Severe Weather Season is Here! Preparation is Our Best Defense! Severe weather season can bring frightening storms, incredible damage and change lives in the blink of an eye. The best way to meet violent Texas weather is to be prepared.

KnoWhat2Do has a number of steps you can take to help each member of the family know what to do when storms are coming.Knowing your hazards is just one component of preparedness- the next step is to ACT! Make sure each member of the family knows how to use the following resources:

Emergency Notification System through WarnCentralTexas
The Capital Area Council of Governments uses a regional notification system (RNS), WarnCentralTexas.org, as a crucial public-safety tool. The Web-based tool is available to users throughout the CAPCOG region to alert the public to emergency and non-emergency situations. It’s an effective tool for notifying a relatively large number of people in a short period of time. Messages may include content such as incident-specific information, recommended protective actions or response directives. They can be delivered to various devices that accept voice, email or SMS text content and to alpha or numeric pagers. The message sender identifies recipients, develops the message and determines which types of devices receive the message. Regional partners that use RNS can send voice messages to landline phones using CAPCOG’s 9-1-1 database. However, residents and visitors to the CAPCOG region must register their cellphone numbers and email addresses to receive notifications on mobile devices or computers.

NOAA All Hazards Weather Radio (NWR)

Listen for emergency information.

The NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards, or NWR, is a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting forecasts, warnings, and emergency information 24 hours a day. It is a comprehensive weather and emergency information service available to the public. All-hazards messages include weather events, technological incidents like chemical spills, AMBER alerts, and national emergencies. NWR also broadcasts EAS notices.

The FEMA Emergency Alert System (EAS) Tune into your radio for instructions.

The Emergency Alert System (EAS) is used by alerting authorities to send warnings via broadcast, cable, satellite and wireline communications pathways. EAS participants, which consist of broadcast, cable, satellite and wireless providers, are the stewards of this important public service in close partnership with alerting officials at all levels of government. The EAS is also used when all other means of alerting the public are unavailable, providing an added layer of resiliency to the suite of available emergency communication tools. FEMA constantly works to improve the EAS is to better ensure seamless integration of CAP-based and emerging technologies.

Outdoor Warning System
Pay attention to sirens. Sirens may be used for all-hazard notification. When sirens are sounded, go indoors and tune in to local news and radio programs to understand the nature of the emergency.

TV Broadcasts Watch for emergency interruptions and tune into news stations.

If you live in a trailer or other housing susceptible to tornadoes or high winds, consider your evacuation plan.

Creating an Evacuation Plan:

• Plan places to meet within and outside of your immediate neighborhood.
• Keep a half tank of gas in your car at all times in case you need to evacuate.
• Familiarize yourself with alternate routes out of your area.
• If you don’t have a car, plan other means of transportation.
  

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A tornado is one of nature’s most powerful and destructive forces.

• Prepare for a tornado by gathering emergency supplies including food, water, medications, batteries, flashlights, important documents, road maps, and a full tank of gasoline.
• When a tornado approaches, anyone in its path should take shelter indoors—preferably in a basement or an interior first-floor room or hallway.
• Avoid windows and seek additional protection by getting underneath large, solid pieces of furniture.
• Avoid automobiles and mobile homes, which provide almost no protection from tornadoes.
• Those caught outside should lie flat in a depression or on other low ground and wait for the storm to pass.

Do’s and Don’ts When Faced with Fire Emergencies

Calling 9-1-1 : What to Expect

Georgetown  has an enhanced 9-1-1 system. This means that the 9-1-1 operator (referred to as the “dispatcher”) can identify through the system’s computer, the phone number and address of the calling party. This assists in timely dispatching of police or fire units to the emergency scene.

•   The caller should tell the dispatcher which type of emergency they are reporting (police, fire, or medical) or give a description of the problem, allowing the dispatcher to decide how to route the call.

• Whenever a person calls 9-1-1, their message needs to be clear. The dispatcher will ask you a series of questions and verify the address. They also need to stay on the phone until the person in the 9-1-1 center has released them from the conversation.

• The dispatcher will begin to dispatch emergency units immediately and the closest available fire engine or ladder truck will respond to the call.

• All Georgetown firefighters receive medical training and are certified Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) or Paramedics.

• Try to stay calm. State what kind of emergency it is — fire, car accident, trauma, etc. Then tell the dispatcher where the incident is.

• Stay on the phone. The dispatcher may ask more questions or want you to stay on the line. Emergency units already have been dispatched even while you are talking with the dispatcher.

Children should be taught their home address and telephone number as soon as possible. The address and phone number of the caller’s location may only be displayed to the 9-1-1 dispatcher if calling from a landline.  In the day and age of  where mobile phones become the norm, this can make locations hard to verify.

Location

When the fire department responds to a given location, it may be delayed in arriving if the address is not clearly seen from the street.

Although it’s fairly easy to spot a column of smoke from a house fire, it’s difficult to see someone’s heart attack from the street. In a medical emergency, firefighters may waste critical time having to knock on several doors to try and find a correct address. Make sure your address is clearly visible from the street with numbers at least three or four inches in height and reflective.

This problem is compounded in large condominium and apartment complexes. Arriving at a correct address, the engine company finds a huge residential facility with many buildings in the complex. Make sure large identification lettering or numbering is mounted on the side of the building. This is as important as the street address. It would be even better if someone could be standing near the street to direct the fire units to the appropriate apartment.

When an emergency vehicle is heard and/or seen, drivers should carefully pull their vehicle to the right of the road and stop. If they are at an intersection, or stopped in traffic when they see lights or hear a siren, drivers should remain stopped and wait until the emergency vehicles have passed. Do not make quick or erratic maneuvers. The law is very specific; drivers must yield the right-of-way to an emergency vehicle. Drivers also should stay 500 feet behind emergency vehicles.

A crash involving an emergency vehicle delays help to those who need it. Firefighters are careful to avoid vehicle collisions by driving slowly when traveling against traffic, or coming to a complete stop at intersections. The cooperation of all vehicles on the roadway is required.

A mission of Fire Prevention is to provide fire investigation and law enforcement services to the citizens of Georgetown through complete and thorough investigations, evidence collection and professional expert testimony in court proceedings.

Fire Prevention is responsible for investigating suspicious fires and explosions throughout the city. Nationally, arson (and suspected arson) is the primary cause of property damage due to fire in the United States and the second leading cause of building fire deaths. To combat this serious problem, certified investigators respond to assist the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Arson investigators are sworn peace officers authorized to interview witnesses, collect evidence, make arrest and appear in court.

If you have information or questions concerning fire crimes, contact the Fire Marshal’s Office at 512 930-8416 or jason.fryer@georgetown.org.

The State of Texas Arson Hotline can be reached at 1-877-434-7345. If your information leads to the arrest of the person(s) responsible for an intentionally set fire, you may receive a reward of up to $1000.00.