A Few Minutes with the Mayor – May 2022

It’s that time of year again. We are all gearing up for summer and of paramount importance, it’s time to consider what summer will bring in the way of fire and smoke. This is a good opportunity to review the City of Jacksonville Emergency Evacuation Checklist and Map, along with the Citizen Emergency Guide, developed and distributed last year to the people living in Jacksonville. Copies are available at City Hall and online at jacksonvilleor.us in the Document Center under City Documents.

In the Evacuation Guide, we talk about the three levels of an emergency evacuation, how to be prepared for an emergency evacuation, and routes you may follow to leave town in an emergency. All levels are warning levels. Level 1 is about awareness and being ready. Level 2 is being fully prepared to “go” at a moment’s notice and might be the only warning you receive, in a quickly moving extreme emergency. Level 3 is immediate danger, wherein you should leave immediately, and this would be the last notice you would receive.

Being prepared requires a bit of forethought and common sense. Prep your communications and keep your cell phones charged. Consider who you would need to notify of your whereabouts and who you would be checking-in with. Prep for your pets by placing carriers, food, dishes, leashes, and medications in a handy place. Prep for your family members by packing “Bug Out Bags” or “Go Bags” for each person and pets. There are also many different backpacks available for your dogs. If a fire is imminent, dress according to the information we share in the checklist. Emergency items to carry with you include important papers, basic camping gear, extra clothing, decent walking shoes, medications, some nutritious snacks, water, and a decent first aid kit. Many important papers, photos, and so forth, may be stored on easy-to-carry thumb drives and in safety deposit boxes. Know where all your family members are at any given time, if possible. Designate a safe meeting place and a third party to communicate through, if necessary.

On the Citizen Emergency FAQs list we list the main facts relating to different types of emergencies and what to do. We list sixteen different points you will find helpful and reassuring in the event of an emergency in Jacksonville.

In our home, we stock a special “Go Bag” area with a file of important papers, emergency bug-out bags for ourselves and our dogs, camping gear, food, water, a large first aid kit, extra electronic chargers, and other important items for survival. In fire season these bags go into a vehicle and stay until rain hits again. We also laminated a copy of the Emergency Evacuation List and the Citizen Emergency Guide to keep permanently in each of our vehicles. Sometimes the guides will serve to keep you calm long enough to make the best decisions you can, at that time, and keep you on the right track. I’m sure there are things we have missed, but we were as thorough as we could be. Our “Go Bag” is always a work in progress. Brainstorm with your friends and family for ideas. There is also a wealth of information online regarding low-level and hard-core ideas for emergency bags. Use what you know will work for you.

Relative to a possible fire, I would like to share an incident I witnessed a couple of weeks ago. My husband and I were enjoying a nice stroll downtown with our terrier Jack. Along came a young woman, driving a car while smoking a cigarette. As she pulled to the curb, she threw the half-smoked cigarette out the driver’s window onto the grassy area. My husband tapped on her car and asked her nicely to pick up her cigarette butt. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally exited the vehicle and did so. The cigarette was still smoldering, and she had to stub it out in the gravel before she could put it in her ashtray. My overriding thoughts were of the danger this young woman could have brought down on Jacksonville. A dry week, dry grass, and many wood buildings are not a good combination. It only takes a split second of inattention for disaster to occur. If you see something like this happening, please tell people why we are so careful here. Pick up and dispose of something possibly dangerous yourself, if you have to, or call for help. Most of all, be prepared for an emergency and come to us if you have any questions or concerns, regarding what to do, at the City of Jacksonville, 541-899-1231.

In related articles in the Jacksonville Review this month, please read the information below from Linda Davis on our FIREWISE communities. City Councilor Andrea Thompson, from our Comprehensive Safety Group, has written about blackberry abatement in the city. Also please look for information coming to the community on fire abatement for your property and city property. Do your best to remove hazardous materials that may explode, burn, or cause a small fire to spread into a large fire. It may seem like a chore now, but the damage or possible lives lost would not be worth it, would it?

Another important topic is pets in vehicles. It only takes a short while for a pet to succumb to the heat in your car. Imagine, even in a temperature of 70 degrees, being asked to stay in a car for an hour or two with the windows rolled up, wearing a fur coat.

It is also time to consider what you might do at home to help with water conservation for landscaping and lawns. The short spring rains we experience occasionally help. It may not be an issue this year, but water rationing should also be in the back of our minds.

Other Important City News—The Pheasant Meadows City Park is open for Pickleball play Monday through Saturday from dusk to dawn only. Pickleball play is closed on Sundays and no reservations at the Pickleball Courts are allowed. Please be kind to your Pheasant Meadows neighbors. As with all other city parks, per Jacksonville Municipal Code, there are no reservations allowed for any activities in City Parks. If you wish to hold a gathering, you must obtain a Letter of Intent from city hall and take a chance the space where you wish to gather is open.

Enjoy the upcoming summer months by being prepared. Thanks to the folks we see who are already doing their part for fire abatement, and to those of you who are prepared for an emergency. Until next month….