First Arrivers Workshop 09-23-2023
Problem Statement: In the mountains it often takes a long time to get help.
- What to do when you have or arrive at an emergency?
- First Aid - assessment and immediate treatment
- First aid supplies at home and in the neighborhood. Purchase First Aid Kit.
- How to get up to the minute accurate Wildfire updates with Watch Duty
- Calling 911 in our area. Presentation and Video See also Accident/First On Scene.
- Fire Extinguisher Practice
- Meet first responders from Cal Fire - South Skyline Fire and Rescue staff
In response, with the (as always) generous assistance of Ari Delay and his team at the La Honda Fire Brigade, SSEPO organized a full day drill, our third in this annual series. We had over 40 participants from all over the extended south skyline area. We started off with some fascinating presentations on how the 911 system works and how to use it effectively from Lisa Lucett, retired 911 supervisor for San Mateo County. This was followed by an in depth look at Watch Duty by Gabe Schine, learning how this tool has become the way to have definitive, current data on Wild Fires. After We organized the drill into 5 stations, and rotated everyone through in 30 minute sessions. This way we could keep the groups small enough to provide hands on experiences for everyone, yet have the presentations long enough to provide useful detail. The medical trailer turns out to be very well suited for first aid instruction. Ari's stop the bleed class showed him to be an excellent teacher. We had a tasty lunch catered by the Skywood Trading Post (thanks Dylan!). We also distributed vests and first aid kits to all the participants. Participants gave great reviews as everyone expressed that they learnt a lot. It was interesting meeting people a broad range of neighborhoods and exchanging ideas on how to spread knowledge about emergency preparedness. On the way home one of our organizers wound up encountering a just happened traffic accident, and was able to immediately apply the training and materials from the course, confirming their value! Special thanks to Bob Smith, David Myrick, Yvette Fitzgerald, as well as Sammy Barker and Jeremy Word from the Fire Brigade.
This has definitely become an annual tradition.
And we have more pictures!!!