Because of climate change and human expansion into wilderness, fire season is now an annual event. That means that at least once a year, you need to take measures to keep your home safe, be prepared to evacuate (read more here), and protect your family’s air quality.

The National Weather Service is predicting high, unsafe temperatures in our region with moderate risk of heat-related impacts for later in the week and major risk for Saturday.

Puget Sound Energy’s Wildfire Mitigation and Response Program is designed to help our region stay safe during wildfire events. During wildfire season, which can run from now into October, certain conditions—such as high winds, extra dry vegetation, and low humidity—can increase the risk of fire from power lines.

The task for July is to get fire safe. When talking about fire, we are referring to fire prevention, preparation, and swift and appropriate response.

It’s not too big of a stretch to think about winter in Juneuary, but in July . . . ? But now is exactly the right time to start thinking about your fall and winter crops.

Scores of curious Islanders visited the Disaster Hubs Demo at Rolling Bay Presbyterian Church on Saturday, June 15, despite the Juneuary 13-degrees-in-one-hour temperature drop and hail storm. Visitors were greeted by friendly Bainbridge Prepares volunteers who provided a map of the hub’s layout while seated before two white boards that, during a disaster, would be updated with the latest information from the City.

You’ve heard about the 14 disaster hubs located around the island—the centers where you will go for information and medical care after a large-scale disaster. But what will they be like? What specifically will they offer you?

The Northwest is a great place to grow food, especially if you know what to do about our region’s pests and diseases. Arm yourself to recognize and thwart them at the June 4 Veg Club session.

The task for June is to get 3 weeks ready. In the event of a large-scale emergency, Bainbridge Islanders are likely to be isolated for at least three weeks. The bridge might be down and the ferry might be out of service.

Our partner Cascadia Ready has created emergency pouches for on-the-go Bainbridge Islanders.

The annual Trillium Run, which happened May 11, takes runners from Battle Point Park, up the Forest to Sky Trail, through the Grand Forest, and finally to Hilltop Meadow. The event, hosted by the Bainbridge Island Parks & Trails Foundation, was supported in part by Bainbridge Prepares volunteers.

The task for May is to gather important documents. The idea is to make sure you have these documents ready if you need to evacuate. During a disaster is not the time to try to think through the paperwork you will need. Such considerations will require quick and easy access to documents that could be inaccessible after a disaster or destroyed by it.

Twenty volunteers from the Medical Reserve Corps of Bainbridge Prepares gathered at Bainbridge Fire Station 21 this past Saturday, April 27, to refresh their skills in managing and inserting intravenous lines (IVs). The four-hour training was a collaboration between Bainbridge Prepares and the University of Washington Medical Center’s (UWMC) Community Partnership Council.

You can enhance your home and boat safety with a fire extinguisher upgrade May 11 at the Winslow Wharf Marina. The fire extinguisher and boat safety event—co-sponsored by BP, Eagle Harbor Yacht Club, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, and Peninsula Fire—is intended to help people keep their homes and vessels fire safe and Coast Guard–regulation compliant.

A healthy soil ecosystem can be the difference between an ok garden and a thriving one. In the Veg Club May 7 session learn why and how to support soil life easily to make your garden happier and more resilient. 

The Bainbridge Prepares Interpretation Team are those folks who show up during emergencies at Disaster BHubs and other key sites—such as at our numerous COVID vaccination and testing clinics—to provide language interpretation for people who don’t speak English. On May 24, they’re celebrating their skills and the community with a Spanish Dance Party at Sister’s Cider House.

At Bainbridge Prepares, we’ve got so much to appreciate this week, which is National Volunteer Week and, in the State of Washington, Volunteer Appreciation Week. That’s because more than 750 of you selflessly give of your time, energy, and creativity to help your community through the emergency preparedness and response efforts of Bainbridge Prepares.

On January 23, Futurist Bob Johansen (iftf.org) and community organizer Scott James (preparedneighborhoods.com) discussed “Being Future Ready in the Noisy Now” for an audience at Eagle Harbor Books. This 55-minute interactive conversation is now available for viewing on video.

FEMA Region 8 (Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Utah) in partnership with iThrive Games Foundation has just released Disaster Mind, an online educational game for teens designed to improve disaster decision-making skills.

The International Association of Emergency Managers is offering scholarships to full-time undergrad and full- and part-time graduate students pursuing degrees in emergency management, disaster management, or closely related fields.