MPC Ready volunteers gather in Burgess Park for first in-person meeting in over two years

The MPC (Menlo Park Community) Ready organization held a thank you breakfast for volunteers in Burgess Park yesterday. This was the organization’s first in-person monthly meeting since February 2020 when Covid-19 led to remote meetings. 

Food and beverages came from Cafe Zoë and the Menlo Park Fire Protection District brought a fire truck and communication truck. Also on hand were leaders from neighboring groups in East Palo Alto and Atherton. 

After breakfast, tour of the fire truck, and a raffle for disaster preparedness supplies, two volunteers held a training in the use of FRS (Family Radio Service) hand-held radios, aka “walkie talkies.” In a disaster, phones may not work so volunteers will need a way to communicate with each other and with the emergency staff. In the future, there will be additional focused training on using FRS radios as well as HAM radios for those who are licensed HAM radio operators. 

MPC Ready believes that knowing your neighbors is the cornerstone of disaster preparedness, which is supported by research findings. Neighborhood level disaster preparedness efforts, such as those by MPC Ready, help to close the gaps in community-wide disaster preparedness. In a disaster, studies show that our most immediate source of help will be the neighbors living closest to us. Emergency response personnel will be overwhelmed and there won’t be nearly enough to reach everyone. Prepared communities also recover quicker from disasters. 

“Neighbors building GREAT neighborhoods” is the MPC Ready motto. Organized neighbors enjoy social connections and typically reduced crime. In a disaster, they will be more resilient. They are also better positioned to take a neighborhood position on issues facing their neighborhood. Collective neighborhood advocacy has an impact on the local government and has resulted in drawing attention to issues important to the neighborhood. Some neighborhoods are also adding beautification and other projects, and are getting more people involved as a result. 

MPC Ready invites you to explore becoming a block coordinator or getting involved in other ways. The organization also offers a Speaker’s Bureau and a traveling disaster preparedness event. To learn more, please visit the organization’s website or contact Lynne Bramlett at lynne.e.bramlett@gmail.com.

Author Lynne Bramlett (pictured) is Founding Member & Director, MPC Ready