Representatives from local agencies came together at the Yreka Community Center on Friday to hold Siskiyou County's first ever Emergency Preparedness Fair for people with developmental disabilities and senior citizens.
The event was organized by Far Northern Regional Center, Siskiyou County Department of Public Health and Southern Oregon Goodwill. It was sponsored by Premiere West Bank, Siskiyou Central Credit Union and Walmart.
"An Emergency Preparedness Fair is put on in Redding every year and it is very effective. We decided to put one on and we're really excited by the turnout," said Monique Dixon, area manager for Southern Oregon Goodwill.
"When you have more information you have more confidence. Exposure to public services raises the comfort level and makes individuals more willing to access these services."
Over 200 community members, including children from local schools' special day classes, attended the fair where they learned about emergency preparation, health maintenance and safety tips.
Outside, personnel from CAL FIRE (California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection), California Highway Patrol and the Klamath National Forest offered fire safety tips and showed attendees how to stop, drop and roll if an accident ever causes their clothing to ignite.
In addition, Smokey the Bear made an appearance – offering attendees the opportunity to ask questions and gain fire safety knowledge in a fun, non-intimidating environment.
"People with developmental disabilities and senior citizens are sometimes fearful of first responders, and we believe this event will help them become more comfortable with rescue personnel," said Janet Hope of Far Northern Regional Center. "Often, they need some extra support in order to be prepared for emergencies."
Inside the community center, the various booths were bustling. Great Northern Corporation, Rescue Ranch Inc., Compass SLS & ILS, Siskiyou County Adult Services, American Red Cross and Siskiyou Opportunity Center were among the agencies present for the event. A number of Yreka High School students assisted at the booths.
Representatives demonstrated the sound of the Emergency Alert System, and explained to participants what they should do in the event of an emergency alert.
Yreka high school students demonstrated the proper way to crouch under a table in the event of an earthquake, and they helped to educate attendees about the importance of hand washing to control the spread of germs.
Participants had the opportunity to spin a wheel and answer questions about health and safety.
They learned about the File of Life system – a summarized description of personal medical information that they should store in a magnetized pouch on their refrigerators in the event of a medical emergency at their homes. The File of Life system is well-known among first responders, as the refrigerator door is the first place they look for the file in order to access patients' medication and health history information before administering medical care.
Attendees enjoyed games of emergency preparedness bingo, which helped familiarize them with warning symbols and messages such as "Danger – Do Not Enter," "Amber Alert" and "Buckle Up – It's The Law."
Public health representatives offered flu shots and whooping cough vaccinations while Rescue Ranch Inc. volunteers explained disaster preparedness measures for pets.
"This has been an amazing event and very well attended," commented Siskiyou Central Credit Union Business Development and Marketing Executive Dennis Crossman, who spent the afternoon handing out free backpacks for participants to store their various resource materials. "I would venture to say participants really learned a lot and this was an event that was really needed in this area."