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| Four Seasons Hemet Herald | December 2015 | 16 Open Letter to Residents This is an open letter to all residents of Four Seasons at Hemet, but it is particularly intended to reach out to a specific group of folks within our community. I know you are here, but to date, you have been unengaged in some very important volunteer endeavors. I am speaking directly to those of you who had careers as first responders or medical professionals. I know that there are a number of you with police, fire, medical, or even emergency management experience. Our community needs people like you to become involved in our preparedness efforts. I suspect many of you may rationalize that you've "been there, done that" and that you now want to enjoy retirement. As a retired police officer myself, I can empathize with you. And, I am confident that if a major incident should impact our community, you will most likely step forward and help. But I urge you to seriously consider becoming involved now. You know, first-hand, the importance of training, and you know what value your professional experience can lend to our efforts. You also know that after a major disaster, first responders who normally provide emergency services will not be able to meet the demand for these services. People will have to rely on each other for help in order to meet their immediate life sustaining needs. We can expect that neighbors will spontaneously try to help each other. So, if we can predict that emergency services will not meet immediate needs following a major disaster, and people will spontaneously volunteer, doesn't it make sense to do everything we can to prepare our residents for this eventuality? That is why we formed an Emergency Preparedness Committee which is tasked with guiding the efforts of our volunteers. A number of your friends and neighbors have already received training to elevate their level of preparedness by completing Community Emergency Response Team (C.E.R.T.) training. C.E.R.T. is about readiness, people helping people, rescuer safety and doing the greatest good for the greatest number. It is a positive and realistic approach to emergency and disaster situations where citizens are taught: • the facts about what to expect following a major disaster in terms of immediate services • about their responsibility for mitigation and preparedness • needed life saving skills with emphasis on decision making, rescuer safety and doing the greatest good for the greatest number • to organize in teams offering immediate help to victims until professional services arrive. This training concept makes good sense, and helps people understand their responsibilities in preparing for disasters. These folks are deeply committed to their objectives. However, most of them lack the real-world experience that you have in dealing with catastrophic events. That's how YOU can be most helpful. By tapping into your vast professional experience and training, you can help provide meaningful guidance and direction to these dedicated volunteers. So, I am appealing to you as a fellow emergency responder to engage. Don't let your knowledge go to waste. Please step up now. Make use of your professional experience and training to help your friends and neighbors prepare for emergencies so that we, as a community, can respond as efficiently and effectively as possible. To obtain more information about how you can help, contact me at (951) 325-8182. Sincerely, Russ Brown, Director; K. Hovnanian Four Seasons at Hemet Community Association Board of Directors

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