Fairview Fire District sends out disaster kits

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Nov 17, 2006 | by Matt O'Brien

FAIRVIEW -- Are the people of Fairview ready for the next big fire? In case they're not, the Fairview Fire Protection District is trying to give people a head start by mailing out first-aid kits, emergency checklists and duffel bags to

5,000 households in the hillside unincorporated community east of Hayward.

The checklist appears on a frightening-looking brochure with an aerial photograph showing Fairview's proximity to the Hayward Fault. And why such a fear-inducing gift, just five weeks before Christmas?

"We know what we can expect from FEMA," said Dennis Gould, fire district board member, referring to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's slow response to last year's Hurricane Katrina disaster. "And the state doesn't have the funding (for disaster preparedness). The best way we can do it is locally." The program cost the district about $70,000 for the first-aid kits, $39,000 for the bags and a little more than $5,000 for the brochures, Gould said.

"We're telling you this stuff, we're giving you a place to put it and we're starting you out," Gould said. He said the bag is a place to put all the items that the district suggests people buy and keep ready in case of an emergency: water, food, a first-aid kit, a flashlight, batteries, clothes, sturdy shoes, a battery-powered radio or TV, important papers and cash, tools for shutting off gas and water valves, a fire extinguisher, prescription medication, extra eyeglasses, sanitation and hygiene items, and special items for infants (diapers, formula) and pets (food, leash, ID).