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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | SEPTEMBER 2020 19 Check with your committee chair to confirm meeting place, date, and time. We live in an area surrounded by growth that has the potential to feed wildfires. Much to the dismay of the insurance companies, the real fire danger is beyond our gates up in the surrounding foothills. At a recent PassCom meeting, a map was displayed that illustrated this fact. PassCom is a cooperative of residents and businesses along with local, state, and federal responders, that exchange information in a public forum regarding disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation efforts for the San Gorgonio Pass Area. I interviewed a Four Seasons resident who lived through a number of evacuations, our former HOA Board President Len Tavernetti. What was it like to be evacuated? My wife and I decided that she would leave first with our three dogs. She would take all of her personal valuables that could not be replaced. This was back in 2003 when Clouds and thumb drives did not exist. All of our paperwork was in portable fire-proof safes. She also took food and water for the dogs and herself. When you lived in Lake Arrowhead, how did you make the decision to stay or evacuate? We lived on the north side of the mountain and the fire began on the south side. We had a townhouse in Anaheim Hills where my wife went. We made plans to call each other at 8 am, 12 pm, and 5 pm daily. I stayed behind so I assembled a second go kit. I was able to keep informed by my neighbor who was a retired fire chief from Lake Arrowhead. There was a safe area of desert a short distance from my house that had no vegetation where I could go if the fire came towards me. Once you left could you easily return? The police were instructed to escort anyone in a vehicle off the mountain; anyone who stayed had to walk everywhere. Can you give us an idea of how important it was to know your way around? The greatest problem was a lack of or incorrect information. Edison turned off the electricity on the second day. We had plenty of candles and food waiting to be barbecued. I was able to pack my truck full of large items (antiques and valuables) after four days and leave. Did you have plans for evacuating or sheltering in place? We had talked about it. Highway 18 was blocked because the fire was advancing up that direction. We had previous experience in hurricanes and tornadoes. We did not panic like our neighbors. Is it important to plan for an event? Practice and rehearsals like in the military made my response almost automatic. I was surprised at how much I did and in an orderly fashion even being able to change to suit the situation. My plans were now made by placing a draft list on the kitchen table for two weeks and we added items to the list as they came to mind. My wife and I have established out-of-state contacts in case we aren't able reach each other. I think we have boiled wildfire safety down into knowing what to take, know your escape routes, and have a plan. These experiences may not be exclusive to Mr. Tavernetti. I hope that the knowledge from a retired U.S. Army Colonel can help guide us through an evacuation. Our next meeting is Tuesday, Sept. 15 on Zoom. ~ Michael A. Mendoza EPC Chairman, srmendoza@verizon.net Emergency Preparedness Committee

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