The Greenmeadow Emergency Preparedness Committee is a group of your neighbors who have volunteered to help our neighborhood be better prepared for disasters by encouraging individual households to prepare and by assisting them with information on how to do it. Another focus of the committee is to take an active role in emergency response. Most committee members are active in the city’s Emergency Services Volunteers Program. In the case of a large-scale emergency (like a major earthquake), this group of trained volunteers work as a team to assess the immediate needs of the neighborhood, respond directly when appropriate and communicate critical needs to the city’s Office of Emergency Services.

Chris Eberspacher (NPC)

Rosa Huang (NPC)

Mary Ann Deierlein (CERT)

Sonya Bradski (BPC)

Rania Bratburg (BPC)

Susan Dougherty (BPC)

Penny Ellson (BPC)

Rich Ellson (BPC)

Ellysa Ellson (BPC)

Michael Fredericson (BPC)

Nancy Karp (BPC)

VJ Mohan (BPC)

Peyma Oskoui (BPC)

Karen Schreiber (BPC)

Dixie Story (BPC)

Glenn Story (BPC)

The mission of the Palo Alto Emergency Services Volunteers (ESV) is to: 1) provide supplemental resources to the professional first responders of the City and surrounding communities and 2) facilitate means for neighbors to help neighbors (including business and other entities).

According to the Palo Alto Municipal Code (PAMC) Sec. 2.12.070, ESVs are a part of the City's Emergency Organization: "All officers and employees of this city, together with those volunteer forces enrolled to aid them during an emergency, and all groups, organizations, and persons who may by agreement or operation of law ... be charged with duties incident to the protection of life and property in the city during such emergency, shall constitute the emergency organization of the city of Palo Alto."

The Palo Alto Office of Emergency Services (OES) is the sponsor of the ESV program. Because OES serves all City departments (including Public Safety (Police & Fire), Public Works, Community Services, etc.), ESVs may be deployed, at the discretion of OES, to function in various capacities to suit their requirements or the needs of our mutual aid partners, including Stanford University, Los Altos, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, NASA Ames Moffett Field, etc

The Palo Alto Neighborhoods (PAN) have partnered with the City of Palo Alto to form the Block Preparedness Coordinator (BPC) Program to ensure that residents, businesses, and other groups can participate with the City in disaster preparation, response, and recovery. The BPC Program trains volunteers to staff BPC positions for each block. Neighborhood Preparedness Coordinators (NPC) are identified as leaders for each neighborhood and receive additional training in how to operate their neighborhood incident command center.

When the “Big One” strikes and phones, electricity, and other infrastructure are impaired, the BPC Program enhances community resilience by 1) scanning their block for critical incidents and needs, 2) establishing emergency radio communications links with, and 3) empowering residents to assist emergency response by serving as “eyes and ears.”

The goal is for each neighborhood to have at least one Neighborhood Preparedness Coordinator and, as much as practical, BPCs for each block, as well as alternates or co-BPCs. A “block” may be 10-50 residences, a building complex, a business or other logical unit.

The role of the BPC includes:

a Educate: Go to each residence to introduce yourself and explain purpose and role of Block Preparedness Coordinator. Encourage everyone to prepare (supplies, plans, training). Recommend registration for the Santa Clara County Alert System (AlertSCC) and to listen to KZSU 90.1 FM & KCBS 740 AM / 106.9 FM in an emergency. Remind neighbors they could be on their own for a week (in an earthquake) or even longer (in a pandemic flu or terror attack).

b Build Social Bonds: Organize an informal Block Party or similar social events.

c Organize: Collect and maintain current information from each residence, including names of residents, age of children, pets, phone numbers, e-mail address, special skills, and nature of any special situations or needs. (Note: Before visiting our neighbors we send a letter telling them that we will request this information but that giving it is voluntary and confidential, used only in case of an emergency).

a Set up a phone tree and an e-mail distribution list so you can quickly disseminate information and alerts from the Neighborhood or City.

b When the phones go out, radios and runners will be used to establish communications to link BPCs to NPCs to City government.

a Assess the condition of your Block and, using radio or runners, provide reports.

b Upon the arrival of first responders, apprise them of the details and critical aspects of the current situation, including residents with special needs.

The BPC Program trains volunteers to staff BPC positions for each block and Neighborhood Preparedness Coordinators (NPC) for each neighborhood (including businesses/districts or other groups).

Using training learned in the classroom and during exercises, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help.