Nicasio Disaster Council
NVFD’s Disaster Council works in the following areas to prepare Nicasio community for a major (and not so major) disasters:
Disaster PlanNING
In the event of a major disaster in the area, such as an earthquake or wild fire, Marin County emergency services may be overwhelmed, and our community may need to be self-reliant for several days or more. Personal preparedness and a community Disaster Plan are essential to save lives and property. Like other communities in West Marin, Nicasio has a Disaster Plan. It has been developed by the Nicasio Disaster Council in conjunction with the Nicasio Volunteer Fire Department (NVFD).
Click Here to Download the Nicasio Disaster Plan in .PDF Format
The NVFD has divided Nicasio into 17 geographic Neighborhoods in recognition of the distinct challenges posed by responding to emergencies within each. To best serve the needs of the community and the NVFD before and during a disaster, the Disaster Council has appointed two residents to serve as volunteer Neighborhood Liaisons within each Neighborhood. Neighborhood Liaisons fulfill three roles: (1) to encourage Neighborhood awareness of best disaster preparedness practices; (2) to facilitate disaster preparedness activities in their Neighborhoods; and (3) to assist the NVFD and their neighbors in the event of a disaster.
Nicasio’s Disaster Plan contains a series of stand-alone Action Guides for each of the tasks that a disaster potentially could require the NVFD and the Disaster Council to perform. These include, for example an Action Guide for Neighborhood Liaisons whose job it will be to conduct an assessment of their Neighborhoods and to report their findings to NVFD officer serving as the Incident Commander. Depending upon the nature and impact of a particular disaster, that Neighborhood assessment could be conducted by a combination of: (1) phone calls to residents by Neighborhood Liaisons; (2) door-to-door contacts by Neighborhood assessment teams dispatched by the Liaisons; and (3) if safe to do so, opening Neighborhood Rally Points where residents can check-in and exchange necessary information. Because a resident trained to perform the duties contained in an Action Guide could be out of the area during a disaster, the stand-alone nature of each Action Guide is critical. Each describes the actions required to perform a role in numbered steps and in a manner that someone previously unfamiliar with the tasks could easily understand.
Other elements of the plan include establishing, as necessary:
• An Incident Command Post at the NVFD Firehouse,
• A Medical Station at the Nicasio school.
• A Volunteer Intake Area at the Rancho Nicasio.
• An Emergency Resource Center in the Multi-Purpose Room at the Nicasio school for daylight sheltering only.
Nicasio is extremely fortunate that its residents include a wide range of experienced, self-reliant individuals with the skills (as well as heavy equipment and other supplies) and commitment to community that will help save lives and property in the wake of a major disaster.
Household Preparedness
There are many excellent information resources for disaster preparedness and response which are listed below under “Useful Links and Information Sources.” As one example, the Wildfire Evacuation Checklist prepared by FireSafe Marin (www.firesafemarin.org/evacuation) provides a comprehensive set of action items that can help residents both plan ahead and react safely in the event of fire-related disaster.
The following checklist is illustrative only and does not supplant the more detailed guidance from ReadyMarin and FireSafe Marin.
· Stock and maintain emergency food and water for your family, pets and livestock to last at least a week. Have a Go Kit ready.
· Prepare and discuss with family members your evacuation plan. This should have two elements:
o The immediate evacuation plan, for use if your house catches fire, and
o A more orderly evacuation plan when you may have time to gather your pre-determined valuable articles, for instance when a wildfire is approaching.
· Make sure you all know how to get to your planned emergency exits even in the dark and smoke.
· Pre-position emergency equipment including fire extinguishers, pry bars, and first aid kit. Make sure everyone knows where the emergency equipment is and how to use it.
· Train everyone in the household to keep shoes and a flashlight beside their bed. After an earthquake you may have to get past broken glass to reach your emergency exit.
· Consider holding an occasional fire drill to test your hoses, extinguishers and evacuation plans.
· Establish a communications plan among your family. What will you do if one of the family is away when disaster strikes? What if there are no phones working? What if roads are blocked or bridges down?
· In a disaster the local phone network may be overwhelmed while long distance still works. Ask someone outside the area to be your central contact. Provide a list of people you would like them to contact in a disaster and tell the people on your list to call your contact not you. That way you only send one message to reach everyone.
· Know your neighborhood Rally Point and your Neighborhood Liaisons. In a disaster communicate with your Neighborhood Liaisons to let them know your status. Keep their phone numbers handy. Check your own safety and that of your family. Volunteer to help others by reporting to your Neighborhood Liaison at the Rally Point.
· If you have children, make sure they understand and practice the evacuation plan and that they know the neighborhood rally point. You could be trapped, and they will need to know how to get help independently.
Household Preparedness
Training programs will be announced, as they become available, in Emergency First Aid, Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) and other disaster skills. If you, or a member of your family, can volunteer for one of these programs and acquire a new skill it will be a great benefit to the community. For information about upcoming classes, contact disastercouncil@nicasiofire.org. The address for correspondence to the Nicasio Disaster Council is: P.O. Box 146, Nicasio, CA 94946.
Useful Links and Information Sources
For more information regarding disaster preparedness and response, go to: www.readymarin.org and www.firesafemarin.org.
To receive emergency alerts by cell phone and email, register at BOTH www.alertmarin.org and www.nixle.com.
To receive emergency information by radio, tune to: FM 90.5 (KWMR)