Emergency preparedness boost for town

La Conner volunteers are being trained as civilian emergency responders, and now the community is working to put equipment in place to help cope with possible disasters or other threats to the town.

The town has received an $8,500 grant from the Puget Sound Energy Foundation for a new emergency response trailer, being equipped with support from the volunteers trained as the Community Emergency Response Team. The team not part of but will work in cooperation with the fire department and other professional emergency crews.

The new trailer will house equipment for emergency communications, including HAM radios and first-aid supplies, as well as a backup generator that can provide power to the trailer during a crisis.

While the grant won’t cover the trailer’s estimated $15,000 total price tag, La Conner Town Administrator John Doyle said the remaining amount will come through public donations as well as the town’s budget.

Doyle, who is one of the local volunteers who has gone through the emergency response training, said the trailer will serve as a portable command center, should disaster strike. The Community Emergency Response Team consists of civilians trained to augment emergency operations in the event of a major earthquake or other catastrophe.

“We’re set up to have something that doesn’t rely on La Conner’s building infrastructure,” Doyle said. “It fills a void.” Without it, “we would have relied on whatever the fire department offered to survive.”

The trailer will be operated by firefighters, radio operators, members of the Community Emergency Response Team, all of whom attend a six-week class on extensive disaster response training.

Ron Shrigley, who has been active in Skagit Bay Search & Rescue and other emergency services, works with the trailer’s training team and has a hand in getting everything prepared for an emergency.

“There’s great potential to be isolated after a disaster,” Shrigley said. “With no program established right now, a team of volunteers will definitely be needed.”

With no room at the La Conner Fire Station, the trailer will be stationed at La Conner’s Public Works Department on N. Third Street.

La Conner Fire Chief Dan Taylor acknowledged that while the trailer won’t belong to the fire department, he appreciates the volunteers working to help keep the community safe.

“I have my hats off to them, and it’s great that people are taking time out of their day to do this,” Taylor said. “We welcome volunteers and are willing to assist in any way we can.”