Emergency Preparedness

ARE YOU AND YOUR HOUSEHOLD PREPARED FOR A DISASTER?

Be 2 Weeks Ready

The Oregon Department of Emergency Management provides a toolkit to help you and your household develop an emergency plan and be prepared to survive for two weeks following a disaster. The toolkit is available in English, Spanish, and other languages.

Pack Your Go-Bag

Evacuation orders can come with very little advanced warning. Having a go-bag packed and ready is essential to your household’s preparedness. The American Red Cross provides recommendations for go-bag contents. Prepare now in case an evacuation is ever necessary.

Prepare For Evacuation

Review resources and best practices from the Oregon Department of Emergency Management.

Holiday Farm Fire (kval.com)

Know Your Evacuation Zone

Get ready, get set, go now! Knowing your evacuation zone ahead of a disaster helps minimize confusion. Eugene Springfield Fire publishes an Emergency Evacuation Zones interactive map that includes public assembly spots. Know your zone: Fairmount is in Evacuation Zone 30.

Get the MyShake App

Download the MyShake early warning app to receive earthquake detection alerts.

Earthquake Home Hazard Hunt

Follow FEMA’s recommendations for identifying and reducing earthquake hazards in your home.

Northridge, California Earthquake (cnn.com)

NEIGHBORS HELPING NEIGHBORS

In a disaster, your neighbors are your closest source of help. Get to know them. Are there elderly or disabled neighbors near you who live alone? Are there children who may be home alone after school. Consider gathering and sharing information about neighbors’ skills and available emergency resources on your block. You can use this Neighborhood Skills and Equipment Inventory from Kirkland, Washington’s adaptation of the Map Your Neighborhood program.

OK / Help

During a disaster, use these OK / Help signs to let your neighbors know you are OK or that you need HELP. Place them in a window visible from the street so neighborhood volunteers can quickly prioritize those in need of assistance following a disaster.

Damage Assessment Teams

The job of the Damage Assessment Team (DAT) is to move through their immediate neighborhood and gather and report disaster-related damage and life safety issues. This information will be used by the Eugene Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to evaluate the severity of damage and help strategize response and recovery efforts.

Eugene EmComm has a PowerPoint presentation on DATs and provides other resources for capturing and communicating essential information. The Damage Assessment Form is used to document observations as a DAT progresses through their neighborhood. This information will be relayed via walkie-talkie radio (FRS or GMRS) to Radio Ready Team volunteers. (See “Communication During a Disaster” below.)

Damage Assessment Team Field Guide (PDF)

Print our 2-page DAT field guide with tips and instructions.

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Training

Eugene-Springfield CERT educates community members about disaster preparedness and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. Online training is available and in-person classes are held periodically by Eugene-Springfield CERT for participants to practice these skills. Have you had CERT training? Please let us know!

An FRS walkie-talkie radio tuned to Fairmount’s primary channel.

COMMUNICATION DURING A DISASTER

The City of Eugene has created an emergency communications system to be used in emergencies when traditional means of communication may not be available.

Fairmount Radio Ready Team Volunteer

Following a disaster, Fairmount Neighbors will use walkie-talkie radios (FRS or GMRS) to relay damage and life safety information collected by Damage Assessment Teams. The City of Eugene has designated Channels 2 and 16 as Fairmount’s primary and secondary use channels, respectively. Using only these channels will minimize interference with other neighborhoods’ communications. As shown in the graphic above, messages will be communicated to a Fairmount neighborhood HAM radio operator (aka Net Control) who will relay the messages to the SE3 District Net Control who will, in turn, relay the messages to the Eugene Emergency Operations Center (EOC). Using information received from all Eugene neighborhoods, the EOC coordinates with emergency response personnel to activate and dispatch available services.

The Fairmount Radio Ready Team

Fairmount Radio Ready is organized by a team of volunteers, most of whom have had no previous radio experience. The radio team conducts short monthly drills to practice using radios, learn radio protocols, and become familiar with documentation forms to be ready to support Fairmount in a disaster. These drills are open to the public and are announced in the Fairmount Neighbors newsletter. For more information about the Fairmount Radio Ready team, contact Nancy at nannai@comcast.net.

FRS & GMRS Radio Use Training

Fairmount’s Radio Ready Team has created an online training video and PowerPoint specific to the Fairmount neighborhood to provide introductory training on radio use as well as the role of the radio team. Additional educational resources are available through Eugene EmComm.

OTHER EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS RESOURCES:

Fairmount Preparedness Checklist (PDF)
Eugene Emergency Management
Lane County Emergency Management
Oregon Department of Emergency Management
EWEB - Preparing for Emergencies
Eugene EmComm – Radio Volunteers in Support of Community Safety
Neighborhood Radio Communications Response Guide