What is an EHIA Block Captain or Volunteer?
They are one of your neighbors that has graciously volunteered to get to know their neighbors, gather contact information for emergency communication purposes, learn about and connect with their neighbors with special needs, skills, tools/equipment, and possibly be there for the neighborhood during a disaster.
All neighbors need to understand that our volunteers are responsible for themselves first, their families, and then, if willing and able, they will help others. They are not first responders. All residents need to understand that our volunteers will do what they can to help neighbors, but each household needs to have robust plans to respond to wildfire and earthquakes.
Our goal is to help our small community be self-sufficient during disasters when first responders are overwhelmed. Many of our volunteers have two-way radios and we practice monthly to make sure the radios are functioning correctly and everyone is familiar with using them.
We developed this radio network to communicate should we lose landlines or cell service so that we could still communicate information during a disaster. We also use them during high wind events, storms, Red Flag Alert Warnings, and to communicate any concerns in the neighborhood. If anyone would like to join our team, we’d love to have you!