A disaster can strike at any time without warning.
How prepared are you?
Oakland Firesafe Council provides awareness, resources, and support to help increase the community preparedness level and to improve disaster response capabilities for residents of Oakland (and beyond).
When a disaster such as a major earthquake, wildfire or tsunami/flood strikes, it is at that moment too late to get prepared. Therefore, it is highly recommended for everyone to at least take the top 5 most important actions to be better prepared now, before it’s too late. These actions are easy, straight-forward and don’t take much time.
TOP 5 MOST IMPORTANT ACTIONS TO TAKE
- Register for AC Alert and learn about other emergency alerts and notifications
- Make your family emergency plan
- Know Your (Zonehaven) Zone and learn about emergency evacuations
- Build your Go-Bags/Stay Box with some basic supplies
- Be ready to help your family, friends, and your community – including children and older adults (don’t forget pets)
Use this Preparedness Actions Checklist to mark your progress. Take these actions one step at a time and remember that each step you take to prepare for an emergency, the better off you are than before!
ADDITIONAL ACTIONS
- Review all of our GUIDES which include topics such as home hardening for earthquake/wildfire, power shutoffs, insurance, Firewise USA®, emergency communications, and much more.
- Request a free 1-hour Personal Emergency Preparedness workshop (in-person or Zoom) for your neighborhood, workplace, community group, or other organization.
TRAINING & VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES WITH THE CITY OF OAKLAND/EMSD
Learn much more about preparing for, responding to and recovering from a disaster by taking Oakland’s FEMA CERT curriculum. CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training covers topics not included in PEP such as disaster medical operations and light search and rescue.
The Communities of Oakland Respond to Emergencies (CORE) program is how the Oakland Emergency Services Management Division (EMSD) recruits and develops Disaster Service Worker Volunteers (DSW-V) who are interested in joining City Staff in support of an emergency response.
We hope this information is a stepping stone for you to want to learn all you can about being as prepared as possible for a wildfire, earthquake, tsunami/flood or other emergency. We recommend that you also review other excellent preparedness and response information from sources including Ready.gov, PG&E, Listos California, the American Red Cross and The Oaklandside, among others.
The Guides below will help you better prepare for and respond to a disaster – click to view or download
Preparedness Checklist
Steps to mark your progress in taking the most important actions to be prepared, detailed in the Guides below.
Evacuation Guidelines
Information to help you prepare for and respond to an emergency evacuation order.
Guide #01
Community Organization
Learn how to organize your community to prepare for emergencies and to help each other when in need.
Guide #02
Notifications and Warnings
Understand AC Alert and other local emergency notifications. Learn about Red Flag Warnings and how to respond to them.
Guide #03
Personal and Family Preparedness BEFORE a Disaster
Prepare yourself and your family before a disaster occurs by performing small, manageable actions.
Guide #04
Personal and Family Response AFTER a Disaster
Know how best to respond during a disaster, and how to recover afterwards.
Guide #05
Emergency Planning
Understand how to create an emergency plan for yourself and your family before a disaster strikes.
Guide #06
Emergency Evacuations
Review evacuation terminology, critical evacuation steps, evacuation routes and sheltering-in-place.
Guide #07
Evacuation and Go-Bag Checklists
Suggested evacuation steps checklist and items for your emergency Go-Bag and Stay-Box.
Guide #08
Power Shutoffs/PSPS
Learn what you can do in advance to prepare for power shut-offs and outages.
Guide #09
Home Hardening Against Wildfire
Understand how to create a defensible zone around your house and other ways that you can harden your home against a wildfire.
Guide #10
Home Hardening Against Earthquake
Learn how to minimize injuries and property damage by hardening your home against an earthquake.
Guide #11
Home Insurance
Understand how to inventory your property and how to ensure you have the right home insurance to cover a large or total loss.
Guide #12
Firewise USA®
Learn how your community can implement Firewise USA and work together to make your community more firesafe
Guide #13
Defensible Space & Landscaping for Fire Safety
Understand how to design and maintain your landscape to greatly improve its chance of surviving a wildfire.
Guide #14
Firesafe Planting Checklist
Plant smart and choose the right fire-resistant vegetation for your property to to help resist the spread of fire on your grounds.
Guide #15
Checklist for Home Wildfire Hardening
Determine what needs work around your home and prioritize projects to be more fire-resistant.
Guide #16
Preparedness for Older Adults
Understand recommended steps that an older adult or caregiver can take to better prepare for an emergency.
Guide #17
Preparedness for Children
Learn how kids can be involved in the steps of disaster readiness with age-appropriate activities.
Guide #18
Preparedness for Pets
Know how to prepare for your pet’s safety and wellness in the event of a disaster, including supplies to have on-hand.
Guide #19
Disaster Mental Health
Learn how to better prepare for and respond to the emotional aspects of an emergency.
Guide #20
Backup Power
Understand your options for backup power during PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoffs or after a major disaster.
Guide #21
Emergency Generators
Understand your options for selecting and safely operating the right electrical generator for your needs.
Guide #22
Emergency Communications
Understand your options for communicating with others during and after a disaster.
Guide #23
Zonehaven
Understand how Zonehaven can help manage emergency evacuations and better inform when and how to evacuate.
Guide #24
Smoke Preparedness
Prepare for wildfire smoke and take action when the air is unhealthy.
Guide #25
Winter Storm Preparedness
Learn how to prepare for local winter storms that can result in heavy rains, flooding, mudslides and strong winds.
PEP Workshop
Oakland Firesafe Council (OFSC) partners with Oakland Fire Department’s Emergency Management Services Division (EMSD) and its CORE program to offer a free ~1 hour Personal Emergency Preparedness (PEP) workshop, either in-person or online via Zoom.
The PEP workshop covers the most important steps one should take to be better prepared for a disaster such as a wildfire, earthquake or tsunami/flood, followed by actions to respond to and recover from the disaster. EMSD’s in-person PEP workshop may also include emergency first aid and fire extinguisher demonstrations.
WEP Workshop
The similar Wildfire and Emergency Preparedness (WEP) workshop is offered by OFSC and covers personal preparedness steps plus home hardening for wildfire, home ignition zones/ember protection, defensible space, Red Flag Warnings, firescaping and the importance of working as a community towards the common goal of wildfire protection. The free ~1 hour WEP workshop can be provided in-person or online via Zoom.
Neighborhoods, community groups, businesses, and other organizations are all invited to sign up for the free PEP or WEP workshop.
- The Oakland Firesafe Council GUIDES are great companion pieces for more information on topics related to disaster preparedness and response.
- A downloadable PDF template of the Oakland Firesafe Council PEP workshop presentation is HERE
- External links noted in the PEP and WEP workshops are HERE
Listos California’s statewide campaign is focused directly on engaging and readying diverse and vulnerable populations for disasters (wildfires, earthquakes, floods, etc.) by providing resources that are accessible, in-language and culturally competent.
With 100+ resources in more than 20 languages, we highly recommend taking a look at their outstanding content starting with these:
- Search Listos CA 100+ resources in more than 20 languages online toolkit
- Listos CA 5 Safety Steps for Any Disaster online mini-course
- Listos CA / Cal OES Disaster Directory for Alameda County
ADDITIONAL
- Earthquake Country Alliance (ECA) and ShakeOut Materials in 15 Languages
- Ready.gov Ready in Your Language
- Ready.gov en Español Listo.gov
- Ready.gov Individuals with Disabilities and Others with Access and Functional Needs
- Red Cross Preparing for Disaster for People with Disabilities and other Special Needs
- PG&E Assistive Resources