San Rafael, CA – Be honest: Have you prioritized wildfire or power outage preparedness? Thinking you’ll get around to it later? Marin County fire agencies and emergency responders are telling Marin residents that later might be too late. It’s time to “get around to it” now and have everybody do their part to get ready for wildfire season.
“Being prepared for emergencies is critical for the safety not only of you but for your loved ones, neighbors, the larger community, and first responders,” said Woody Baker-Cohn, Assistant Manager for Marin County’s Office of Emergency Services. “With temperatures increasing, drought conditions worsening and winds regularly kicking up, wildfire and extended power outages are becoming more and more of a threat. A well-prepared resident could be in better position during an emergency to help others reach safety rather than needing assistance or a life-saving rescue.”
Well-prepared residents may be in better position during an emergency to help others reach safety rather than needing assistance or a life-saving rescue.Here are the top three things a Marin resident can do right now to make sure you’re ready for an emergency situation:
Sign up for emergency alerts:
* AlertMarin will tell you when you need to take action in an emergency. Sign up to receive alerts for addresses that are important to you, including your home, work, child’s school, or close family members.
* Nixle provides informational alerts based on ZIP codes, such as for a road closure or police activity in one’s area.
Pack a go bag so all the necessities are on hand when it’s time to leave in a hurry. Include helpful items specific to a disaster, such as an N95 mask to aid breathing during times of heavy wildfire smoke, or extra battery back-ups to power necessary electronics.
Print out an evacuation checklist and evacuation map to help members of your household know what to do and where to go.
In addition, take steps during non-emergency times to make sure your family, home, and neighborhood are prepared. Here are a few key activities and resources we strongly recommend:
- Make a plan with your household members. Talk through it and practice together.
- Learn more about fire-resistant landscaping and home hardening through FireSafe Marin.
- Work together with your neighbors: Join the FireWise group for your neighborhood.
Detailed information about emergency preparedness can be found on ReadyMarin.org, and FireSafeMarin.org.
Also, Marin County has a new public emergency portal where urgent information will be updated when a disaster unfolds. The site, at emergency.marincounty.org, including interactive mapping features to detail areas affected by an emergency, evacuation zones, and more.
During major Marin fire, the Marin County Fire’s hotline at (415) 473-7191 will be a resource for updates on fire status, size, containment, and any related evacuation or shelter information. Add that number to your address book today.