After a major earthquake or other emergency, fire, police and other emergency response agencies may be overburdened and may not be able to reach your community immediately. You and your neighbors (or coworkers) may have to take initial emergency response actions and fend for yourselves for at least 72 hours. Past earthquakes have shown that the first rescuers on scene are usually volunteers who reside in, work in, or are visiting the area. Volunteers from the community have played vital roles immediately following earthquakes by putting out small fires, providing first aid, and searching for and rescuing trapped persons. However, untrained volunteers can endanger their own lives, as well as the lives of those individuals they are trying to assist.

Several California communities are working now to organize and train volunteer community response teams in basic emergency response techniques. If a response team has not already been formed in your community, join now with other interested individuals to form one for any community (home, work, school, etc.) in which you routinely spend more than 4-6 hours a day. Joining or forming a community response team can greatly improve your chances of surviving an earthquake or other emergency and can improve the self-sufficiency of your entire neighborhood.

Train

The members of your community response team should learn how to assess (1) themselves and their families (or coworkers) for injuries, (2) their homes (or work places) for hazards and damage, and (3) their neighborhoods for injuries, hazards, needs, and available resources. They should also learn planning and mapping skills, criteria for staging area and casualty collection point locations, as well as the identification of hazardous areas to avoid.

Contact your local police and fire departments, city/county Office of Emergency Services, American Red Cross chapter, or community college to arrange for speakers and training workshops.

Response teams should arrange to participate in annual earthquake exercises sponsored by local government or businesses, and develop their own community exercises in cooperation with local emergency services agencies.

Inventory Neighborhood Skills

As part of the community response team planning process, teams should conduct an inventory of the skills and resources available within their home/office neighborhoods. Who in your community has medical, electrical, child care, leadership, firefighting, or survival skills? Who owns a chain saw, citizens band radio, four-wheel drive vehicle, motorcycle, water purifier, etc.? Who is physically able to become a "runner/bicycler" to deliver messages if telephone lines are down? Who is a licensed amateur radio (ham) operator? What kinds of local businesses are nearby? Having this vital information on hand before an earthquake is essential for efficient, effective response.

Evaluate Special Needs

Every home/office neighborhood has individuals with special needs. Do you have a neighbor or coworker who is deaf or hearing impaired? Blind? Has limited mobility? Requires oxygen? Doesn't speak English? Has a significant medical condition? Are there homes where children are likely to be alone during daylight hours? Your community response team should work with these individuals in advance to determine what extra

assistance or supplies they may require after an earthquake or other emergency.

Store Supplies

In addition to the water, food, and other supplies that everyone needs to stock, members of the community response team should store tools such as gloves, goggles, crescent wrenches, hard hats, vests, flashlights, and other items that the team determines will be useful after an earthquake. Items should be stored in a central and easily accessible location.

Resourses for Further Information

For further information on community response team training programs in California, write:

Community Preparedness Unit

Disaster Preparedness Division

Los Angeles City Fire Department

534 E. Edgeware Road, Los Angeles, CA 90026

Citizens of Oakland Respond to Emergencies (CORE)

475 14th Street, 9th Floor

Oakland, CA 94612

Neighborhood Emergency Response Team Training

San Francisco Fire Department

260 Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102

Sunnyvale Neighborhood Preparedness Program

(Residential Emergency Preparedness)

Department of Public Safety

700 All American Way, Sunnyvale, CA 94088

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