As cities across the state celebrate National Night Out on Aug. 4, one Kirkland community in Houghton will be preparing for emergencies in a simple way – by getting to know each other.
According to Houghton resident Margaret Bull, her neighborhood will hold its fourth block party as part of National Night Out, an annual community-building campaign to promote police-community partnerships. Bull’s neighborhood will have a potluck along with a visit from a fire truck and police car. The event will allow residents to get more acquainted while discussing safety issues with the officers.
The intent of the block parties, however, is not just to create more awareness about crime, but to spark cooperation and communication.
Having participated in a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program, Bull said she has attempted to raise more awareness in her community about emergency preparedness, which for a while proved difficult.
“I make a big deal about inviting, but sometimes people don’t answer the phone if they don’t know you or the email goes into the junk folder,” Bull said.
One of the biggest problems, she said, is that people don’t know who they live next to, which meant when she initially tried to introduce herself some were wary of answering the door.
“A lot of apartments, a lot of young people aren’t friendly,” she said. “A part of the problem is latch-key kids. They were home alone and wouldn’t open doors to strangers.”
Finally, several years ago, she was able to get residents together as part of the National Night Out campaign.
“National Night Out was one of the few times I had convinced people to get together face-to-face,” she said. “You want people’s children to know what the adults in the neighborhood look like.”
One of the things they do, she said, is create a booklet that contains relevant information so residents can respond appropriately during an emergency or a map of the neighborhood, an idea she hopes other neighborhoods in Kirkland will copy.
“We’re trying to get Kirkland as prepared as possible,” she said, “but people have to be motivated.”
CERT is a FEMA-based curriculum designed to teach people how to respond during a disaster when regular services like police, fire and medical are unable to respond.
The city of Kirkland has its own CERT program that hosts two CERT training courses, one in the spring and one in the fall. More information about the city’s CERT program can be found at www.kirklandcert.com.
For more information about the city’s Office of Emergency Management, go to http://www.kirklandwa.gov/depart/Fire_Services/prepare.htm. More information can also be found at www.kirklandwa.gov/Page7346.aspx.
Go to natw.org/registration to learn more about National Night Out.
