Big Turnout for Burlingame's Exercise

More than 300 Burlingame residents participated in the fifth annual Citywide Emergency Drill held today at 10 locations throughout Burlingame. They learned how to self-organize and support one another during a disaster, and how to send and receive information via the city’s volunteer Ham radio network.

Organized by the Burlingame Neighborhood Network, the drill was supported by 15 local Ham radio operators stationed at regional centers and the Emergency Operations Center. It was supported by the Central County Fire Department and Burlingame Police Department, whose representatives visited all sites. During the drill, participants searched for “incidents” describing emergencies that were planted on people’s lawns and practiced communicating back and forth to their neighborhood base.

BNN chair Kathy Schmidt said the turnout was more than 50 percent larger than last year. “With the recent hurricanes, earthquakes and wildfires, people are very interested in learning how to help their families and friends during emergencies,” she said.