Emergency Preparation

2.0 Fox Island Ready - Emergency Preparation

Our MOST VALUABLE work is done BEFORE the emergency happens!  As you will read often in FEIP literature: “The foundation of The Plan is individual family preparedness.”  

And, we have come to learn that neighborhood planning and preparedness (Block Coordination) is critical to reacting to, and extending survival under, severe conditions.  This section will provide you access to all the information available ‘out there’ that you can consider for preparing to learn of, react to, and survive ‘The Big One’ - be it bridge out, wild fire, power out in freezing conditions, or other such catastrophes. 

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? 

There are NO water, food supplies or medical services on Fox Island. Without the bridge, we are on our own. Depending on the disaster it could be days or weeks before help arrives. This site is here to help YOU and YOUR FAMILY get the knowledge and ski... Read More

FAST Way To Get Started

FI-Ready – Get Ready FAST!

Our main hazards on Fox Island are:  Earthquake, Fires, and Bridge Out.  Follow the blue Hot Links for instructions on how to prepare yourself and your family starting today.

1. Start your building of a 30 day supply of food, and med’s.  Food is paramount.  If we are isolated (no usable bridge) then YOYO (you’re on your own). We all will have to depend on what we have stored.
2. Refer to your Fox Island Family Emergency Manual (download).  Next, click on this link:  Manual Source for a hard bound copy to be delivered to you (These won&rsq... Read More
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Once that Fox Island individuals/families become aware of the potential for catastrophic conditions like wildfires or major earthquakes that could interrupt basic functions on Fox Island, (electricity, water, ability to escape, or use of the bridge) and put them at risk, they should conclude that it’s time to take action on emergency preparation and response.

This emergency preparation and response manual has been created by FICRA’s Fox Island Emergency Preparedness (FIEP) for all Fox Island families - especially those families in neighborhoods that DO NOT have Block Coordinators.

Families should keep this binder readily available as a guide in preparing for, and responding to, major emergencies. Your very survival may depend on your being prepared as advised here.

Start by going to The Plan in Section 2, page 2a & 2b for an overview of Fox Island’s Emergency ... Read More

Don't know who your Block Coordinator is?

Click on the map to the left, and see a live, interactive map of Fox Island block coordinator locations.

2.1.0 Individual Family Preparation Responsibilities

1. Sign up for Pierce County Alert to receive advisory information on an emergency that could impact you.  That will have you receiving notification (wherever you and your family members are) of an incident that may affect you.
2. Refer to your Fox Island Family Emergency Manual for the first steps in preparing.  No Manual? Click on this link (link to Manual contents coming soon...) to go to the Manual contents which you can read and/or download.
3. In the Family Emergency Manual, go to Section 2, Page 1 for the basic steps for individual/family preparation.  That Manual will, in the end, guide you back to this FI-Ready.org website for access to more details and resources.
4. Provide your Block Coordinator with the information needed for making contact with your residence in an emergency.
5. Be prepared with a minimum of 30 ... Read More
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2.1.1 Family Contact Sheet Download

Download: 2.1.1 Family Contact Sheet Download

Download the Family Contact Sheet, to record essential contact information about your family for use in an emergency.

Download: 2.1.1 Family Contact Sheet Download
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2.5.0 Mobile Preparation, or What to Carry in your Car

Here is a list of basic and suggested items you should carry in your car: 

• Jumper cables
• Tow rope or chains
• Flares or reflective triangle
• Car cell phone charger
• Blanket or even a sleeping bag
• Change of clothes/warm clothes
• 3 days of food and water
• Duct or repair tape

Other items that might be useful:

• Ice scraper
• Flashlight
• Whistle
• Fix-a-Flat can or portable air compressor
• Heavy-duty gloves
• Poncho
• Multi-function tool (i.e. Leatherman)
• Flat and Phillips screwdrivers
• Adjustable wrenches
• Pliers
• Bungee cords
• Cable ties
• Portable power bank

Welcome to Prepare In A Year.

Our goal is to help guide you to develop your desired level of preparedness in a series of small steps over the next eleven months (we are off to a bit of a late start). We will be suggesting action steps as well as recommending levels of preparedness.

Here are the topics we will be covering by month in 2024:

Month - Topic

• February 1) Communications Plan and 2) Action Plan
• March 3) Water, and the Rule of 3’s
• April 4) Grab and Go Kit
• May 5) Important Documents
• June 6) 2 Weeks Ready (due to the bridge we recommend 4 weeks)
• July 7) Fire Safety
• August 8) Utility Safety
• September 9) Under the Bed
• October 10) Earthquake Preparedness – Drop, Cover and Hold on
• November 11) Staying Warm and Shelter in Place
• December 12) Home Hazard Hunt

2.6.2 FI-Ready: Prepare In A Year 2024 - February

Download: 2.6.2 FI-Ready: Prepare In A Year 2024 - February

Thursday, February 1, 2024

Topic #1 – Communications Plan

Probably one of the worst things that could happen to any of us is being separated from family members in an emergency. Compounding that would be not knowing how to reach them, and not knowing how to get reunited. We suggest the following:

• Figure out how to reach each member (phone/radio/etc)
• Using the attached form, create a meeting place (suggest one for on-island and one for off-island) and list contact numbers for everyone. In an emergency you may not have your phone available to you with your contact lists. Put this list in your FI Family Emergency Manual (we will be rolling it out later this year – but nothing says you cannot start a folder or manual now and keep these documents on hand!).

Action Steps:

1. Fill out the attached form, suggest each family member have a copy.
2. Determine both on-and off-island assembly points.

Download ... Read More

Download: 2.6.2 FI-Ready: Prepare In A Year 2024 - February
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2.4.0 The Prepper Corner - How to Prepare 30 days of Shelter, Water and Food

Emergency Preparation – Safety, Shelter, Water and Food

If it be not to come, it will be now. If it be not now, yet it will come – the readiness is all. - Hamlet

Prepper’s Corner

• Newspaper Articles
• Question of the Day
• Recipes

Many people do not know how to amass water and food to last the recommended 30 days – or really any number of days. Here we break down the ways to get you from the start of the emergency to some level of survival comfort. Remember, this is going way beyond the bridge being down for a few days.

YOU DECIDE YOUR LEVEL OF PREPAREDNESS
Some folks are content with a few extra cans of peanut butter in the back of the pantry, others can eat for months from their supplies. Due to the nature of catastrophes that could afflict us (Cascadian Fault earthquake, br... Read More

2.4.1 Get To Safety

EP – Prepper - Getting to a Safe Place

1. Figure out what disasters can occur and how they can affect you.
2. Determine where your safe places are and communicate that to your family. 
3. Keep your phone, a flashlight, and warm clothes in a bag near your bed.
4. Have a meeting place for the family, both on and off-island, in case you must leave the house in a hurry.

Earthquake (see diagram)

Tsunami

There is considerable debate about how much water could actually get down Puget Sound. However, many of us travel off-island and might be in an area more sensitive to Tsunamis. Stay alert to any signs of a tsunami such as: earthquake, or the ocean suddenly recedes. If you see these signs, quickly get to the highest ground possible. 

Fire

1. During fire season, stay informed via Fox Island News FB page and local news.
2. There are l... Read More
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2.4.2 EP-Prepper - Shelter and Warmth

Why is this important?  Hypothermia can disable or kill you within hours. At the least it will affect your ability to think logically and make effective decisions at a time when your survival may depend on it. What if there is an earthquake and you have to run out of the house with only your pajamas on? And it’s raining!! Here are some suggestions.

Warmth

1. Pajamas – it is best that each family member has a bag of warm and sturdy clothes under their bed. Next best idea is to keep a bag of old, warm clothes in your car or in a shed. Have some for every member of your family. Include lots of layers, and don’t forget hats, rain jackets, and gloves.
2. Include some matches and a dry fuel source so you can start a fire.
3. To start a fire you need a heat source(matches/flint), tinder, kindling and fuel. Tinder can be flammable items such as shredded paper and dryer lint. Kindling needs to be a bi... Read More
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Why is this important? You likely cannot last, or at best function well, more than a few days without water. There is no immediate community water on the Island, and it may be days before any emergency systems can become operational.

There are several ways to obtain water, each has its pros and cons.

1. Use what’s available in your house
   • Pros – easy, cheap, and a hot-water heater is well-contained
   • Cons -
     • Might be difficult to fill containers from the heater drain
     • If your heater has not been recently drained, water could contain debris.
     • If your heater is not secured, it could fall and break in an earthquake
2. Obtain from a local spring or creek, roof runoff is another option
   • Pros - Pretty easy in some cases
     • Avoids havi... Read More
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2.4.3.1 - Prepper - Water Storage

Water Storage Disclaimer and Safety:

1. There are many ways to sanitize storage vessels and preserve water. The method described below should work with clean drums and potable well water which is within all EPA drinking water standards. 
2. Handling heavy drums and chemicals is dangerous but can be done safely. 

The following safety precautions are recommended:

• get help handling drums if you do not feel comfortable moving or lifting them by yourself - water weighs about 8.34 lbs/gallon, thus a 10-gallon container will weigh 84+ pounds 
• wear safety goggles (NOT glasses), gloves, and cover bare skin when handling bleach - immediately wash off any bleach making skin contact 
• should any bleach splash onto your face or eyes, call 911 Water Treatment 

Overview
If you are storing water from your well or from city water taps, treatment will be... Read More

2.4.3.2 - Prepper - Water Filtration

Filtration is the first step!

The important second step is to sanitize your water. Filtering first makes sanitizing more efficient and reduces the need to use excess sanitizer.

1. How soon do you need to drink?
   If you have time, you can collect rainfall, make a crude still or collect standing water in a container and let it sit for a few hours. This will allow anything that floats to rise to the surface, and you can skim off any debris before sanitation. However, if you are responsible for many people and need more water fast, you will need to filter. Also remember that standing water is a last resort – flowing water is likely of better quality.
2. Filtration – using what you have to filter out as many impurities as possible. 
   • Three 2-liter soda containers or plastic milk jugs will work.
   • Take the first container and fill it with water.
   • Then, take the sec... Read More
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2.4.3.3 - Prepper - Emergency Water Sanitation

Download: 2.4.3.3 - Prepper - Emergency Water Sanitation

Emergency Water Sanitation

Why sanitize water? 

1. Unsafe water causes water-borne illnesses such as Escherichia coli-induced diarrhea (E. coli is found in human and animal waste), giardiasis (giardia are carried by many wild and domestic mammals), and diarrhea from other organisms such as cryptosporidium, which is a parasite carried by mammals.
2. Even if filtration is perfect, no physical filter can remove viruses.
3. Finally, Water that has fuel, toxic chemicals, or radioactive materials in it will not be made safe by boiling or disinfection.

That said, you may still end up in a situation that forces you to choose between dehydration and treating your own water. After filtration, there are several options for sanitizing water, with varying degrees of effectiveness. Depending on your situation, you will want to use the most effective method possible.

1. Boiling water – according to ... Read More
   Download: 2.4.3.3 - Prepper - Emergency Water Sanitation
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