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6 | SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | FEBRUARY 2026 | Being prepared will save your life! By Janis Rice, EPAP PIO Happy New Year from your EPAP! I have now been with EPAP for two years. I know what we do now, but how did this all start? I did some research and found out that Sun Lakes Emergency Preparedness Action Plan has a long history. Let's start with a man named Bob Ewert. Bob and his wife, Joanne, moved to Sun Lakes Country Club (SLCC) in November of 1989. Bob was a retired LA City Fire Division Chief. He was passionate about the safety of his community and the value of using radios during an emergency. He served on the SLCC Master Board, the Safety Committee, and reconstructed the PASS Communication Program. In 1995, he then worked with Dan English and Chris Stockert to establish what we now know as EPAP. Bob wrote a book on Emergency Preparedness, which is still used today. Bob passed away on July 19, 2017, but his legacy is still alive today with the current EPAP Program. Another "founder" of EPAP is Richard "Dick" Heitman. Dick and his wife Dutchess, moved to Sun Lakes in 1990. For over 70 years, Dick had been involved with radio. While he was in the Air Force, he learned to use many types of radio. In 1974, he retired from the Air Force and became involved in the Civil Air Patrol. He was a search and rescue pilot and, again, used radios. In 1999, Dick started working with Bob Ewert, who also had a lot of radio experience. Dick and Bob worked together in setting up the PASS and Sun Lakes Incident Command Center. Soon, Dick took the lead as the SLCC EPAP Communication's Unit. In March of 2024, Dick stepped down as the Comms Unit Director, but not from working with EPAP. He remains an important part of the team today. Richard "Dick" Spaulding joined the EPAP Team in 2004. But for many years prior to this, Dick was very involved in HAM Radio Operation. He received his HAM License in 1960 while at Occidental College. In 2004, he moved to SLCC, joined the SPARC (San Gorgonio Amateur Radio Club), where he met SLCC resident and EPAP volunteer Mike Karpman, who introduced him to Bob Ewert. Dick has been a vital bridge between the EPAP founders and the current EPAP team. Dick is currently working on building a new radio system for the entire SLCC management operations teams. Today, our EPAP team is privileged to be part of such an amazing organization. We have been taught by the best. We thank our founders for establishing a reliable plan for EPAP volunteers to help our residents survive a major disaster. We are proud to present a Memorial Brick to Bob Ewert, Richard Heitman, and Richard "Dick" Spaulding. REMEMBER… BEING PREPARED WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE. EPAP ANIMAL RESCUE GROUP We meet at 10 am in the Multipurpose Room on the third Monday of the following five months each year: September, November, January, March, and May. We strive to bring interesting and informative guest speakers to our meetings to help you keep your animals safe and healthy. For more information or to volunteer, contact Sandy Burgon at (909) 855-0226. IMPORTANT REMINDER TO HOMEOWNERS: Monthly Assessment Rates Increase Beginning January, 2026 Sun Lakes Country Club Homeowners Association: $410 Lakeside Community Association: $244 Lakeside II Community Association: $220 Fairway Villas Community Association: $202 If you utilize Bill Pay through your bank, please be sure to update the amount of your assessment. If you utilize ClickPay, please be sure to increase your payment to the new assessment amount, if you are not set up for it to increase automatically.

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