Emergency Preparedness Coordinator
Jon M. Fehlman
Chief of Police
Phone: (206) 842-5211
Stay Informed
Many emergencies involve power outages. In these cases, it is more important than ever that neighborhoods and our community as a whole have effective alternative ways of communicating. The City distributes printed Incident Updates at designated locations around the island (see map at right- click to enlarge and print).
The City is Prepared - Are You?
While city staff, police and fire personnel, school employees and others work to develop their disaster-response skills, each of us individually and with our neighbors must be work to be prepared. Do you have a
three-day supply of water and food, medical supplies, flashlights, radios, batteries, etc.? Do your children know what to do if they are home alone or away from home in an emergency?
Personal Preparedness
Preparedness begins at home. Each home on Bainbridge Island should have a minimum of five days' worth of emergency supplies for their families and pets. These supplies include, but are not limited to water, food and medicine. Each person should have one gallon of water per person per day for drinking and hygiene use. Food items should be easily prepared with minimal or no reliance on electricity or even those not needing any cooking. Medicine may be difficult to get to depending on the severity of damage or obstruction of driveways, roadways and bridges. Please review these items to enhance your emergency preparedness in your own home.
Emergency Kits
If you do a simple internet search for emergency kits or disaster kits you will find hundreds of sources. Some will sell a prefabricated kit, while others will customize it to your input needs. Most kits contain items that you may already have around the house; you just need to get those items assembled and set aside for emergencies or disasters. If you are not able to assemble your own kit, or want to give the gift of preparedness for someone, consider purchasing such a kit. It is essential that any kit be examined so that the user is familiar with the contents well before the pressure of an emergency or disaster situation arises. The time to know what is in your kit, how much and where it is located is not when someone is in dire need. Searching the internet will also lead you to sites such as FEMA and American Red Cross where they also have lists of what to include in a good kit.
The Bainbridge Island Volunteer Firefighter's Association has an
order form for such kits. Although we do not promote one source over another, this is a local source that may merit consideration. Their order form is provided and lists background information about this local not-for-profit organization and details on order pricing, item availability and order filling timelines.
Resources
