The Fire District Emergency Management Office provides several services to Camano Island residents, businesses, and emergency response personnel, including:
Community Emergency Response Team
Disaster Registry
Personal, Family, and Business Preparedness
Map Your Neighborhood
Reporting Disaster Damage.
The links below provide more information about those services. If you can't find the activity you are interested in please send us a message at: Mail Comments and let us know what you are looking for so we can help. You may also call us at the telephone numbers listed on the home page.
Detailed information about the Community Emergency Response Team program can be found at the following link:
Information about local CERT training can be found at the Training section of the Emergency Management nformation.
The Stanwood-Camano Fire Department Special Needs Registry – or Disaster Registry - allows vulnerable seniors and persons with disabilities to pre-register with the Fire Department. This registry helps the Fire Department and other emergency responders to be more informed as to how many and where persons with special needs or situations are located in our community. Privacy laws prohibit the Fire Department from identifying special needs persons using other records. Additionally, not everyone eligible will register or be identified, so we will never have an accurate count as to the number of persons in our service area that might need special attention or assistance.
During prolonged severe weather or other emergencies the registry listing will be used by emergency first responders and registered community emergency response team (CERT) members to call and make sure the registered persons are not in any safety or heath risk, especially if their normal support network is not available.
The registry contains only voluntary information provided by the registered person. The information is not shared outside of emergency responders or designated CERT members. Registering should be one part of personal or family preparedness activities.
All citizens are encouraged to be self-sufficient for at least 5-7 days with normal supplies like food, water, and medications, emergency lights, and a safe alternate heat source for your residence. You should also arrange in advance for an out of area contact that you can call or that will call you. Finally, the surest support comes from neighbors and friends who are willing to help.
Questions? Call the Fire Department or e-mail the Emergency Manager at: msimmons@camanofire.com . The registry form is at the link: Registry Form. It can be printed, signed and returned to the Fire Department Administration Office at 811 N Sunrise Blvd, Camano Island, WA 98282.
The best sources of preparedness information for yourself, your family, and your business can be found at the following site and links:
Preparedness Fast Facts - The American Red Cross
CDC - Disaster Preparedness Information
Earthquakes, Floods, Storms and Tornadoes –
Is Your Neighborhood Ready?
Prepared neighborhoods are more effective in their disaster response and have an increased capacity to be self-sufficient for the first 72 hours after a disaster.
Premise:
In a disaster, the neighbors living around you are your most immediate source of help. Traditional 9-1-1 responders (police, fire, medical, and utility) are quickly overwhelmed by demand. Knowing what to do in the first "GOLDEN" hour of a disaster response may save a life, reduce the severity of injuries, and reduce the amount of damage that you, your family and neighbors sustain.
Major Goal of Map Your Neighborhood:
To prepare neighborhoods (generally 15-20 homes in urban areas, 6-7 in rural areas) to be self-reliant during the first hours of a disaster response when traditional 9-1-1 responders are overwhelmed by demand.
Objectives accomplished during a 90-minute neighborhood meeting:
1. Learn the 9 Steps to take immediately following a disaster to secure your home and protect your neighborhood.
2. Identify the skills and equipment each neighbor has that are useful in an effective disaster response.
3. Create a Neighborhood Map showing the locations of each natural gas meter and propane tank (about 67% of house fires following disasters are caused by leaking gas); and the locations of each neighbor who may need extra help in a disaster, such as the elderly, persons with disabilities, or children who are home alone during certain times of the day.
4. Pick locations for a Neighborhood Gathering Site and Neighborhood Care Center.
THE NINE STEPS:
1. Take care of yourself and loved ones.
2. Protect your head, feet and hands.
3. Check the natural gas or propane at your home.
4. Shut off water at the house main.
5. Place the HELP or OK sign on your front door or window.
6. Put your fire extinguisher on the sidewalk.
7. Go to the Neighborhood Gathering Site.
8. Form teams to listen to the radio for alerts; check on elderly, disabled and children; check gas and propane; check homes with HELP cards and those with no card.
9. Return to Neighborhood Gathering Site to share what has been done.
How to Get Map Your Neighborhood Started in Your Neighborhood?
1. Neighborhood Host contacts Fire Department Emergency Manager at 360-387-1512 or msimmons@camanofire.comto get MYN materials and arrange for a Map Your Neighborhood facilitator training session in your neighborhood.
2. Neighborhood Host (or trainer sent by Fire Department) guides the neighborhood facilitator using the Discussion Guide and/or the MYN DVD.
3. At conclusion of the neighborhood meeting or facilitator training, the Neighbor Host or hosts schedule the MYN sessions to complete their neighborhood planning. This process should be repeated in a year to up-date the information in the plan.
Map Your Neighborhood (MYN) was developed by Dr LuAn Johnson, first in Sunnyvale, CA and then in Seattle, WA. The program was implemented state-wide by the State of Washington's Emergency Management Division (EMD) in 2006. This award-winning program has proven its effectiveness. During the Nisqually (Seattle) Earthquake on February 28, 2001, 92% of 460 organized neighborhoods effectively responded utilizing the 9-Step Neighborhood Disaster Response Plan. More than 50 counties and cities in Washington State are in various stages of implementing MYN. States which have adopted MYN include Alaska, Oregon, California, Illinois, Montana, Idaho, Kansas, Pennsylvania and South Carolina.
For more information, see the State of Washington Emergency Management website: http://www.emd.wa.gov/myn/index.shtml
The accurate and timely reporting of disaster damage to public property (infrastructure) and private property (residences and businesses) is important for both estimating the total response resources needed and to assess and justify the request of a state and later Presidential Disaster Declaration. A Presidential Disaster Declaration authorizing either Public Assistance (for Public Property-Infrastructure), Individual Assistance (Private Property), or both is required to initiate FEMA support under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (U.S.C. Section 5121-5207).
Public Property
Reporting of Public Property damage is accomplished by each responsible jurisdiction.
Private Property
Peporting of Private Property damage must be done in a timely manner and as accurately as possible. The format at the link is a feeder form used to complete the HS form 1-PR at the county level. Not all the questions can be answered or answered exactly, estimates are acceptable.