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6 | SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | MAY 2025 | NEIGHBOR HELPING NEIGHBOR By Janis Rice, EPAP PIO Our Sun Lakes EPAP Executive Team spends a lot of time asking for volunteers to help with EPAP. Currently, there are seven districts in Sun Lakes that don't have volunteer EPAP Coordinators and/or an adequate number of zone captains. These are the people that have emergency first aid supplies and radios for use during an emergency. Typically, the number of districts without these volunteers has been three or less, but now this number is increasing. This means, in the event of a major disaster, where power is off for an extended period, these districts will lack the f low of vital information provided via radio traffic, the quick response of our MRTs, and the ability to coordinate with the rest of Sun Lakes in a timely manner. To help the EPAP Team support these vacancies (until we recruit volunteers), we are asking our residents to consider a Neighbor Helping Neighbor program. Neighbor Helping Neighbor is an emergency preparedness plan where residents of a community actively work together to support one another before, during, and after a disaster. The most important aspect of this plan is checking on each other's well- being. Just by saying, "Hi, how are you doing?" and "Do you need anything?" is a great start. Hopefully, we all do this already. But the most positive aspect of Neighbor Helping Neighbor is once we meet and get to know our neighbors, we will be able to recognize which neighbors might require extra support. Do they live alone? Does anyone in the home have a disability or require the use of medical equipment? Do they have pets? Do they travel or live somewhere else part time? These are all important things to know about your neighbor. By checking on each other and coordinating assistance, based on individual needs and capabilities, we can be an essential part in creating a network of mutual trust and aid within the neighborhood. By meeting and making a connection with their neighbor on either side and across the street, we can accomplish overlapping of awareness. Regularly checking on your neighbors can ensure their safety and well-being, especially after a disaster. And by utilizing our already established and trained EPAP volunteers, we can continue to organize our training, drills, and manage each zone in the event of an actual emergency or disaster. Using the current system to share information about potential threats, emergency plans, and updates during a disaster would be strengthened. Benefits of a Neighbor Helping Neighbor: • By participating in community emergency response training (EPAP drills, CERT, LISTOS, first aid) everyone can gain basic skills in first aid, search and rescue, and disaster response. • Increased community resilience: By working together, neighborhoods can better cope with the impacts of a disaster. • Faster response time: Neighbors can provide immediate assistance until emergency services arrive. EPAP 101 — Need to Know: Join us and our guest speakers the second Thursday of each month from 2 to 4 pm in the Main Clubhouse Multipurpose Room for a Need to Know discussion on pertinent topics that will vary from month to month, but will keep us informed and prepared for any emergency disaster that may occur. For information and monthly topics, visit our Sun Lakes EPAP Facebook Group or call (951) 524-3126. Everyone is welcome — please join us! Volunteers Needed: EPAP will always need volunteers and welcomes anyone who would like to find out more about it. For more information, please contact Janis Rice at (909) 851-2144 or email epap@sunlakescc.com.

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