Prepare Petaluma held a preparation forum in October. The highlights are:
Have an emergency plan that includes communications (a contact outside the area). In an event what will you do? Where will you meet?
Get a to-go kit ready (if you commute, have one at work or in your car). Strap down large furniture (bookcases and TVs). Keep shoes or hard-soled slippers under your bed.
Rex and OSH both have emergency preparations available.
Connect with your neighbors, even if you don’t talk with them now. Just establish a connection. Say hello. Give them your name. If they are vulnerable (disabled, elderly) trade phone numbers. Make a mental note that they may need to be checked on after a large event or during a heat wave. If you’ve done that, you’ve started a NERT (neighborhood emergency response team). Let us know so we can help your neighbors connect with you via this website. There are many NERTs already active in Petaluma!
That’s it. You’re ready. And you’ve made Petaluma a better place to live because being close-knit means we have a safety net rather than chaos and panic. We’re on our own when it happens. We have about 11 firefighters (+ 4 ambulance) on duty at any one time (for 55,000 people), and they will need to address critical concerns. So we can either be a liability or an asset to our community.
Best, Tiffany Renée
What's your RQ?
What's Your Readiness Quotient?
In recent years, the American people have been urged to “get ready” and to prepare for emergencies – from natural disasters to terrorist attacks. But no one has ever given the public a simple, comprehensive and consistent tool to actually measure how prepared they are. No one has ever provided individuals, communities, and the nation as a whole with a practical “gauge” to assess their preparedness, recognize their successes and identify gaps where more work needs to be done.
Until now.
The Readiness Quotient – or RQ – is a first of its kind tool for individuals, families and communities to determine and evaluate their readiness.
See how you stack up against the national average and learn specific steps you can take to better prepare yourself and your family, as well as things you can do to encourage your community, schools and workplace to be better prepared.
Your first important step is to learn your RQ score. This simple test takes less than one minute to complete.
Prepare Petaluma is a coalition of volunteers and organizations working with the City of Petaluma’s Emergency Operation Center (EOC) to help the City Emergency Operations Center have access to the broad range of resources, volunteers and networks of support that exist here in our community in the event of an emergency or natural disaster. As part of that project we are gathering resource information from the nonprofit, business, faith and neighborhood sectors of the community. The resource information gathered will be kept in a data base for the city of Petaluma Emergency Operations Center.
Attached is a resource information questionnaire designed to help the EOC know “who has what” regarding facilities, equipment, transportation and information support as well as volunteer teams and volunteer capacity. The information gathered will be forwarded to the City of Petaluma EOC team leaders (Pamela Robbins in the Department of Human Resources and Mike Ahlin in the Fire Department). The information you give us will not be shared with the public at large.
If you think there are other organizations or groups that could add to this resource information, please feel free to forward this resource questionnaire to them. If you have a complete emergency plan and would prefer to share the whole plan with the Prepare Petaluma Team rather than complete the resource information that follows, that is an EXCELLENT alternative.
If you have any questions or concerns about this questionnaire or project, please contact Pat Landrum at The Healthy Community Consortium by e-mail at
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
or by phone 778-4951. Thank you!
This PDF has quite a comprehensive amount of information and even some forms to fill out for your Grab-n-Go kit. Click to Download this PDF.
Cell/Digital Phone Emergency Number
In Petaluma, from a traditional landline, dial 9-1-1 (Emergencies Only) or with cell phones and digital phone service (VOIP) dial 707 -762 -2727. Contact your phone carrier for details on whether your phone plan has local or regional emergency access.
Remember, in major event normal communications may be delayed. Have an emergency plan that includes communications. Have someone outside the area (at least 100 miles away) that can be the emergency check in point for your family. As with the 2007 San Jose earthquake, phones were down for a short period of time. It will be easier to call outside the event zone shortly after an emergency. Program your family members' cell phones with your emergency check in contact and practice calling that contact as a family.
Another way to be cared for in an emergency is to program a phone number in your contact list called "I.C.E." (In Case of Emergency). Some first responders now check cell phone contact lists in situations where the victim is unable to respond. Having an I.C.E. number can help them locate family more efficiently.
“The greatest resource of any community is the collective wisdom, knowledge, and creativity of it citizens”
Step #1 – Contact Petaluma NERT for detailed information Bill Hammerman or (707) 762-6593
Step #2 – Attend a NERT Orientation Meeting
Step #3 – Hold a local Neighborhood Meeting to share NERT information
Step #4 – Participate in Petaluma NERT & ALERT Leadership Meetings NERT = Neighborhood Emergency Response Team ALERT = Alliance of Local Emergency Response Teams
Step #5 – Strive to become a STAR neighborhood , one that is … Safe – Trained – Alert – Ready
Communicate & Share Through Greater Use of Information & Communication Technology
Petaluma Weather Event Hotline & Webpage
City of Petaluma:
The Fire Department updates the Event Hotline as needed. Call the number below for further updates that may happen in significant weather conditions.
This form is a great tool for gathering your neighborhood's resources and getting to know the special needs of those around you. In an emergency this information will be vital to assisting others and locating resources quickly and effeciently.
Mission – To promote public events and training opportunities for local neighborhoods to learn how to organize volunteers into a Neighborhood Emergency Response Team or NERT, capable of helping neighbors cope with survival needs following a disaster.
Goal - To develop an emergency preparedness model that will enable neighborhoods to mobilize local resources in order to be prepared in the event of a disaster; such as an earthquake, flood, or wildfire.
Objective – To create STAR Neighborhoods that are safe, trained, alert and ready to assist family and neighbors during a disaster and prepared to make decisions that result in the most good for the greatest number of people.
To Join — Please use the NERT Forums link to connect with a local neighborhood project.
