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What would Placitas residents do if a fire, flood or other emergency befell the community?
One local group is working to ensure everyone in Placitas has an answer to that question.
The Placitas Resilience & Emergency Preparedness Alliance (PREP), formed in March, wants to share information and resources that will help residents prepare for an emergency and best avoid or minimize injuries and property damage.
PREP President Allen Saville and treasurer Jay Rodman met with the Sandoval Signpost last week to discuss the group’s objectives.
“We would love, in the future, for everybody in Placitas to be aware that emergencies can happen, aware that they should probably prepare for those emergencies and know how to prepare,” Saville said.
That means not just a wildland fire descending from the east, he said, but also a flood, an earthquake, a pipeline accident or an individual medical emergency.
PREP is now recognized by the state and the IRS as a nonprofit organization.
Saville, a former volunteer firefighter and EMT in Colorado, said he responded to all kinds of emergencies and appreciates the variety of incidents that could occur.
“Snake in the basement, fall off a ladder, you know, wildland fire, or house fire,” he said. “So it can, in fact, happen, and if you’re prepared, your chances of doing well, surviving and limiting both property damage and people damage, trauma and stuff like that, is tons better.”
PREP will host its second community briefing session Oct. 14. It will cover emergency evacuation procedures and related topics, with discussion of viable evacuation routes, staying abreast of information about the incident, signing up for alerts and what should be in a “go-bag” — a portable kit containing irreplaceable items itemsand those a household would need to get through the early part of an emergency.
The first, in June, focused on wildfire danger and tactics for making property more risk-resistant.
Rodman said Sandoval County Emergency Manager Dan Heerding helped plan that presentation and will be participating in the next as well.
There is no cost to attend, but space is limited.
Saville said the group wants to have the briefing sessions led by experts, to ensure that community members are getting the latest and most accurate information.
He said PREP plans to host the sessions three or four times a year, though it may not work out to be once a quarter. Saville said the briefings will focus on topics appropriate for the time of year when they are presented.
Saville said getting people prepared leads to community resilience, which is more than just emergency preparedness.
“We want to cultivate an attitude, in addition to emergency preparedness, about neighbors helping neighbors,” he said. “Because in the first few minutes and hours of an emergency, a lot of times, the fire department, the sheriff’s department, is so busy managing an evacuation, it’s going to be hours before they get to individuals who need help sometimes. If you know the neighbors in your area that need help, or if you need help, and you work with your neighbors to get that help, that’s a big deal, and it can actually save lives.”
HOW TO PARTICIPATE:
WHEN: 7 p.m. Oct. 14
WHERE: Las Placitas Presbyterian Church, 7 Paseo De San Antonio RoadVIRTUAL: via Zoom; Meeting ID: 863 3223 7123. It will also be recorded by KUPR.
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