Earthquake Planning

 

Dear Oakridge Homeowner,

 

It is unlikely that the words “first responder” will stir your imagination into frenzy. Yet these two little words when combined are particularly relevant in the context of earthquakes and disaster situations. When I was younger, I was forced to into the role as a first responder to a serious automobile accident. I was scared, couldn’t think quickly and lacked the fundamental first aid skills necessary to treat a seriously injured solder home on leave from war. The soldier perished in the wreck and the loss left an indelible mark on me because, in hindsight, I might have done more to save this warrior’s life with first aid training and a more acute sense for managing the unexpected.     

 

We live in a beautiful community. Yet our day-to-day comfort zone is over shadowed by the unexpected especially in light of a possible major earthquake, grass fire, mudslide or toxic accident from a local refinery. Why should we be sensitive to these unthinkable possibilities?

 

Well, for starters, everyone wants to live in our Camelot! Today, there are over 150,000 people scattered throughout the Tri-Valley. Yet, the numbers of full time professional fire and law enforcement personnel totals approximately 100 individuals per shift. It doesn’t require a calculator to equate a 1/1500 ratio: Yes, one trained uniformed guardian for 1,500 persons. With that said, the first responder idea starts making sense. There’s more.

 

The parallel roads to Blackhawk (namely Camino Tassahara and Diablo/Blackhawk Road) from Highway 680 could become impassable during a major earthquake. These arteries are lined with PG&E electric poles and enormously tall trees. Hence, fallen poles and tree limbs could marginalize if not preclude safe vehicular passage. In fact, the chance of any emergency vehicles reaching our community could take hours or perhaps even days depending upon the extent of destruction and other regional emergency priorities (i.e. oil refineries and Lawrence Livermore Laboratory).    

 

Here’s the point: In the event of a major disaster in Oakridge, everyone is a first responder.

 

Background. In 2010, Oakridge homeowners unanimously endorsed the spearheading of an Emergency Management Team (EMT) program. The goal being that in the event of a major disaster, Oakridge residents would be prepared to proactively become first responders to catastrophic needs with first aid treatment, TRIAGE and extinguishing small fires. Central to our program were basic milestones 1) that every Oakridge resident possess a minimum 3-day supply of emergency food and water, and 2) that Oakridge residents actively support and fund the Oakridge Emergency Management Team (EMT) program. We achieved our goal and more.

 

Status. In 2012, Oakridge was officially recognized as an award winning Blackhawk program. The credit belongs to core group of loyal “stand-up” residents with a personal persuasion of “neighbors helping neighbors.” As a bonus, many residents had significantly exceeded their

3-day threshold of emergency food and water. This is progress and we will do more.

 

Your support is vital. You can help by becoming a member of our volunteer team.  We need more trained residents to help support the ranks of qualified first responders.   Second, you can register for one (or more) of the many emergency preparedness training classes administered by our San Ramon Valley Fire District.  These classes are open to all local residents and many of the courses are FREE. Third, you absolutely should build your 3-day (72 hour) inventory of emergency food and water. For information on exactly how to put together your family Kit, browse the Oakridge Emergency Preparedness Guide PDF link (below) and reference Emergency Water Planning on Page 2 and Emergency Food Planning on Page 3 of the Guide.   

 

Listed below are the references you will find helpful in developing your own emergency preparedness program. 

 

  • The Oakridge Emergency Preparedness Guide. PDF.  This custom Guide was written exclusively for Oakridge residents to assist in developing your own program. Just click on this active link to retrieve a copy of the Guide.

            Emergency Preparedness Guide.pdf (2,4 MB)

  • San Ramon Valley Fire District www.srvfd.gov. Click “Main Menu” then “Courses” for a current schedule of classroom training. You can also call the District office (925)  838-6600. Their location is 1600 Bollinger Canyon Road, San Ramon.  

 

  • Oakridge Emergency Management Team Volunteer Membership roster. Please  contact any of the following Oakridge EMT members for more information.

 

Dan Ganancial

Wayne Goetz

Linda Goetz

Cheryl Hanson

John Pullium

Lee Sarty, DDS

Pam Sarty

Ann Schinske

 

Finally, you will see that a good number of our Oakridge EMT volunteers are CERT (Community Emergency Response Training) graduates. These stand-up individuals have completed 16 hours of comprehensive training in first aid, search & rescue, fire containment and command & control. The course is offered free of charge. This is an excellent way to dial up your skills as a “first responder.” For more information about the course or how to enroll, visit www.srvfd.gov or call your nearest Oakridge CERT for information and guidance.