7/03/08

Disaster readiness the focus of Arlington block walk

by Beckye Randall

Donning yellow vests and armed with clipboards, members of the Downtown Arlington Business Association (DABA) visited fellow business owners in the downtown core on June 23 for a Disaster Block Walk in conjunction with the city’s Department of Emergency Management.

Chris Badger, the city’s Emergency Manager, helped DABA volunteers prepare for the walk, clarifying the information to be collected and recorded, and providing handouts for business owners.

“The block walk is a joint venture between the Arlington Fire Department and DABA,” said Badger. “We’re asking businesses to be prepared to help care for themselves and those in their vicinity in the event of a disaster like an earthquake or volcano.”

DABA president Jeanne Watanabe noted that Arlington sits in the shadow of Glacier Peak, one of the most active and explosive of Washington's volcanoes, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

“This is our first disaster preparedness block walk,” said Watanabe. “It’s important to tackle this community safety issue.”

Following the briefing, volunteers fanned out in groups of two. Using block-specific schematics, DABA members located gas and water shutoff valves, electrical panels and noted any visible exterior hazards on downtown buildings. They spoke with business owners about emergency exits, fire extinguishers and other safety concerns.

Business managers and owners were provided with disaster preparedness and contact information, along with bright yellow signs imprinted with the words “OK” or “HELP.”

“In case of a disaster, we’re asking businesses to place the appropriate sign in their front window so emergency responders can quickly identify those in need of help,” Watanabe explained.

DABA instituted a Block Captain program to help facilitate communication among downtown businesses and the organization is still seeking additional volunteers for the coordination effort.

“Ideally, we’d like to have two captains per block,” said Watanabe. “That would help speed up the communication process and make sure we have a backup if one person is gone.”

Mayor Margaret Larson praised the joint effort, saying, “The more we get citizens, businesses and organizations involved in disaster preparedness, the faster our first response agencies can prioritize assignments, allowing us to do the most good for the most people. Having the business association promote preparedness in the downtown corridor is an added bonus to our becoming a disaster-resilient city.”

Caption: Rich Senff of Action Sports in downtown Arlington talks with DABA president Jeanne Watanabe about disaster preparedness during the recent Disaster Block Walk.