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The Get Ready disaster preparedness program is proving to be a tremendous success. The success of the program can be attributed to taking the trainings into the neighborhoods and communities. Trainers have taught classes for mothers' clubs, neighborhood & homeowners associations, rotary clubs, business groups, and church congregations. Despite the success, there is much more to do and many more people to train. We encourage you to attend one of our next Get Ready classes and take action to prepare yourself and your family. Also, think about others you know that would benefit from attending a Get Ready training or think about having a group of friends and family members attend a training together. They can be even more fun when you are with a group of people you know! Upcoming trainings can be found online on our Community Emergency Preparedness Training Calendar. |
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We Challenge You...
To purchase enough emergency supply of water for you and your family. It's recommended that you have 1 gallon of water per person, per day. After a major disaster it may be several days or even longer before emergency responders can restore the water distribution system in your area depending upon the nature and scope of the disaster. The challenge is simple: Pick up the required number of gallons for your household to store with your emergency preparedness supply. |
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E-Tip: Don't Drink The Pool Water!
Hot tubs and pools are lovely and relaxing but please - don't drink the water. Marin Municipal Water District states that it is not safe to drink water from your pool or sauna. You cannot treat this water and you should not drink it. The chemical make-up is harmful for human consumption. You can, however, use this water for sanitation.
And really, you didn't need to drink this water because you took the challenge above and will purchase enough water for 7 days. Plus the additional 30-50 gallons of water that's in the water heater - save the hot tub and pool water for cleaning up!
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Contact Us
City of San Rafael
Office of
Emergency Services
San Rafael, CA 94901
(415) 485-3111
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Dear Resident,
Winter seems to be leaving us and Spring is quickly filling the air. With another rainy season soon behind us, we should be grateful for making our way through it without any major events. Nevertheless, we must stay focused on preparing ourselves for whatever may come. Be it flood, fire, the inevitable earthquake, or any other emergency or disaster, our collective goal is to BE PREPARED! Prepared as a person - prepared as a family - prepared as a neighborhood - and prepared as a City.
It is easy to let life's immediate priorities redirect our energies from gettng prepared. But waiting until after the event to get training, create a plan, and get the necessary supplies will be TOO LATE. We must take action now.
Sit down with your family now and determine what steps you need to take to prepare for an emergency. If you do not know where to start, sign-up for Get Ready or CERT training and learn where to begin. For more information of getting prepared, visit www.sanrafaelprepare.org.
Be safe and prepared!
Steven E. Hancock
Emergency Services Manager
Angela Del Ponte
Community Emergency Preparedness Coordinator |
 Mythbuster There's a common belief among many residents that local governments maintain a cache of supplies that can be tapped into during an emergency or disaster. That is not true. Stockpiles of food, water, medical supplies, blankets, cots, heaters, do not exist at the local government level. While there are limited supplies that the Federal government and some non-profit agencies maintain, they will be distributed regionally and there is no guarantee that San Rafael or Marin County will receive any certain quantity of supplies. Kind of makes you want to get prepared, huh? | |
Time flies when you're having fun! Fun learning about disaster preparedness and what's involved in becoming a CERT member, that is! Our current CERT class is enthusiastic and passionate and everyone's getting involved, asking the right questions, and getting excited about starting a CERT team in their neighborhood.
"This class is great! I'm learning a lot of how to be better prepared and not to be a victim. Meeting other people in the neighborhood, who you also know won't be a victim is really great too. The instructors are smart and encouraging, and they make learning the information and skills practical - and fun! " - current CERT student.
The spring session of CERT is scheduled to begin on May 6. We're already 80% full for that class. If you or someone you know is interested in signing up, you may wish to give us a call soon. Call 458-5002 to sign up. |
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CERT Coaches: Coming Soon To A Neighborhood Near You
How would you like the support of a CERT Coach to assist your neighborhood team? San Rafael CERT is conducting a pilot program for coaching CERT graduates who are organizing their neighbors. The program applies all we've learned about community preparedness with assessments of needs/resources/risks, caches of supplies, training and practice for the skills and teamwork that build a stronger community. What would that look like where you live?
The leaders of Quail Hill Townhomes in Terra Linda are in the process of:
- prioritizing needed supplies,
- completing their neighborhood assessment, discovering locked exit gates,
- recruiting block captains,
- converting a clubhouse to a command center,
- practicing their skills and performing drills.
The recent three-day power outage there inspired 53 residents (out of 110 homes) to come out and Get Ready---and they did it without electricity! If you are a CERT/DART graduate, bring 10 neighbors together and get the support and inspiration you need to be prepared! Call 458-5002 to learn more. |
"Drop, Cover, and Hold On!"
Federal, state, and local emergency management experts in the United States, all agree that "Drop, Cover, and Hold On" is the appropriate action to reduce injury and death during earthquakes. It is the simplest, most reliable, and easiest method to teach people, including children.
An earthquake can happen at any time. Try to set up your home and workplace so that you can quickly and easily take cover. In the event of an earthquake:
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DROP to the floor.
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Take COVER under a sturdy piece of furniture or next to an interior wall.
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Cover your head and neck with your arms.
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HOLD on to a sturdy piece of furniture and be prepared to move with it.
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Stay where you are until the shaking stops.
Be aware that some earthquakes are actually foreshocks and a larger earthquake might occur. |
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What's Your RQ?
In recent years, the American people have been urged to "get ready" and to prepare for emergencies - from natural disasters to terrorist attacks. But no one has ever given the public a simple, comprehensive and consistent tool to actually measure how prepared they are. No one has ever provided individuals, communities, and the nation as a whole with a practical "gauge" to assess their preparedness, recognize their successes and identify gaps where more work needs to be done.
Until now - The Readiness Quotient - or RQ - is a first-of-its- kind tool developed by the Council For Excellence In Government, for individuals, families and communities to determine and evaluate their readiness. See how you stack up against the national average and learn specific steps you can take to better prepare yourself and your family. Your first important step is to learn your RQ score. This simple test takes less than one minute to complete.
> Get started here. |
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Call For Articles
This newsletter is designed to communicate and inform the community that we live in with current and useful information about emergency services and preparedness. Is there a topic you'd like to read about? A useful tip you'd like to share with our community? Are you interested in possibly contributing to this newsletter or writing an article yourself? We welcome your ideas and input. Please contact Angela at (415) 458-5002 or email sanrafaelprepare@cityofsanrafael
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