Help Us Help You


Some of these simple suggestions can help us in the event of an emergency at your location. They include:

Help us Find You

Make sure the first responders can find your location. Mark driveways and roadways with names and address numbers that are clear and easy to understand. Address numbers should be a minimum of 5" tall, and have a contrasting color to the background. Many calls are at night when dark or small numbers are hard to see.

You can also give additional information to the 9-1-1 dispatcher at the time of the call. An emergency is a very stressful event, so be proactive by having special considerations on a note card by the phone. This will help visitors or babysitters that may not know your location. The more information you can provide, the better. Examples of special considerations include: gates and gate codes, location of the living area (apartments behind the main house, for example), presence of dogs, clear directions from the main road.

On scene

If the call is for a medical emergency, you can help by providing the first responders with current medical information for the person in need when they arrive. On a paper or note card, list the following: current medications, any relevant medical history, allergies, and doctor and health care information. Collect the patient's current medications in a zip lock bag so they can be sent along with the patient to the hospital.

If there is a dog or other pets, put them in another area or room, out of the way. Some dogs will become very protective when a group of people enters the house. If possible, consider arranging ahead of time for a neighbor to be "on call" should they be needed to help relocate pets while we are on scene, and take care of the pets and the house if you need to be away.

Most of us like to think that "it will not be me" that needs to take a ride in an ambulance to the hospital or will need the help of the fire and rescue first responders, but you never know. As with wildfires, earthquakes, and other emergencies it pays to think and plan ahead before the emergency occurs.

Water Tank Fire Fittings and Reflectors

Do you live in our immediate response area and have a water tank or other water source (like a pool, pond, or hot tub)? We'd like to be able to find it and utilize it in an emergency. If you need the appropriate fire hose fitting or blue reflectors, we can help provide these (in most cases free of charge). Contact us for details. Here's a link to an example of how some tanks are set up with fire hose fittings.

Defensible Space

Defensible space saves lives! We suggest that you visit the Ready for Wildfire web site or the Cal Fire web site by following those links. Both of these have lots of information about how to set up your defensible space as well as preparing a wildland fire action plan.