A Pasadena Firefighter on roof fighting flames (File Photo – PPD)
Wavetalkers, a dedicated group of amateur radio operators and others involved in emergency communications, presented an informative VLOG on Sunday July 7, which remains publicly available on YouTube and on their own website.
By Mala Arthur
The premise of the episode is that in order to respond appropriately to any emergency, especially an oncoming wildfire, one must have knowledge about what is happening and where.
The Wavetalkers experts list these four steps which facilitate safety and situational awareness:
- Prepare (your property, home, belongings and family including pets) BEFORE a fire begins
- Closely monitor the weather, especially Red Flag warnings, high wind warnings, flash flood warnings and excessive heat warnings
- During high risk times, monitor official and trusted channels via amateur radio, scanner apps, and other trusted sources such as the app “Pulse Point” and the app and website “Watch Duty”
- Do your part to help others when and if possible
The Wavetalkers experts suggest that any of us who are neighborhood leaders set up a “dashboard” online (a simple website or whatever online platform works for our specific community), which lists the appropriate and trusted local resources. They have examples listed on wavetalkers.com.
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