Tag Archives: Los Angeles Police Department

From Cop to Writer – Different But the Same

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One of the things an applicant for the Los Angeles Police Department has to do in the hiring process is to be interviewed.  In my day, there were two police sergeants and a civilian on each interview board, and part of their duty was to determine if a person ‘had the right mindset’ to be an LAPD officer.
I know that one of the first questions I was asked was: Why do you want to be a police officer?  My reply, in part, was about wanting to help people. Not surprisingly, ‘helping people’ is a very common thread in applicant replies to the question, about why a person wants to become a cop.
With my new career of writing stories, if I’d been asked why I wanted to write, my reply would have been: I want to entertain people while giving them a glimpse into the world of the LAPD.
Little did I know that my writing career would achieve the same result as my police career.  Through my writing I’ve touched someone. I’ve helped someone.
I got this letter from a young woman and I was so impacted by her story and her words I asked her if I could share them with you.  She agreed.
The lesson to writers: If you think what you write can’t or doesn’t make a difference…think again.
This is the actual letter by the young woman I’ll call, Miss H…
Reading is by far not my specialty. I’m about three grade levels under my own on reading skills. Sure I can read your average every day children’s book but anything over 100 pages puts my heart in shock. In other words, I don’t read much.  
When I bought my Barnes & Noble Nook Color, I for sure thought, “I just wasted a perfectly good 240 bucks!” 
See this is where I was wrong. I ran across your book, A Dozen Deadly Roses, one day while sitting on my couch listening to the bickering and arguing of my dysfunctional family.  
At first I just skimmed over it then I took a second look. I decided to buy the book and open a page or two to see if it was worth reading. My journey through your book began slow, to slow. Then something caught my eye, Jade.  
Shockingly, we have much in common; a remarkable, strong willed mother, filling her duties as a cop in everyday life. It was everything I dreamt of being.  
I felt a strong connection with her and Donnie. My father is an alcoholic, I knew exactly what Jade was going through.  
Although Jade became a new idol in my world, I felt myself many times screaming at her, “why won’t you tell Mac that he’s the father, why?!” Then I realized it was for the better. It opened my eyes to that you shouldn’t always do the expected but rather do what’s best in that situation for you and others involved.
I also love the fact that you use to be an actual LAPD cop. When I read that about you, my heart skipped a beat. I felt like I had even more of a connection with your book because for once a fiction book wasn’t so fiction anymore. Your book had more life in it; it wasn’t “just a book” anymore. I loved that.  
My desire to be a cop has been a dream of mine for a long time. However, my mom and others like to crush that dream. Jade gave me a lot of courage in reading this book. She showed me that I need to be brave and stand up in what I dream and love. Jade also gave me the strength in my heart that seemed so broken from others. She made a light shine in me like no one has ever done before.  
Reading your book has changed my life.  
I was doubting my future before I read your book; here I had planned my whole high school diploma based on wanting to be a cop, and then it was just gone, like it wasn’t even worth any of the time I gave it. 
I felt lost, like a loser in a big ocean of popular people. 
Jade’s character made me open my eyes and realize that it’s my life and I can do anything I want to do if I believe I can.  
I thank you, Kathy Bennett, for not only changing my mind but showing me a new way of life. 
I will read your book again and enjoy every page turning chase it gives me. I assure you that you book was so worth every minute I put in it.
Kathy here – Needless to say I wrote back to Miss H and we’ve corresponded a few times. I found that when I wrote back to Miss H I’d put on my  ‘police officer’ hat and tried to offer advice, encouragement and compassion.  And you know what?  I was glad to wear that hat again.
Miss H feels I’ve changed her life with my book. Little does she know how much she’s changed mine.
Until next time, 
KMA367

Taking Off the Uniform – A Year Later

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I’m writing this article on February 22nd.  It’s a beautiful Southern California day with temperatures expected to hit the low eighties.  I can tell you that February 22, 2011, was also a beautiful day.  The sun was shining and there was a light breeze in the air.

Now you’re probably wondering if I’m a living almanac.  I’m not.  On this date last year, it was a Tuesday and my last day of working for the LAPD.  My co-workers threw me a fabulous BBQ.  My retirement wasn’t official until February 26th, but that BBQ was my last day at Devonshire Station.  Oh, I snuck back in and did my last Basic Car meeting on Wednesday, but I was in plain clothes and it was more of a party than a meeting.

If I had to describe my retirement in one word, I’d say: hectic.

One of the main reasons I retired was because my mother had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.  I spent most of March taking Mom to various doctors for various issues.  I’ve been driving over 70 miles three times a week to spend time with her.  

I also needed to catch up on my own periodic doctor appointments.  Some of those doctor visits were in relation to the back injury I’d suffered in an on-duty traffic collision. 

In addition, I began to get phone calls from friends who all wanted to have lunch, since I had ‘nothing but time on my hands.’ I didn’t want to burst their bubble about what retirement is all about, so I went.

I’d already made my decision to self-publish my debut novel and was working with a cover designer to get the cover ready. I also took an online class to learn how to make a book trailer (much like a movie trailer) for my book.  I also tried to learn how to format my manuscript for e-reading devices (Kindle, Nook, etc.)  I joined two other writing groups and started reading up on how to promote my book and myself.

June was a huge month for me.  I launched my book on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.  My second career had begun!  But it wasn’t just the book launch that made the month special.  I also had been approved for an epidural shot to help ease the pain in my back.  I had that procedure done in mid-June.

The month of July was a blur to me.  I spent as long hours at my computer self-promoting my book by requesting reviews from book reviewers and book bloggers.  I attended the Public Safety Writer’s Association yearly conference in Las Vegas as a speaker.  The only problem was, that I’d arrived a few days early and, by the time the conference rolled around I was seriously ill and had to go home.  What a way to make a good impression.  Thankfully, to my knowledge, no one else got sick. 

In August, my book ‘took off’ on the Barnes and Noble website and I was in their Top 100 of all their books being sold.  It wasn’t long and I hit the Top 100 at Amazon as well.  This was another month of heavy book promotion.  You have no idea how many book-related websites there are on the Internet!

However, August was also a sad month too.  Over the few months I’d been stopping in three times a week to care for Mom, I’d come to realize that Mom’s condition was way more advanced than either my sister or I realized.  We came to the conclusion Mom would have to go into an assisted living facility. 

The arrangements were made to get Mom moved and comfortable in her new place.  I spent the first two days with her to help her get oriented and continue to visit her three times a week. None-the-less, it was one of the hardest decisions my sister and I had ever made.

In September, I taught an online writing class.  It was also time for Mom’s scheduled visits to her doctors and I was still seeing a group of doctors regarding my back.  Oh, and have I said that during this whole time I was revising my second book, A Deadly Blessing?

October found me teaching another on-line writing class and taking Saturday’s to go cheer at my granddaughter’s soccer games.  I was still revising my next book and began working with new website designers to give my website a facelift.

I was still spending about six hours a day self-promoting my book in November.  I guess I should clarify here that when I say self-promoting, I was also reading the tons of articles to keep abreast of the vast changes in the writing scene.  I also ‘ran away’ for a few days to a hotel where I could lay out the 300+ pages of my revised book and see how it all was flowing.

I don’t really need to say anything about December.  It was the holiday season, filled with more events, obligations and merriment than usual.

The first of this year has been spent revising and editing A Deadly Blessing and I’m keeping my fingers crossed it comes out in March. The manuscript is in the hands of beta readers right now.

But what about my former life?  My life as a cop.  What about that?  It doesn’t happen often, (mostly because I dot have time to think about it), But sometimes I ache to be driving the black and white and wearing my uniform and badge. I’ll see LAPD officers on a traffic stop, but now, instead of being their back-up, I’m a typical rubbernecker.  Driving to where my mom lives for a visit, I’ll see the LAPD helicopter racing to a call somewhere or orbiting over a ‘hot’ call.  I want so badly to know what’s going on and to be ‘in’ on the action. 

I wanted to find a way to cope with those feelings.  So, when I see police activity that tugs at my memories, I try to think of possible circumstances of the incident that I can turn into a scene in a future book.  Admittedly, it doesn’t always cure the melancholy, but it leads to some really interesting pages on my computer.

Until next time,

 

KMA367       

 

Playing With Fire

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We can always count on Hollywood for igniting interesting headlines that race across the country.  And for the past few days, Tinsel Town has been in the spotlight once again.

 

No, it wasn’t a shocking divorce that took the limelight…well, unless you count Katy Perry and Russell Brand – but who was really surprised by that split?  No, it wasn’t Katy and the comic’s split, and it wasn’t a new sex tape revealed, or a young up-and-comer busted for DUI or drugs. 

 

Hollywood is in the news for something more sinister and dangerous. There is a person or persons running around the streets of Hollywood and West Hollywood lighting cars on fire; cars that are usually parked in carports underneath apartment buildings.  Fortunately, as I write this blog no serious injuries have been sustained by the citizens or firefighters.  But the potential for injury or death has certainly been there.

Let me back up a little bit.  Last Thursday night, one person was arrested and charged with arson relating to three fires set in Hollywood.  That was the lead story for the news on Friday morning.  It was an interesting story and got major play on the local TV stations. The LAPD called a tactical alert, which means that officers on duty must stay after their regular shift-change, AND that the only radio calls that will be handled are high priority calls.  So, if you’ve got a group of kids blasting music in a car in front of your house, the police won’t be responding. 

 

Even with a suspect in custody, the police deployed extra officers to the Hollywood area.  There was a joint effort between the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Office,(who cover West Hollywood), LAPD, and the LA County and LAFD.   

 

But overnight on Friday, there were another twenty-one fires set.  Some in the Hollywood area, but some were set in the San Fernando Valley. The MO was pretty similar for the fires…torch a car parked in a carport with the result being several cars destroyed along with damage to the building.

 

Saturday night netted more arson fires.  The authorities are saying the total for the spree is now up to 39 fires intentionally set.

 

Not unexpectedly, the ‘brass’ of the police and fire agencies have been updating the public and offering advice.  ‘Report any suspicious activity.  Turn on your lights in the carport areas.  Be alert.’  Our camera-hound mayor voiced his concern at a press conference as did a city councilman and county supervisor.  The story made national news.

 

So the question has to be:  Are these fires being set by one person?  An ‘arson crew’?  A bunch of copy-cat arsonists? 

 

I’m wondering why, when the police had a suspect in custody, they felt compelled to deploy officers back to the same area the next night.  We’re they anticipating there might be copy-cat or further fires…or did they have other information?  (I’m guessing they figured with all the media attention they could have problems the next night too.)

 

Either way, there is still someone out there on the streets ‘playing with matches.’  They haven’t gotten caught yet, but I can tell you every cop that’s working the street really  wants to be the one to nab the bad guy/s.  And once the pyromaniac/s are caught, their 15 seconds of fame will fade…faster than Kim K’s wedding vows.

 

**UPDATE**  When I got up this morning, I learned the police had detained ‘a person of interest.’  Reports are, that the police found an incendiary device in the man’s vehicle.  But like one arson victim stated, “Who knows if this was the only guy?” 

Until next time,

KMA367

LAPD and Occupy L.A. – One Size Does NOT Fit All

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So, it’s been a few days since the City of Los Angeles decided to take back the park outside of City Hall from the Occupy L.A. protesters. 

As a former LAPD officer, watching on TV as the operation unfolded, I must say it’s essential to commend the LAPD for the well thought out plan that appeared to be executed with the utmost of precision. The world was watching (as usual) to see how the LAPD was going to handle the Occupy LA situation.  The media commented over and over again how the city and the LAPD didn’t want a repeat of the May Day ‘incident.’  And to that end, the procedure was a huge success.  However…

It’s important to remember that these protesters were very well behaved and not a typical large crowd that law enforcement usually encounters.  Additionally, the city and the LAPD had bent over backwards to cater to the group…ignoring the fact people were blatantly smoking marijuana, drinking alcohol in public, violating the Health and Safety codes, to say nothing of the intentional damage (vandalism) caused to the grass, irrigation systems etc.  Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa along with a couple of L.A. City Councilmen even passed out rain ponchos to the protesters in the early days.

While I’m glad the whole thing turned out peacefully – what kind of a price did the citizens of Los Angeles pay – I mean literally.  I’ve heard the number $400,000.00.  I don’t think that amount would cover the resources used at the event.  In fact, at least one City Councilman, Mitch Englander, doesn’t think so either, and had motioned for a report of all of the costs the City of Los Angeles incurred  because of the Occupy L.A. protest encampment.

But it’s not just the monetary aspect of the protester removal that I’m worried about.  Yes, the LAPD set a standard that some other police agencies weren’t able to achieve.  But what concerns me is that now the general public will expect a similar result for all types of crowd control issues.  But crowd control isn’t ‘one size fits all.’

Whether society likes it or not, police work is, at times, out of necessity an uncompromising entity.  Law enforcement officers are paid to enforce the laws and protect the well-being and peace of the community.  Sometimes that job is not fun and often it isn’t very pretty. 

So, while the city leaders and the LAPD can bask in a job well done, I say to everyone:  Don’t expect that every protest and police action will be handled with so many resources, with such a strategic plan, and with the officers ‘wearing kid gloves,’ because the true nature of police work is not usually so refined or gracious…and often people’s lives depend upon that fact.

 Until next time,

 KMA367

 

 

 

 

A New Scam – Fake Grandkids

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The phone rings and you answer it.

“Grandma?  It’s your granddaughter, Cindy.”

Delighted that your teenaged granddaughter who lives out of state is calling, you’re happy to hear from her.  “Hello, Cindy.  How nice to hear from you.”

Cindy’s voice takes on a somber tone.  “Grandma, I’m in trouble.  I went on a school trip in the Caribbean with my friends.  We were goofing around and I had too much too drink.  I got arrested for being drunk in public and now the court says I have to pay a fine of $1000 or they won’t let me out of jail.”

You’re dismayed your sweet little granddaughter was arrested – and for public intoxication!  You wonder why she is calling you.  “Well, dear I think you need to talk to your mother and father about this.  They’ll know what to do.”

“No Grandma!  I can’t tell them about this.  Mom and Dad will kill me, and they’ll never let me go anywhere again.  I was hoping maybe you could wire me the money.  You mustn’t tell anyone – not Mom, Dad and not Grandpa Mark either!  I was hoping it would be our little secret; and I promise; I’ll pay you back every dime.  I’ve got a job at McDonalds, so I can pay you back.”

Poor little Cindy sounds so desperate, and what kid hasn’t gotten into a little trouble?  Besides, you can’t stand to think of your precious granddaughter stuck in some jail.  “Well, I don’t know, dear; I’ve never kept anything from your Grandpa; and that’s a lot of money.”

“Pleeeease Grandma?  It’s really dirty here and the food has bugs in it.”

You sigh.  “Okay Cindy, I don’t like it, but I’ll do it.  What do I have to do?”

Then Cindy gives you very detailed directions on how to wire the $1000 to the court.  “Remember     Grandma,” she warns, “you can’t tell anyone about this!”

 With a heavy heart you follow the directions and wire the money to an unknown location in the       Caribbean.

Congratulations!  You’ve probably just been the victim of one of the latest scams being used against the elderly.

You see, slim-ball crooks have learned that the elderly are easily fooled by a young voice claiming to be the grandchild of the senior citizen…especially when those grandkids live out of state and, most likely, aren’t seen too often in person.

But how do the crooks know whether or not a senior has grandchildren?  We’re giving the information to the bad guys ourselves via the internet.  Many of the larger social networking sites are perfect hunting grounds where criminals can find pictures or search profiles of grandchildren so they know the child’s age and sex.


Phone numbers are easily accessible as well.  Have you ever done a Zabasearch of yourself at Zabasearch.com?  Do like genealogy?  What information do you enter into those sites to round out your family tree?   It’s disturbing to find what kind of information is available about you via the internet to everyone in the world.

The key to this scam is the secrecy element.  The ‘child’ in trouble begs their ‘grandparent’ to not contact their parents or anyone in the family.  Why?  If the grandmother in this scenario contacted Cindy’s parents and said, “I understand Cindy is on a school trip in the Carribbean.”  The whole scam would fall apart because the mother would probably say something like, “What are you talking about?  Cindy is sitting in the family room playing video games on the TV.”

Worse yet, our elderly citizens who DO fall victim of this and other scams often don’t come forward because they’re embarrassed they got swindled.

Knowledge is power.  Talk to the seniors you know.  Tell them this story.  Be sure they understand that the criminal element has figured out that senior citizens are excellent targets for all kinds of scams – and this is just one of them.

Until next time;

KMA367

Kathy Bennett Reports On: Domestic Violence

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One of the most common types of calls police officers respond to is domestic violence.  I can’t tell you how many times a woman with obvious physical injuries will proclaim her love for her abuser and how he did mean to hurt her…or worse yet, she’ll deny her abuser caused the injuries.


October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and I guarantee that you know someone who is being abused – you just may not know it.

Let’s start with what domestic violence is.


Domestic violence is a pattern of behavior used to establish power and control over          another person with whom an intimate relationship is or has been shared through fear and intimidation, often including the threat or use of violence. Domestic violence happens when one person believes that they are entitled to control another.


Domestic violence may include not only the intimate partner relationships of spousal, live-in partners and dating relationships, but can also include familial, elder and child abuse in a violent home. Abuse generally falls into one or more of the following categories: physical battering, sexual assault and emotional or psychological abuse, and generally escalates over a period of time.

Here are some of the indicators of domestic violence.


Victims of abuse may experience punched walls, control of finances, lying, using children to manipulate a parent’s emotions, intimidation, isolation from family and friends, fear, shame, criticism, cuts, crying and afraid children, broken bones, confusion, forced sexual contact, manipulation, sexist comments, yelling, rages, craziness, harassment, neglect, shoving, screaming, jealousy and possessiveness, loss of self esteem, coercion, slammed doors, abandonment, silent treatment, rape, destruction of personal property, unwanted touching, name calling, strangling, ripping, slapping, biting, kicking, bruises, punching, stalking, scrapes, depression, sabotaging attendance at job or school, brainwashing, violence to pets, pinching, deprivation of physical and economic resources, public humiliation, broken promises, prevention of seeking medical and dental care, ridicule, restraining, self-medication, forced tickling, threats to harm family and friends, threats to take away the children, threats to harm animals, threats of being kicked out, threats of weapons, threats of being killed.


That’s quite a list isn’t it?  And abusers usually use a number of these tactics to gain control of their victims…and they tend to pick the ones that they know will bring the biggest fear and distress as well.


Here’s the number for the National Domestic Violence Hotline 1 (800) 799-7233 and they can direct you to help in your area.  If you’d rather look at their site online, here’s the link http://www.thehotline.org/.  However, computers CAN be monitored, so if you suspect your abuser could be tracking your internet activity, find a way to call.


Domestic violence is serious business.  If you’re a victim, I know it’s scary and it’s not easy to admit you’re a victim, but get help.  You’ll be glad you did.


Until next time,


KMA367

Kathy Bennett Reports on: A Recent Foot Pursuit

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The other day I did something completely out of character.  I did something spontaneous.  Here’s the set up…

With only minutes to spare until I was late to my hair appointment, (and I HATE being late anywhere) I was driving down my street and was approaching the corner.  Then I saw a pit bull dog running with abandon down the sidewalk on the street in front of me.  A few seconds later I saw a man who obviously ISN’T a runner chasing the dog…and the man was falling behind.

I made the turn and saw the dog further down the block sniffing around some bushes and ‘marking the territory’.  I drove down to the man and asked him if it was his dog.  He said yes, so I continued down the road.  I pulled along side the dog, got out of my car and made my approach.  I got within two steps of the dog and he took off again.  I called out to the man, who was now breathing heavily and walking, and asked him the dog’s name.  He said he wasn’t sure.  Huh?

The dog was at a full run now continuing down the hill toward a major thoroughfare.  I returned to my car drove down the hill, past the dog and got out to wait for the dog to reach me.  The man had picked up speed and was talking on the phone, running down the hill after the dog, yelling at me the dog’s name was Cheyenne.

I wondered if I should even be messing in this situation having previously seen the damage a raging dog can do.  And rightly or wrongly, this was the most notorious breed of dog out there.  AND…I was going to be late for my hair appointment!

The dog approached – his eyes wild with the excitement of running loose.  I bent down and held out my hand as the dog bounded closer.  “Cheyenne, come here boy,” I called in my most enticing ‘doggie’ voice.  To my surprise the dog ran right up and came to a stop in front of me.  I slipped my fingers around his collar and the wayward dog was in custody!

The man came huffing and puffing up about a minute or so later.  “Thank you, thank you!  It’s my boss’s dog and I’m taking care of him this weekend and somehow he got out.”  I wondered how you could volunteer to take care of a dog for a weekend and not know the dog’s name.

I told the man “no problem”, and hurried to my car where, luckily, I had some wet wipes…the dog had slobbered all over my leg.  Leaving the man and his house guest to make their way back up the hill, I ‘drove with purpose’ to my appointment.

But as I drove, I realized it wasn’t that I was being spontaneous.  I was doing what comes naturally to me.  I was helping someone in trouble – which is what I did for twenty-one years as a cop.  You know what ‘they’ say:  You can take the girl out of the uniform…but you can’t take the job out of the girl.

Are you spontaneous?  What’s the most spontaneous thing you’ve done?

Until next time,

KMA367

Kathy Bennett Reports: Cop TV Shows

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I became an LAPD cop for one reason.  I watched Jack Webb portraying Joe Friday in the television show, Dragnet.  Webb’s monotone monologues about the evils going on in the City of Los Angeles and his declaration of: “That’s when I go to work, and I carry a badge,” let me know that before the half-hour was over somebody would be going to jail.

Each week I watched Joe Friday and his partner, Bill Gannon round up burglars,   robbers and rowdy kids.  But for me, the best part of the show was when the      suspect would give Friday some attitude, and he’d come out with his verbal guns  blazing.  You knew when Joe got to lecturing the bad guy in his machine-gun-  style speech the crook was going to be standing in the ‘line-up of shame’ at the    end of the show.  You remember; that’s when the announcer came on in a voice-  over and told the viewer that the bad guy was sentenced to 4 years for Petty  Theft or some other minor crime.

Side note:  Those kinds of sentences aren’t handed out anymore – if they were, maybe we wouldn’t be paying such high prices in stores to make up for all the shoplifting that goes on. (Sorry, couldn’t resist my soapbox)


Anyway, I liked how Joe Friday and his partner let people know why their crimes hurt society, put those people away so they couldn’t continue their wrong-doing , and made the city safer…all in a half-hour.


 So Joe Friday and Dragnet is why I became a cop.  But that’s a cop show from a long time ago.   Today’s cop shows are faster paced and certainly show the violence officers and detectives can face on the streets.


 Do you like the older police stories: The Andy Griffith Show, Highway Patrol, Police Story, The FBI, Starsky and Hutch, etc.?

Or…do you prefer the newer shows:  Law and Order, CSI, Southland, The Closer, Castle, et al?

Until next time…

KMA 367



Cops Who Gave Their All

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Over the weekend, two undercover LAPD officers were shot as they happened upon a gang shooting in progress.  Both officers received injuries and one of them was shot in the face and may have permanent damage to one of his eyes.  Thankfully, they will both live.  At the time I write this blog, two suspects are in custody, and the search is on for the two suspects outstanding.

It was just a little over a month ago (August 29th) that I wrote a blog entitled, ‘When Did It Become Open Season on Cops’.  In that blog I talked about the increase in attacks against police officers.

Saturday night, it just so happened I saw a Twitter post that caught my eye.  You know they say a picture is worth a thousand words.  Take a look at this link.  It demonstrates so much better what I was trying to say on August 29th.  Please share this post.  We all hear the news when an officer is killed in the line of duty, but this link puts the whole thing in proper perspective.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150348623600244.591896.181135410243

Until next time,

KMA367

Here’s a Hot Topic!

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In Southern California we’re just entering our wildfire season.  We’ve got the water-dropping airplanes at the ready – in fact, they’ve been deployed at least once – and the fire season is young!

We’ve experienced a mild summer.  But that doesn’t mean the brush is any less dry or has grown any less.  Fires have been big news all across the country, so everyone needs to be prepared.

Those of you who live in the foothills who have properties backing the wilderness need to get the brush cleared from behind your homes if you haven’t already done so.  I remember a few years ago, when the Station Fire wound it’s way to Granada Hills, the news showed a cul-de-sac in the height of the firestorm.

The fire department had its hands full trying to save homes in that neighborhood.  I watched on TV as the media speculated that the fire department’s resources were so short, they actually had to choose which homes they were going to try to save on that street.  And guess what?

Firefighters and their equipment were positioned at the homes where the brush had been cleared from the back.  That doesn’t mean they wouldn’t try to save every home, but the homeowners who’d done brush clearance had made protecting their property an easier task for the responding fire personnel.  Even if you don’t live in the foothills, it’s important to be ready.  Another way to prepare for brush fires is to have an evacuation plan.  Here are some tips to get you started.

Listen to your radio or television for updated reports and evacuation information.

Confine pets to one room and make plans to take care of them in the event of evacuation.

Arrange for temporary housing with a friend or relative whose home is outside the threatened area. Leave a note in a prominent place in your home that says where and how you can be contacted.

If your home is threatened by brushfire, you will be contacted and advised by law enforcement officers to evacuate. If you are not contacted, or you decide to stay and help defend your home, evacuate pets and any family members not needed to protect your home.

Remove important documents, mementos, etc. from the possible fire area.

When evacuating, wear protective clothing: sturdy shoes, cotton or woolen clothing, long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, gloves, and a handkerchief to protect your face.

Choose a route away from the fire. Watch for changes in the speed and direction of the fire and smoke.

Take a disaster supply kit containing:
A supply of drinking water;
One change of clothing and footwear for each member of the family;
A blanket or sleeping bag for each person;
A first aid kit that also includes any prescription medications;
Emergency tools including a battery-powered radio, flashlight and extra batteries;
An extra set of car keys and credit cards, cash or traveler’s checks;
Extra pairs of eyeglasses and other special items for infant, elderly or disabled family members.
Don’t forget food for your pets.
Do not jeopardize your life. No material item is worth a life.

Even if you aren’t able to put together an emergency evacuation ‘kit’, at least make a list of things to take when an emergency strikes and you need to evacuate.  Being prepared can make the difference of how well you live through any emergency – not just brush fires.  Now, get off the computer and start making your list and putting your evacuation kit together!


Until next time,

KMA 367