Disaster Preparedness
 Get
Ready is a 2-hour emergency preparedness training program developed
by Tiburon Peninsula Foundation Board member (and Battalion Chief
with Tiburon Fire District) Ed Lynch for an area task force that
included the Tiburon Peninsula Foundation. The program has enjoyed
tremendous success. Since classes began in May 2006, over 200
citizens have been trained as instructors and more than 3,000
local residents have completed the program, preparing themselves
for the next disaster. In addition, it has been adopted by all
of Marin County and several other communities around the state
and nation. The manual has been translated into four different
languages and is currently being adopted as a high school program
for Marin County High Schools.
How Get Ready Came To Be
 In
2005, Belvedere resident Dr. Tom Cromwell was sent to New Orleans
as part of a nationwide response to provide medical assistance
in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. When Dr. Cromwell returned
home to Belvedere, a community meeting was held in an effort
to improve the disaster response preparation on the Peninsula.
After a review of the problems encountered in New Orleans, a
task force was formed to review local disaster plans and make
recommendations to the local government entities responsible
for disaster preparedness.
The Tiburon Peninsula Foundation took the lead, with Board
member Larry Smith as the Chairman of the task force. Along with
members from the City of Belvedere, Town of Tiburon, Tiburon
Fire District, and the Belvedere Community Foundation, the task
force realized that disaster preparedness starts with every citizen
being prepared to survive the first 72 hours after an event.
Current programs available to residents, such as CERT, were limited
and time consuming. The task force set out to create a new program,
one aimed specifically at Peninsula residents, that would provide
the information and required actions residents would need in
order to take care of themselves and their family after a disaster.
The program was named “Get Ready” and its goal was to create
a two-hour class accompanied by a manual that residents could
use as a reference guide. The manual was developed by Tiburon
Peninsula Foundation Board member Ed Lynch (a Battalion Chief
with Tiburon Fire District) and includes information about food,
water and shelter requirements, as well as actions to be taken
by residents before, during, and after disasters such as an earthquake,
flood, fire and severe weather.
For more information, and to download the Get Ready Disaster
Preparedness Manual, visit the GET
READY WEBSITE.
|
