Preparing for a Natural Disaster Battalion Chief Mike Finnerty San Diego California Fire-Rescue Department
Battalion Chief for San Diego Fire Rescue in San Diego, California Firefighter 40+ years San Diego Firefighter 35 years U.S. Air Force Firefighter 4 years Cal Fire Firefighter 1 season
Planning Section Chief with Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) Program World Trade Center Moore Oklahoma Tornado
As a Battalion Chief I manage six fire stations within a region of the city of San Diego known as Battalion 3 There are seven battalions in the city of San Diego which covers an area of approximately 300 square miles near, and adjacent to, the border with Mexico in southern California I respond to all significant emergencies within my area of the city and also support all other areas of the city Through mutual aid, I also can respond to any major emergency in the state of California as a strike team leader or single resource Strike Team Leader: I am assigned to manage five fire engine crews as part of a Strike Team in response to major fires or any other major emergencies, such as wildland fires and earthquakes, throughout the state of California Single Resource: Can be assigned directly to an Incident Management Team to assist in managing any major emergency anywhere in the country In these roles I have responded to many of the major disastrous fires in California since 1999
As a member of the DHS/FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Program The Urban Search and Rescue program is comprised of firefighters, civilians, and search dogs, with specialized training to search for and rescue people trapped in collapsed buildings in urban or populated areas The task forces have responded to earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, structural collapses, landslides, mudslides and floods I was a member of California Task Force 8 as a the Planning Team Manager for 20 years and responded with the Task force to: 9-11 attack on the World Trade Center Hurricane Katrina Was also a member of Management Support Teams that responded with UR&R Task Forces to disasters to coordinate their response and responded to Hurricanes Matthew, Sandy, Ike, Dean Oso mudslide 2009 Presidential Inauguration
Responding to Disasters and Witnessing the Impact These assignments have sent me to disasters throughout the country, having responded to the majority of the national disasters since1999 I have gained real-world experience on what happens during a disaster, and how people can cope with the aftermath of disasters I have seen that most of the population is poorly prepared to survive the aftermath of a disaster on their own Most assume that the government will be able to immediately respond and support them. That is not the case. Local and State government will be overwhelmed with rescuing the trapped and injured You can expect to be on your own for at least 3 days, and could easily stretch to a week or more
What will be the effects of a Disaster Loss of Electricity: No power your home No water to your home No clean water available No use of the toilets Loss of Gas: Can t cook food, heat your home, or heat your water Loss of clean water: No water you can drink, cook with, wash dishes with, wash clothes with or bath with
Key Essentials to Survival You must have clean water to drink Death from dehydration will begin in as soon as 3 days without water You must have food to eat Death from starvation will begin in as little as a week without food Death is certain after 3 weeks without food You must have shelter from the elements In extreme heat or cold without shelter, death can occur within hours
One key survival strategy Create a survival cache that contains the key items needed for survival Place the survival cache in a secure container Store the container in a secure location in your home
The must have capabilities for a survival cache in your home The ability to gather and store water The ability clean/filter water without the need for boiling it The ability to store your clean/filtered water Edible food that can be stored for long periods and requires very little preparation The ability to boil water and cook food Protection against the elements 30 gallons of gasoline to fuel your car and your cooking device
Where to get the items for your survival cache Local hardware store Local sporting goods store Internet
The ability to gather and store water 5 Gallon Bucket Lid to seal bucket
The ability to clean / filter water LifeStraw Family Platypus Gravity Works Katadyn Base Camp
The ability to store your clean/filtered water
Sources of edible food Meals Ready To Eat 5+ years shelf life Freeze Dried Food 30 year shelf life
The ability to boil water / cook food ( Gasoline Fuel ) Coleman Dual Fuel Stove
Sources of Disaster Preparedness Information Oregon Hazards and Preparedness http://www.oregon.gov/oem/hazardsprep/pages/2-weeks-ready.aspx Oregon 2 Weeks Ready Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/2weeksready/ Oregon 2 Weeks Ready Twitter Feed https://twitter.com/2weeksready American Red Cross Prepare! Resource Guide https://p.widencdn.net/5rdg1y/redcrossprepareguide Oregon Prepare Your Pantry Guide https://p.widencdn.net/5rdg1y/redcrossprepareguide Oregon Prepare to Hydrate Guide https://p.widencdn.net/5rdg1y/redcrossprepareguide