2024 Community Days:
Are You Prepared?
Once again this year the South Skyline Emergency Preparedness Organization and the South Skyline FireSafe Council collaborated on a joint event for the community. We decided to blend all the best of our previous events, and create a day long workshop on preparing family, home and neighborhood against the risks of mountain living, from wildfires and earthquakes to accidents and injuries. This was structured as a set of lectures and practical sessions, with multiple tracks for people to choose from. In addition we had vendors set up tables during lunch time. Since all that would make people hungry we hired Taqueria de Amigos to feed everyone. To reach more people, we held two identical sessions, 7/27 at the La Honda Elementary School and 8/10 at the Saratoga Summit CalFire station.
The events were a huge success, with 85 guests, the most we've ever had at any of our instructional events. Evaluation forms came back extremely positively, people were impressed by the amount and depth of content. Having in depths presentations, allowed for richter interactions than in previous years. The vendors got much more serious attention this year than at the previous events, and in turn had lots of useful content to offer. We had a good mix of existing residents, as well as newcomers and prospective mountain dwellers trying to learn more. The weather was interesting, we had a very pleasant average temperature, except that La Honda was cold and foggy to the point of light rain, and Saratoga Summit was burning hot by afternoon. So be careful about averages!
We are very grateful to our hosts, vendors and presenters!
Schedule:
9:30-10:00 registration
10:-10:10 Welcome & Introductions
10:10-12:15 Presentations: SSFSC presentations (Larry and Ed Hayes)
Home Hardening
Defensible Space
BioChar
Insurance (w United Policy Holders)
11:30-3:40 Tables with vendors and demonstrations
Midpeninsula Open Space District,
San Mateo Medical Reserve Corps,
Brush Hog Tree Care (mastication and related forest/brush management solutions),
California Sunlight (Solar Batteries)
CPR demonstration with Don Chislow & Dave Myrick
WinLink Demonstration w Bryan Osborne - using ham radio to connect to the internet and send/receive email.
South Skyline Firesafe Council
12:15-1:30 Lunch - Taqueria de Amigos - the awesome place at the gas station in Pescadero
1:30-2:30 Two Tracks:
(a) Stop the Bleed taught by Stanford Trauma Service - official class with certificate offered
(b) Neighborhood Emergency Preparedness & Communications (Pat O'Coffey)
2:30-3:40 Divide into 3 groups, rotate between:
(a) MacGyver Medicine taught by Dr. Rich Lee
(b) Cribbing
(c) Fire Extinguisher training taught by Robert Smith from La Honda Fire Brigade
3:40-4:00 wrap up
Photo Galleries: