Fire District 13, Tribal Police to hold quake drills

Author Richard Haines, a frequent visitor to La Conner, has written about the impact a major earthquake would have here.

In his book, “Sudden Loss: Earthquake Realities,” Haines depicts the terrifying local consequences a big quake and subsequent tidal waves could inflict, including destruction of nearby historic Deception Pass Bridge.

The Haines account is a novel, a work of fiction.

Or is it?

Readers say that beyond character development and a lively story line, Sudden Loss: Earthquake Realities illustrates the importance of being prepared beforehand for the real deal.

Fire District 13 and Swinomish Tribal Police are on the same page.

They will team up Oct. 18 to staff a unified command post at the fire district’s SneeOosh Road station as part of the 10th annual global Great ShakeOut earthquake and tsunami awareness event.

For four hours, starting at 10 a.m., fire and law enforcement personnel will drill on emergency responses to earthquakes and tidal waves – and much more.

“It’s also for other major events, like large wildfires,” says Fire District 13 Captain Ted Taylor.

The plan is to dispatch response teams into the field much as would be the case should an actual earthquake, tsunami, or natural disaster occur. Team members will employ strategies that utilize anticipated minimal resources to meet immediate and overwhelming needs.

“This,” Taylor said during September’s Fire District 13 business meeting, “is designed to be a real-world, boots on the ground exercise, not a table-top.”

Taylor says the prospect of a large earthquake in the North Puget Sound region is a matter of when rather than if.

His is a fairly universal view as well, and because of that millions of people worldwide – especially along the Pacific Rim – are encouraged to practice Drop, Cover and Hold techniques on Oct. 18.

Just last weekend a 5.9 magnitude quake hit off the northwest coast of the Caribbean island nation of Haiti, causing fatalities and property damage.

In terms of daily preparation, people are advised to have access in their homes to a fire extinguisher, adequate supplies of medications required by family members, crescent and pipe wrenches to turn off gas and water supplies, a first aid kit and handbook, flashlights with extra bulbs and batteries and a portable radio with extra batteries.

Following an actual quake of massive impact, people should not turn gas on again or use anything that could ignite leaking gas and cause an explosion or fire.

During a major earthquake, everyone will likely have a role to play, Taylor predicts.

“When, and not if, we have a big one,” he said, “we’ll be short on personnel. Auxiliary assets such as Hams (home radio operators) will be very valuable.”