SACRAMENTO
Practice Fire Safety during National Fire Prevention Week (October 6-12, 2019)
Move over super heroes, and look around, every Californian can be a hero if they know and practice fire safety skills. As Fire Prevention Week soars in October 6-12, planning and practicing a safe escape is the key to getting out of a house fire or wildfire in time. “Being aware of your surroundings is an ability people need to use wherever they go,” said CAL FIRE Director, Thom Porter. “No matter where you are, look for two ways out. If the alarm system sounds, take it seriously and exit immediately. If you are in a wildfire situation, leave early.”
Complacency can result in disaster. Now is the time to educate yourself and your family about the small but important actions to keep everyone safe. Start with a home escape plan and practice it monthly, during the day and at night so it becomes muscle memory. Have an outside meeting place that your family knows where to go and to stay at, and have a communication plan in place. In a wildfire, don’t wait to evacuate. If it’s an uncomfortable situation, leave early and make sure to take your pets and important items with you.
“Your ability to get out safely depends on advance planning and warning,” said California State Fire Marshal Mike Richwine. “Per the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), only one of every three American households have actually developed and practiced a home fire escape plan. While 71% of Americans have an escape plan in case of a fire, only 47% of those have practiced it. We can do better.”
By being a hero, you can be someone who takes small, but important actions to keep yourself and those around you safe from fire? When it comes to fire safety, be the hero in your household and your community.
Here are a few things you can do:Make an escape plan, practice your plan monthly during the day and at night to make sure that children and adults react to the smoke alarm and know what to do.
- Draw a map of each level of the home. Show two ways out of every room.
- Have an outside meeting place like a mailbox, tree, or light. Call 911 from your meeting place.
- Children, older adults, and people with disabilities may need assistance to wake up and get out. Make sure that someone helps them.
- Install smoke alarms inside every sleeping area, in hallways outside of sleeping areas and on every level of your home.
- If people are trapped, firefighters have the best chance of rescuing them. Firefighters have the training, experience and protective equipment needed to enter burning buildings.
- Become a hero by learning fire safety skills to protect you, your family, and your community. For more detailed information, visit www.readyforwildfire.org or www.fire.ca.gov.
–CAL FIRE
PARADISE
Butte Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Base Station to be re-established in Paradise
Today, Adventist Health announced that all funding needed for a new EMS base station in Paradise was secured, thanks to the recent news from North Valley Community Foundation which awarded a $49k grant from its Butte Strong Fund to support the project. This comes on the heels of a donation provided by Adventist Health Feather River Foundation for $21k and Adventist Health, which is subsidizing the funds needed for the use of a building as the new base station, located at the intersection of Bille and Clark road, a central location that will be key to providing 24/7 response for residents in the Paradise community.
Since the devastation caused by Camp Fire, the ambulance service for Paradise has been based out of Magalia, this increases response time and requires ambulance crews to commute in from outside the area. This is an unsustainable model for the long-term operations. Since December, there has been a 30% increase in ambulance runs for Paradise, which is expected to increase as the rebuilding efforts continue to escalate. With an ambulance base in Paradise, crews can better serve residents and they can live and work in the community they serve.
“This is a win-win for residents of Paradise,” says Mons Jensen, restoration project manager at Adventist Health. “By working together, we’ve been able to secure the funding that is needed for the project. Without it, it was not financially feasible for Butte EMS to re-establish a station until a more significant population moved back to Paradise.”
“We are so appreciative of everyone’s efforts. Butte County EMS is committed to providing the same level of service as before the Camp Fire. With this collaboration and Adventist Health’s willingness to subsidize a station in Paradise, we’ll be able to respond to the community as it rebuilds,” commented James Clark, paramedic battalion chief for Butte County.
Adventist Health is committed to continue to lead the way in restoring vital health care services in the Butte County region. To learn about other ways Adventist Health is supporting the rebuilding efforts, go to AdventistHealth.org/ParadiseStrong.
—Submitted
