Fire Department Offers Disaster Preparedness Advice

Windsor, CA - Disaster preparedness has been in the news frequently of late, particularly as the national terror alert status has risen. While it would seem unlikely that Windsor would be the target of a terrorist attack, it is always good practice to be prepared for a disaster.

"Our most likely disaster scenario," said Windsor Fire Battalion Chief Matt Gustafson, "is a serious earthquake. We see current events as an excellent opportunity to remind everyone of how important it is to be prepared."

In any disaster, all emergency response resources will be taxed well beyond their ability to provide the service we routinely expect. For example, there are 20 ambulances in Sonoma County-serving a population of 460,000. During last winter's storms, which were mild compared with a large-scale disaster, hundreds of people throughout the County were without power for days; many for more than a week.

The Town of Windsor and the County of Sonoma have extensive disaster plans and are prepared to utilize all County (and out-of-County) resources as needed. However, if there is major road damage and/or phones are completely out and/or broken water and gas mains make areas impassable, it could take a few days, or longer, until needed help arrives.

Recent data suggests there is a 27 percent chance of a 6.7 or higher earthquake on the Rodgers Creek fault within the next thirty years. The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) estimates an earthquake on that fault would result in the closure of 223 roads in Sonoma County alone.

"The bottom line is everyone should plan to be completely self-sufficient for three to five days at least," Gustafson says. "That means having adequate food, water, batteries, sanitation supplies, etc., to carry you through those first few days when everything will be in an emergency state."

Everyone should also have first aid and CPR training.

Information regarding what every household should do is available from a number of sources. One readily available resource is the telephone book, which has an excellent disaster section. The American Red Cross (www.redcross.org), the Town of Windsor (www.townofwindsor.com), and the Sonoma County (www.sonoma-county.org) websites all contain preparedness information. The website www.preparenow.org has information in a number of languages and provides disaster information as it pertains to the most vulnerable, special needs members of our community. Disaster preparedness handouts are available at Windsor Fire Protection District Station 1, 8200 Old Redwood Highway, Windsor. Please call (707) 838-1170 for more information.

Windsor Fire Protection District is a combination paid/volunteer fire department that serves 25,000 in a 30- square-mile area. The department responded to 1,682 calls for service in 2002.

For more information contact: 
Battalion Chief Matt Gustafson
Office: 707/838-1170
FAX: 707/838-1173
E-mail: mgustafston@windsorfpd.com

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