In light of continued wildfire and earthquake disaster threats to Oakland, the Oakland Firesafe Council has begun a new program called Oakland Community Preparedness and Response (OCPR). The program, which launched in September, will help citizens and groups in the Oakland hills and foothills—both high- risk areas due to the “very high-hazard wild fire zone” at the Wildland-Urban Interface and the 120-mile-long major earthquake zone along the Hayward Fault—to prepare for these threats. The goal is to bring about fewer injuries and deaths and lower financial losses in the event of a major disaster, such as a wild re or earthquake.
Starting in January, the OCPR program will deliver custom educational workshops and materials to existing neighborhood groups, help new neighborhoods organize, communicate emergency evacuation and notification procedures, and promote Oakland’s CORE/ CERT disaster preparedness and response training.
We will work alongside police, fire, and emergency preparedness experts on these and other activities.
At this time, we are requesting that leaders of Oakland hills’ and foothills’ community groups contact us to take advantage of the program: ocpr@ oakland resafecouncil.org, 510-499-8933.
The OCPR program received support from three grants awarded earlier this year from CalFire, the City of Oakland, and the California Fire Foundation to cover the first two years of operation.
“When disaster strikes, we, as neighbors, are the first responders. Neighbors helping neighbors provide information, immediate first aid, and, evacuation assistance for those with mobility problems. Because, in an earthquake, wild fire or other large disaster, police and firefighters will be tied up elsewhere and we will need to take charge of our disaster response. To be prepared, we must first get organized. OCPR provides tools, tips and support for interested neighborhoods through CORE/CERT (emergency preparedness training), Neighborhood Watch (crime prevention training) and Firewise, a national certification program for neighborhoods focused on vegetation management and home hardening.” ~ Sue Piper
