The fires raging in Los Angeles are fueling questions in Oakland neighborhoods about how to tackle the threat of wildfires, with two fire districts closing their doors.
Delaine Sims, who lost her Oakland Hills home to a wildfire in October, continually contacted her neighbors to prepare them in the event of a disaster.
“We also have to be proactive and so gather as much information as possible, come together and, you know, just kind of be a think tank and support each other,” Sims said.
Sims’ neighborhood is in one of two fire districts temporarily closed due to Oakland’s budget deficit. She told CBS News Bay Area that her district’s response played a crucial role in extinguishing the fire in her home and preventing it from spreading more widely.
Her personal experience sparked a months-long effort to educate her neighbors on tips to first prevent fire disasters and what to do in the aftermath.
During Tuesday night’s meeting, both Sims and the Fire Safe Council shared critical tips to help those affected by the October fire prepare and recover.
“Some people can recover from that, but there are a lot of people who can’t, and it’s very difficult to recover emotionally and mentally,” Sims said. “It’s very difficult, so that’s also very important.”
Rashida Hutchins, one of Sim’s neighbors, said the LA fires have played a role in how she wants to protect her family and home from potential disasters. Now that more responsibility may fall on her shoulders, she will adjust her escape plan as much as possible, she said.
“I have a plan now, but before I didn’t really have one other than just packing an emergency bag,” Hutchins said.
“Now I have a few, like personal sentimental items, letters and a few photos that I would definitely be sad about if they were lost. So I just added the more personal items to the bag.”
The meeting emphasized escape routes and safe ways to extinguish fires before they reach dangerous proportions. But Sims and Hutchins, like most of their neighbors, hope it never comes to that.
