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17 | Four Seasons Hemet Herald | April 2016 | You don't have to be one to prepare yourself and your loved ones for a major disaster — but it is a good idea to at least explore information of how to improve your level of preparedness. Remember, the worst time to do so is in the midst of a major event. Here is a good starting point Internet site: http://americanpreppersnetwork.com/ We realize that there are many new residents, and many who have been here for years may not read the Herald regularly, so we want to explain some details about what organizations and activities we have here at Four Seasons related to Emergency Preparedness. Crime prevention and home security is encouraged through our Neighborhood Watch program. Because of the possible legal liabilities, our HOA is not sponsoring or affiliated with Neighborhood Watch. Actually, Neighborhood Watch is a nationally recognized program and is a totally volunteer program which anyone (hopefully everyone!) can join. Lorna Castle has agreed to be the coordinator for all interested in participating in this important program here at Four Seasons. She has information packets ready for you. If you would like to know more about this program, please contact Lorna at (951) 599-4523. We have the Street Captains organization which has been around in various incarnations since the first resident's occupation. Membership is voluntary and anyone can join — and we encourage having at least several for each block or street. Their primary function is to become aware of the make-up of their respective street and any special needs of their neighbors. In addition to that, they help inform their neighbors of ways to promote personal safety and household emergency preparedness. All Four Seasons residents are welcome at our meetings, held on the fourth Monday each month (except Dec.) at 6:30 pm in the Ballroom. Meetings are short and focus on information and skill training related to responding to emergencies. Look for our event reminder sign posted on the street in front of the Lodge entrance. Many of our Street Captains choose to advance their knowledge and preparedness through training based upon Community Emergency Response Training (CERT), offered by the Riverside County and Hemet Fire Departments. This training includes some light search and rescue techniques, basic fire suppression, simple triage first aid, radio communications, and incident command procedures. While encouraged, this advanced training is not a requirement for participation in Street Captains. Our Emergency Preparedness Committee is a standing committee sponsored by the board of directors. As such, members apply for a position on this committee and are approved by the Board. It meets at 5 pm on the fourth Monday of the month in the Lodge. Visitors are invited to attend. Our charter calls for us to make plans and develop resources to aid our community with responding to emergencies that are more involved than a single house or two, or may occur when events make support by First Responders unavailable. If you have any questions or suggestions concerning our efforts, please contact Bob Hagen at (951) 219-0442 or his email: spadpilot@ gmail.com. Emergency Preparedness Committee