As the Community Outreach Coordinator for Fremont Union City Newark (FUN) Mothers’ Club, I organized a Personal Emergency Preparedness training for our members. With so many natural disasters recently, both local and worldwide, I thought it would be helpful for the group to learn more about what we should be doing to be prepared. This training, which was run by the City of Fremont’s Community Emergency Response Team and led by Chuck Guaraglia, was very educational.

Here are some of the tips that we learned:

Earthquake Preparedness:

Duck, cover (your neck), and hold on (to a stationary object, like a table)
This will be hard for parents, but you should take care of yourself first so that you can go to the kids after the shaking ends. If you are hurt, you cannot assist them.
Keep a pair of shoes and a flashlight under your bed. When an earthquake strikes, you may not have time to look for these things and broken glass is a big hazard.

Fire Preparedness:

Practice EDITH (Exit Drills In The House)

Crawl low to the ground to avoid smoke
Exit the house
All proceed to reunification/meet up location so others know you are safe

Fire Extinguisher Procedure: PASS

Pull the pin
Aim at base
Squeeze handle
Sweep fire (side to side)

Have a Reunification Plan

This plan should include two places to meet up: one very close to your home and one farther away, in case the surrounding neighborhood is too dangerous.

At the home, there should be a place to leave a message to other family members. This, for instance, could be on your refrigerator.

You should have at least one emergency contact who is not in the immediate vicinity.

Learn how to turn off your utilities

http://www.opb.org/news/series/unprepared/how-to-safely-turn-off-utilities-after-a-disaster/

Emergency Supply Kit:

It is important to keep an emergency supply kit at your home that includes first aid supplies, as well as adequate food and water for your family.

Ideally, this kit would be kept in a cool, dark place that is easily accessible.

Here are the two best lists that I found about what to have in your emergency kits:

https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/earthquakes/supplies.html

https://www.ready.gov/build-a-kit

If you are local to Fremont, I highly encourage you to attend a Personal Emergency Preparedness Training. These are held throughout the year and the Community Emergency Response Team can also hold trainings for groups in Fremont.