Thursday
’s Chamber of Commerce breakfast skirted disaster when a roomful
of business men and women learned how to prepare their homes,
businesses and vehicles for earthquake, flood and fire that
Californians face.
Thursday’s Chamber of Commerce breakfast skirted disaster when a roomful of business men and women learned how to prepare their homes, businesses and vehicles for earthquake, flood and fire that Californians face.
Morgan Hill Police Lt. Joe Sampson encouraged residents to look out for themselves.
“You play a role in your own safety and that of your family and employees,” Sampson said.
Every home, every business should have at least a 72-hour supply of food and water and probably more. County residents may need up to a week’s supply because county emergency resources will be stretched thin in urban areas. Sampson told a San Martin resident after the meeting that, in reality, Gilroy and Morgan Hill emergency crews would likely try to help their county neighbors.
“Talk with your staff and your family,” he said, “so everyone knows what the emergency plan is; hang the evacuation and response procedure on the office wall and, at home and at the office, set a meeting point.”
This is highly important so emergency responders don’t go into a dangerous situation looking for someone who got out and is standing in the wrong place, he said.
Businesses should pay attention to CalOSHA’s rules on securing any chemicals they may have, he said and be sure to post an emergency contact list, also at home and at the office.
Sampson introduced Ken Foote, the city’s new, albeit half-time, emergency services officer. Foote is a part-time software engineer for Hewlett-Packard who has been involved as a volunteer in preparedness for almost 20 years.
Foote spent 12 years as a volunteer fire fighter, has been HP’s medical emergency response officer for 19 years, and is trained in amateur radio and CERT, the Community Emergency Response Team. He lives in Cupertino.
Foote asked for questions from the audience and had an answer for each.
• Unless the caller is near a freeway, the city’s dispatchers get 911 calls; calls from cell phones near the freeway go to the highway patrol.
“If you get the CHP and want Morgan Hill Dispatch, just ask them to transfer you or just call 779-2101 directly instead of 911,” Foote said. “Program it into your phone.”
Nextel is the only program that has not yet changed over to local pickups.
• The community center would be the intake point for untrained volunteers during an emergency.
Foote said Morgan Hill has two civilian preparedness programs: amateur radio operations, located at the police department at 16200 Vineyard Ave., to provide auxiliary communications and CERT. CERT trainees undergo 20 hours of training in disaster prep, fire suppression, first aid, hazardous materials, search and rescue and, now, terrorism.
While the next beginning CERT class is in the fall, the department also provides on-going training for CERT members. Both the Red Cross and the California Office of Emergency Services (http://www.oes.ca.gov) provide brochures with possibly life-saving hints.
“And we will start getting this information on the city’s website soon,” Foote said.
Contact Foote at oe*@mo********.gov or 776-7310.
The city’s website is www.morganhill.ca.gov
Carol Holzgrafe covers City Hall for The Times. She can be reached by e-mail at ch********@mo*************.com or phoning (408) 779-4106 Ext. 201.
