Neighborhood watch

Tonight my neighbors and I participated in our third and final community meeting to qualify as Downey's Neighborhood Watch #154. This meeting featured Diana Carbajal, the Emergency Preparedness Council chair for district 4, instructing us on how to be prepared for the emergencies that could hit our neighborhood at any moment.



The handouts were full of helpful information and tips.



The meeting was well attended by my neighbors. I am truly blessed to have such caring neighbors.

Volunteers

Last Saturday we started our day watching empty water barrels being given away for disaster preparedness (see Ready or not). We spent a while there chatting with a number of the helpers. Many of them had been there since the wee hours of the morning. I don't know this woman's name, but she was one of the volunteers for the day. She was cheerful, greeting everyone with a smile and information to help in case of an emergency. She clearly enjoyed serving.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead

Ready or not?

Saturday was a busy day for events in Downey. In addition to the Downey firefighters fundraiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (see "Big boots to fill"), the Downey Emergency Preparedness Committee (EPC) and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) distributed free plastic water barrels for emergency water storage. These young guys handing out barrels are volunteers from the Warren High School Red Cross club.

The barrels were donated and prepared by the Downey Coca-Cola facility (see Things go better with...). The barrels varied in size from 15 to 55 gallons and there was a limit of one barrel to a car. I got one of the smaller barrels.

In addition, in the parking lot next door to the distribution location, the EPC, CERT, and American Red Cross hosted an emergency preparedness fair. I learned how (and when) to turn off the gas in case of an emergency. (Turn it off when you actually smell gas; don't turn it off "just in case," because you'll have to wait for the Gas Company to turn it back on for you.) And I learned about my embarrassing lack of disaster supplies while browsing at this and several other displays.

But at least I'll have water!

In case of emergency

In 1999, the Downey Fire Department implemented the Basic Life Support (BLS) program, which provides ambulance service for Downey residents for an annual subscription of $48 (the current rate). This service can come in handy when an emergency arises at home, as a neighbor recently experienced.

According to the city's EMS history web page, "Today, the Downey Fire Department proudly continues its delivery of the highest level of medical care to the community.  Since the Department’s inception of Paramedic services in 1974, 84 firefighters have been trained as Paramedics.  Today, 80% of all calls for service are EMS related, and in 2009, Downey Fire Paramedics responded to 6,791 emergency medical incidents."