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14 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | JULY 2014 | COMMUNITY NEWS COMMUNITY NEWS | FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | JULY 2014 15 The First Aid Team Emergency Preparedness Program (EPP) The Power Team is one of the 10 teams of volunteer residents formed by the EPC to provide assistance in the event of an emergency. Our mission is to ensure that there will be emergency power and lighting available in the command, communication and first aid centers in the event of an emergency. Additionally, help our residents be better prepared to cope during a power outage, by increasing their awareness of what preparations they can make in advance of a disaster. As you can surmise, the Power Team plays a crucial role in our well being in the event of an emergency. Without power, the radio communications would be silent; the command center would not be able to command or receive status; and the first aid/triage area would be in the dark. We currently have four members: Rudy Garcia (team leader), Alfred Blair, Carl Buschmann and Colin Taylor. If you have some electrical knowledge and would like to contribute, we'd love to have you. Tips on What to Do When the Power Goes Out: How do you keep food safe in the refrigerator and freezer? How do you know if they are safe to eat or if they'll make you ill? The following information will help you decide what to do. Be Prepared • Find out where you can buy block ice and or dry ice. • Keep canned goods and shelf stable foods on hand. • Make an emergency plan with friends in a nearby, unaffected area. Refrigerated Food: When the power goes out, check the time. It is important to know how long your power has been out. Food in the refrigerator will stay safe for a few hours. Opening the refrigerator door lets cold air out and warm air in, so do not open and close the refrigerator door unnecessarily. Even if the food looks and smells fine, it may not be safe to eat. Bacterium that cause food poisoning do not make food look any different. It will not smell bad or look funny. If the food has been warm, above 40 degrees Fahrenheit, for more than two hours throw it away. Do not taste the food to see if it is still good. If there is space in the freezer, transfer as much food as possible to the freezer. Use block ice in the refrigerator. Place the ice on a tray or pan in the refrigerator. The ice will help to keep the refrigerator cool for about a day. Frozen Food: Food in the refrigerator/freezer will stay frozen for about a day. Food in a freestanding freezer will stay frozen longer. A full freezer will keep food frozen for about two days. Keep the freezer door closed to prevent warm air from entering the space. If your freezer is not full, rearrange it. Prior to a power outage, group all the frozen packages together. Separate meat from fruits and vegetables. The packages will stay frozen longer if there is no air space between them. Use dry ice in the freezer. Be careful when handling dry ice. Use gloves; do not let it touch bare skin. It will cause skin damage. Do not inhale the fumes. A 25 pound block of dry ice will keep food frozen for days. Thawed fruits and vegetables can be refrozen. Raw meat that still has some ice crystals can be refrozen. Meat that is still cold can be refrozen too. It may suffer some quality loss, but it is safe to eat. Discard any cooked food that has come in contact with raw meat juices. Remember, when in doubt throw it out. ~ Rudy Garcia Our EPP meetings are informative and interactive. We meet the first Thursday of the month, at 10 am in the Lodge Ballroom. The next meeting is Thursday, July 3. The goal is to encourage each resident to be prepared in case of a disaster or an emergency. We have speakers, demonstrations, handouts, discussion, and cover a variety of topics related to Emergency Preparedness. Each month we highlight one of our response teams. This month it is First Aid (see accompanying article). Also, we encourage all to take the free CERT Training offered by the City of Beaumont. CERT includes topics like Disaster Basics, Disaster Medical Operations, Fire Suppression Techniques, and Search Rescue activities plus others. We will announce the next training dates. Come join us and be EPP prepared. ~ Anita Worthen Neighborhood Watch Thanks to all Block Captains and Four Seasons residents who attended our June 12 meeting. It was very informative. We would like to thank our speakers for the evening for providing us with valuable information. Mr. Garrett Warman spoke about e-mail scams and George Diggs gave us information on monitoring sex offenders. EPP First Aid Team Leader, Jan Thorsky, made an announcement about First Aid training and Dick VanBree spoke about communication with FRS mobile radios. Please mark your calendars for Tues., Aug. 5, when Neighborhood Watch will host the National Night Out Event in the Ballroom. This special event is informative and fun! Come and meet your neighbors and friends and enjoy some good food. We will start out with a potluck at 5:30 pm, followed by speakers from our local agencies. Sign-up sheets will be in the Lodge starting in July so that we can plan on the number of people attending. Please let us know if you are coming and what you will bring. You may reserve a table for your block by contacting Susan Wilson. Remember, if you see something that is out of place, please say something. Call 911 if it is an emergency, or contact the Beaumont Police at (951) 769-9800 for non-emergencies. If you notice a maintenance issue in the community, contact Euclid Management at the Lodge at (951) 769-6358. ~ Cindy Schwinn Committee member Judi Topp has resigned from the Committee. She was a valuable member of the Committee and will be missed. Kitchen repairs and modifications are progressing on schedule. A notice to new homeowners and a reminder to older homeowners: Smitty makes free home deliveries of food ordered from the Bistro… just call (951) 769-0717. The next meeting is July 22, at 11 am, in the Lodge Conference Room. All homeowners are invited to attend. ~ William Taylor Bistro Committee

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