Emergency prep fair slated for Saturday

The Susitna Valley Emergency Preparedness Fair will be held at the Willow Community Center on Saturday May 30 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Hosted by the Willow, Talkeetna and Trapper Creek Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) this family-friendly, free event covers how to be prepared for a variety of emergencies that anyone might encounter while playing, recreating and living in the Upper Valley.

“Everybody needs to be prepared,” Willow CERT Member Brenda McCain said. “We kind of live dangerously. We cut wood and we burn things. We do have wildfires here, we do have floods. We do have earthquakes and we hunt and we fish. We just need to know about personal safety and emergency preparedness.”

Over 40 indoor and outdoor exhibitors from local organizations and emergency services will have a myriad of activities that will keep the whole family engaged.

Highlights include an outdoor youth archery range hosted by the local Boy Scouts and an Earthquake Escape Room inside the community center. Mat-Su Regional will be demonstrating how to provide chest compressions and stop bleeds along the front stage and the Mat-Su Borough Water Rescue Team will be instructing on how to use a throw bag for water emergencies. Knot tying will be hosted by the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group.

LifeMed Alaska may make an appearance with their helicopter, as well as an ambulance tour by local EMS.

The first 100 adults through the event will receive a bag of first aid supplies and emergency goodies. Food will be available for purchase through the Patriot BBQ food truck.

This bi-annual event will be the largest yet. The education acquired and the lessons gleaned from the various exhibitors and their demonstrations may prove invaluable for the future.

“We are a disaster prone community,” McCain said. “We have to be prepared in Alaska.