Mark Stoller moved to Falcon in 2007.†He and his wife, Andra, both U.S. Air Force veterans, enjoy life with their daughters, extended family and adopted rescue dogs in Latigo. Mark savors the privilege of his wife and daughters being his muse for topics, people to meet and places to investigate.
The phone is ringing. You pick it up and look at the caller ID, which displays ìReverse 911.îWhen you answer, you hear the automated message stating,ìDue to wildfire in the local area, you have 30 minutes to evacuate your home.îStaring back at your phone in disbelief and a little dumbstruck, you start looking around your home.What is important to take? What should I leave behind? Will my home still be here when weíre allowed to return?We all know this scenario is not farfetched having lived through the Waldo Canyon and Black Forest fires. Already this spring, there have been wildfires on Jones/Curtis Road, Falcon Highway and along Highway 24/Judge Orr Road.History repeats itself, and thankfully we can learn from it, too. The El Paso County Sheriffís Office has a website dedicated to the READY. SET. GO plan of preparing your home and family for the eventuality of bugging out due to disaster. Here you will find numerous documents and guidelines to download and implement. https://www.epcsheriffsoffice.com/services/ready-set-goYour first and most important download is the 12-page RSG! Action Guide. It has essential checklists for fire mitigation and ones to take the guesswork out of a stressful situation and ensure you have what you need.Quick recap:READY: (pre-evacuation) 1) Decide where you will go ó learn the location of Red Cross or other shelters and the safest evacuation route to get there. Pack supplies you will need for at least two weeks. 2) Pack important records or special belongings. Buy a firesafe box that will contain all the important papers to identify your family and life. 3) Develop a communications plan for the family if the kids go to school/daycare and the parents are at work ó who will do child retrieval? Who will secure the papers/possessions from the house? Where will you meet up? What time will you check in with each other ó via text since the cell towers will be jammed with calls. 4) Ensure you have called 2-1-1 to add your name to the Emergency Evacuation Registry. 5) Account for your animalís welfare. 6) Account for special needs, special medical equipment and medications.SET: (danger close ó evacuation order pending) 1) Load your supplies, records and special belongings into your vehicle pointed nose first out of the driveway. 2) Leave room in your vehicle for pets. 3) Move large animals to a safe location. 4) Stay connected to official information sources such as TV, radio or internet. 5) If extra time is needed to evacuate persons with access, functional or medical needs ó go now.GO: (evacuate) 1) Determine the path of the fire verses your original plan of evacuation. 2) Text a family member, not in this area, to let them know youíre evacuating and the direction youíre traveling. 3) Double check your packed belongings, important papers, heirlooms and animals ó thereís no turning back once you leave. 4) Proceed with caution, patience and safety.When it comes to planning, I have learned Special Operations follow the Primary ó Alternate ó Contingency ó Emergency (PACE) framework.Primary: This is your most effective path for achieving the end goal.Alternate: Not first choice, but effective in setting the conditions to achieve the primary path.Contingency: Not as convenient or efficient, but still gets you moving in the right direction.Emergency: All bets are off and extreme measures are needed ó fail-proof and always effective.As they say, ìThe best plan will not survive first contact with the enemy.î Youíll need to come up with alternate, contingency and emergency variations to your primary.Emergency situations are never the time to try to come up with creative alternatives.
