Prioritizing Emergency Preparedness in Our Growing Community
In our ever-changing world, emergency preparedness is a hot topic around the country. For the next 12 months, Highlands Council is prioritizing emergency preparedness to help all of us get ready for the unexpected, while building our community resilience at the same time.
We are exposed to varying hazards in Issaquah such as earthquakes, fires, flooding, landslides and volcanic activity. In Issaquah Highlands, we are primarily at risk from earthquakes, fires and various forms of severe weather.
We’re in good hands with the collaborative efforts of the City of Issaquah’s Emergency Management team, Eastside Fire & Rescue, and the dedicated volunteers of the Issaquah Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)—who are all working together to ready for and rebound from any disasters. If we come together as a community in Issaquah Highlands to learn and prepare, we will have a much better chance of weathering the storm (or other disaster), minimizing impact and losses.
In April, Maddie Coats (Communications Manager) and I completed CERT basic training with the City of Issaquah. The training equipped us with essential skills such as triage and disaster medical treatment, fire safety and suppression, disaster psychology, search and rescue (including cribbing), terrorism, and radio communications. Our training concluded with a hands-on disaster simulation, allowing us to apply our newfound knowledge in a practical setting! We will continue our training with advanced courses in August and September, allowing us to better support the specific needs of the Issaquah Highlands community.
We plan to kick off the initiative with a “Basics of Emergency Preparedness” workshop at Blakely Hall on Saturday, Sept. 28, from 10 a.m. to noon. The workshop is free, and all ages are encouraged to attend! Watch for more information on upcoming CERT training courses, a fun emergency kit building workshop this winter, first aid/CPR offerings, and Stop the Bleed classes.
(We recommend joining our weekly emailed newsletter to stay informed of upcoming workshops — subscribe here.)
Learn More
1. CERT
The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program, established by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is a comprehensive national initiative that trains volunteers in disaster readiness and response techniques. The program’s objective is to empower individuals with the knowledge to protect themselves and assist their communities, while also supporting professional responders in times of crisis.
CERT basic training is free and offered at Issaquah Public Works in the fall and spring. We are excited to be offering a course in spring 2025 in Issaquah Highlands! Visit issaquahcert.org for more information. Already a member of CERT? Watch for monthly CERT socials starting in the fall at Blakely Hall!
2. Stop the Bleed
A bleeding injury can happen anywhere, and the number one cause of preventable death after injury is bleeding. Learn to “stop the bleed” with three quick actions that can save a life. Visit stopthebleed.org for more information and watch for courses at Blakely Hall!
3. Basic First Aid
Learning first aid gives you the ability to help those in need by responding to specific situations and caring for people in crisis as they wait for medical professionals to arrive. Basic first aid often includes CPR and AED training. Visit redcross.org for more information and get signed up for a class.
As published in the summer 2024 issue of Connections >>
Lindsey Pinkston is the Highlands Council executive director and Wisteria Park resident.
