Be Prepared ~ You May Save a Life!
CPR/AED/FIRST AID
TRAINING CLASS
Friday, September 21
at 3:00 p.m.
in the Clubhouse
$45 per person
Sign up in the Niguel Shores Office today!
We hope you noticed our announcements that an AEDCPR-FIRST AID class will be conducted in the Niguel Shores Clubhouse on Friday, September 21 at 3:00 p.m. This is a great opportunity to learn, hands-on, the emergency steps in potentially saving a life. Don’t assume “George” will be there to assist in an emergency. YOU can do this. Sign up in the NSCA office.
WOW! Labor Day, back to school, end of summer. Well, yes to the first two, but NOT to the last. The long hot summer still has plenty of heat left over as we move into September and October. And with that heat continues one of the worst fire seasons California has ever experienced. Heat, low humidity, extremely dry conditions, and the coming of the annual Santa Ana winds all remind us to be guard, be vigilant, and BE PREPARED.
YES, we live in the Shores near the ocean, away from the Cleveland National Forest, far from the Inland Empire, BUT we are NOT exempt from the dangers of fires in our own community. Every home should have an evacuation plan and additional safety measures around your house to BE PREPARED for the possibility of fires “in our own backyard.”
Many of these safety measures are the same precautions as for earthquakes: Have evacuation plans. Prepare an emergency supply kit with important documents, medicine, personal identification, and some cash. Discuss and practice the plan with your family.
Here are some other steps you can take to possibly save your home should you need to evacuate quickly, BUT these are things you do ahead of time, NOT if the fire is already raging in the neighborhood: Remove firewood near the house. Clean porches, decks, and gutters of dried leaves. Trim trees near the house. Move patio furniture and cushions. Replace or repair shingles and roof tiles that are loose or missing. Keep garden hoses connected to wet down things that can be ignited by fire’s embers floating in from blocks away. Most of the homes in the Shores are close to our neighbors and, even with composite roofs, embers can ignite the wood under overhangs and trim.
Here’s another often overlooked step: If the electricity is out, do you know how to open your garage door to get your car out? If you don’t, call a handyman or ask your neighbor or someone on your street to show you, but the first thing to do is pull the red handle/cord hanging down from your door inside the garage to release the electronic door system.
Then lift the door by hand. If you can’t, leave the car and get out of the house any way you can. If you are replacing your garage door and/or opener, look for a replacement opener
that has a back-up battery or is battery operated. Happy Labor Day, back to school, a wonderful end of summer and greeting of fall, BUT give some thought AND ACTION to the preparations that insure your family and home are safe.
—Kent Wellbrock
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