Deputy Myers

How to prepare for emergency situations

By Deanna Myers

We all have ups and downs in our lives. But, the beautiful thing about the New Year is you get a fresh new slate to build on what you have already achieved and revise things that may not have worked out. This idea can also be used when thinking about the safety of your family. Whether your family is big or small, there should be conversations about how to handle different situations.

Communicating with your loved ones regarding what to do in an emergency situation is a great practice to get into. The more practice and open conversation you have, the better prepared everyone will be when faced with an untimely event. For example, do the members of your family know what to do if they are involved in a car accident? Do they know what information needs to be exchanged? Do they know who their insurance provider is? Do they need a police report or not? These were questions that often were asked of me when responding to crashes. The answers are simple- you are required to “Exchange information” Okay, what does that mean? Talk with the driver of the other vehicle involved in the crash, exchange names, addresses, phone numbers, insurance information (including policy numbers), make/model/year of the vehicles involved, and when and where the crash took place. As for needing a police report – Did you know they are NOT required by your insurance providers? Also, if your vehicle can be moved out of the roadway into a safer place to talk with the other party involved, it is OK to do so? When you are involved in a minor traffic collision, your insurance company will investigate the collision and determine who is at fault. A report taken by law enforcement is literally a statement of the information provided by both drivers involved-nothing more.

Everyday incidents such as traffic collisions are not where the conversation should stop with your family. Pertinent emergency information is always good to review. Some of these things include, but are not limited to the following: phone numbers, not just listed in a cell phone but memorized, because sometimes a cell phone gets damaged and you don’t have access to the information in them; addresses of family or close friends; doctors names; medications being taken; escape routes from your home in an emergency; the true uses of 9-1-1; and the non-emergency number for law enforcement.  Knowing who to call when you need help is priceless.

Deanna Myers is the Volunteer and Programs Coordinator for the Jurupa Valley Station of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department that services the Eastvale Police Department.  She has been with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department for about eight years, and most recently was assigned to patrol within the City of Eastvale before moving into her current position, where she is in charge of the Neighborhood Watch program for the City of Eastvale.