Rincon Valley and Corona de Tucson Fire Departments have a long history of working together to promote the safety of area residents. In early days when both departments were mainly "rural volunteer" a prime focus was protection for Acacia Elementary school next to the railroad tracks in case of a derailment or possible hazmat incident. The Ohio derailment and the most recent incident on I-10 near Rita Road with the resulting evacuation and widening safety perimeters highlights the importance of being prepared.
?? I wonder how many of the folks in that safety radius were ready to evacuate or to shut down their heat with our cold night.
Pima County periodically conducts large training exercises which include multiple agencies to ensure coordination of communications and responses. ?All of the agencies use the universal Incident Command System which allows first responders to coordinate the various agencies involved and transfer command and tasks to the most experienced and appropriate individuals and agencies. ?
The people in these agencies, from fire fighters to highway patrol to hospital triage spend many hours training ?to protect us - often in addition to their everyday duties. ?So it's in our best interest to know what we need to do so we are part of the solution, not part of the problem when an incident occurs.?
Being Prepared:
- Can you scoop up your important papers, medications, pets and kids in a heartbeat if you had to?
- Do you have a "go-bag" and a list of what needs to be in it?
- Do your young children know their full name and address, your phone number and the name of at least one relative?
- Do you know what potential risks for an incident could be?
- Will you be notified if an emergency occurs?
This is just a sample of what you can do to protect your family.
Pima County has extensive preparedness information well worth taking a few minutes to read and use what applies to your family.
Sign up for emergency alerts: ?
Understanding the Ready, Set, Go program can help you save the things which matter the most to you..
"Fire season" in our area is now year round - seasonal rains encourage more fuel growth.?
Vail and Rincon Valley caught a break on this recent incident but we might not be so fortunate the next time.?
Be safe.
Vail-RV Coalition