August Scene - Flipbook - Page 34
Sunriver Citizen Patrol members thanked for their commitment to the community
By Pete Rasic
Sunriver Police Chief
One of the things I quickly learned after arriving in
Sunriver was the vital role the
Sunriver Citizen Patrol plays in
our community.
While I have the privilege of
serving as chief of police, I am
just one member of an organization that benefits every day
from the dedication and service
of these volunteers whose contributions often occur quietly,
but whose impact is felt every
day throughout Sunriver.
Anyone familiar with Sunriver
knows the Citizen Patrol.
They are a constant presence at our community events,
helping visitors find their way,
assisting with traffic and pedestrian safety, conducting house
checks, and providing support
wherever it is needed.
Many of the events that make
Sunriver such a special place
would simply not be possible
without their willingness to
volunteer their time and talents.
My appreciation for the Citizen Patrol is also personal.
Minutes after I was offered
the position of chief of police,
two Citizen Patrol members
were there to welcome me
to Sunriver.
Before I had even begun the
job, they introduced themselves, offered their support,
and spoke proudly about the
community they serve.
That interaction left a lasting
impression on me.
It demonstrated exactly what
makes Sunriver so incredible,
where people truly care about
their neighbors and willingly
give themselves to make this
town a special place to live
and visit.
Since arriving, I have had the
opportunity to see firsthand the
dedication and commitment of
our Citizen Patrol volunteers.
They donate countless hours
each year, not because they have
to, but because they genuinely
care about Sunriver.
Their work strengthens the
partnership between both the
police and fire departments and
the community, and they serve
as an example of what community service should look like.
On behalf of the entire
Sunriver Service District, I
would like to thank every member of the Citizen Patrol, past
and present, for your service.
Your contributions make a
difference every day.
We are grateful for your partnership, proud to serve alongside you, and fortunate to have
you as part of our team.
Thank you for all that you do
Plan
are witnessing.
Unfortunately, our phone systems have a limit. There is only
so much traffic that the system
can take until it’s overloaded.
Fortunately, there are some
safeguards in place that allow
emergency services communications even when it’s totally
congested, but the fact remains
that too much traffic slows
down critical communications
and, in some cases, can bring it
to a grinding halt.
The moral of the story is
to only use your phones for
emergency communications
during a disaster. That certainly
includes calling 9-1-1 if emergency help is needed, monitoring incoming emergency texts
and calls, and staying in contact
with family and friends when
it matters most for their safety
and yours.
Be sure your family members
who are in the community have
their phones with them, as you
might not be able to call them
when they are out on a bike ride
or floating the river, but emergency alerts will get through.
Know where the family is generally, so that if you need to
request additional emergency
assistance you can point them
in the right direction. Before
an emergency happens, make
a family agreement on where
to meet.
Generally, if it is a Level 3
alert, each family member will
be expected to follow emergency services directions, and you
will be reunited later.
Have an agreement that you
will meet at the evacuation
area designated by emergency services or if transportation is available, a mutually
agreeable location out of the
immediate area.
It’s important tourists and
locals are familiar with Sunriver.
With all the roundabouts, it can
get confusing.
While there will likely be
signage and emergency personnel, knowing the exits and
directions to them is important.
Again, additional information can be found on SunriverEmergencyInfo.com. Share
that and review the site with
your family. Designate an outof-area family member or friend
that each of you can call or text
to check in.
You may have access to
phones at emergency shelters
or limited access after the emergency to let everyone know you
are safe, but not to call locally.
Having an agreed-upon outof-area person to receive your
calls and share updates with
others is important. Certainly,
the hope is to never call for an
evacuation, but a community
prepared is a community that
survives. Do your preparations
and planning now and then go
have some fun!
- Jim Bennett is the public
information officer for the
Sunriver Fire Department
continued from page 32
our phones for information,
and it’s a tool that wasn’t available decades ago.
Our phones are the connection to others and emergency
services. As you can imagine, in
an emergency, everyone wants
to use their phones to call their
family members, workplace or
a friend in Minneapolis.
We want to capture the
moment by sharing pictures or videos of what we
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