• Earthquake Country Alliance – earthquakecountry.org
• Eden I&R – edenir.org/2-1-1-alameda-county
• California Earthquake Authority – earthquakeauthority.com
• AC Mosquito Abatement District – mosquitoes.org
• Federal Emergency Management Agency – fema.gov
• AC Medical Reserve Corps – acphd.org/alcomrc.aspx

Now that we have lots more information than we did before, we went to this site and printed out some of the lists. If you can’t buy all the supplies at once due to time or budget, there is one that has a 6-month schedule so you can buy a few things at a time. Having something is better than having nothing when and if the time comes. CHECKLISTS

A former pastor of our church is known as the “Disaster Pastor” because any time there is a big disaster/emergency, he is there. Check out some information he has and his book. http://disasterpastor.com

And if you’re super practical, limited in space, or trying to do the clutter free thing but also be prepared, check out Kathi Lipp’s podcast episodes on this topic. PART 1 | PART 2