Prepare for fire with free classes

The 20th anniversary of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake is quickly approaching, but fire is still the primary disaster that valley residents face in the early fall, says Ray Soler, Felton fire disaster preparedness officer.
“It’s easy to lose sight of what realistically is a big danger in the valley,” Soler said.
If the 2008 Martin Fire and the 2009 Lockheed Fire in Bonny Doon were not enough to prompt residents to set up a plan for when a fire strikes the area, it can’t be done soon enough, Soler said.
Soler explained that there are few easy things to do to prepare for a fire or another disaster:
• Make copies of important papers or scan them onto a disk and send them out of the county or out of the state to a trusted friend or family member. Also, scan old family pictures onto disks and send them away for safekeeping. “You may lose the actual picture, but at least you’ve got a copy of it,” Soler said.
• Keep an emergency kit with cash, credit cards, important papers, a week’s supply of medicine, energy bars, water, a flashlight with separate batteries, an AM radio, and maps in case you need to walk.
• Set up a meeting place and an escape route. “This is the valley — a lot of places don’t have two ways out,” Soler said.
• Keep a bag of clothes, including shoes and a rain poncho handy for a quick getaway.
• Train pets to get into a carrier. “Even if you never trailer (your horses), train them to get in and out of a trailer so they’re not afraid,” Soler said.
• In the aftermath, try text messaging if cell phones are busy, as texts take less bandwidth.
At a glance
• WHAT: Community Emergency Response class
• WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7. (CPR classes at 6:30 p.m. the fourth Monday of each month)
• WHERE: Felton fire station, 131 Kirby St., in Felton
• INFO: 335-4422 or fe******@ya***.com