Burlingame gears up for emergency drill 

“The number one thing is preparedness and safety,” Burlingame resident Gaird Schlesinger said, who leads the drill in his neighborhood. “The secondary benefit — you get to know your neighbors. That’s good in general. If stuff hits the fan in a major disaster, it will save lives if you know your neighbors.” 

Neighbors are assigned different roles, like a commander, a communications point person and safety and well-being teams, and then work through simulated situations together, like an injury or a homebound resident. 

Several Burlingame councilmembers, including Andrea Pappajohn, participate in the drill. The activity can help identify residents with different skill sets and tools to use in case of a major emergency, and also helps neighbors get to know one another on an interpersonal level, Pappajohn said. 

Above all else, active participation in one’s community facilitates health and well-being, in an emergency situation and otherwise, she said. 

“Being a good community member means looking out for one another,” Pappajohn said. “That will help us all to be safer and more resilient.” 

This year, neighborhood blocks will work through simulated situations that require them to communicate with one another, helping them know what to do if, for example, a child was in a different neighborhood when disaster struck, BNN co-chair Joe Becerra said. 

Some blocks, like his own, have been participating in the drill for years. Others may be starting for the first time. 

“The first year a block does this it’s a learning experience,” Becerra said. “They get better at it each year.” 

While it might be too late for entire blocks to register for participation in the drill, individuals are welcome to sign up by going to  https://burlingamenetwork.org/drill or emailing drill@burlingamenetwork.org. They will be assigned a block to go to. 

The drill is sponsored by the city, Central County Fire Department, the Burlingame Police Department and local Ham radio operators, who use licensed radio equipment to communicate in case of an emergency.

Practicing for an emergency situation when first responders might not be able to attend to individual neighborhoods for days is key to keeping safe, Schlesinger said. 

“If you don’t know your neighbors and something bad happens, it literally can be a life or death matter,” he said.

Note to readers: A previous version of this story had the incorrect email and link to sign up for the drill. The story has been updated with the correct information.