Evacuation Exercise -- Buddy Groups

Pinewood residents Gib and Lisa Coalwell worked with attendees to help set up informal buddy groups among neighbors. Here's the outline of how to do that:

What is a Buddy Group?

Simply put, it is a group of neighbors who have agreed to communicate and check on each other.

It might be as simple as making sure someone is OK after not hearing from them for a while, or as urgent as letting them know there’s an emergency situation they need to know about.

It may be someone letting another person know they’ll be out of town for a while, or they may be requesting immediate assistance.

How does a Buddy Group work?

Think about how you communicate with your friends and neighbors, who could be next door, or down the road.

You might text, email, call or visit each other. You might also contact people on the Pinewood Slack group and GMRS radios.

That's how Buddy Groups work -- the same way you communicate now!

When do you use your Buddy Groups? 

In the Pinewood area, we have SO many opportunities to use Buddy Groups – we’ve had small fires in the area, large fires nearby, snowstorms, flooding, lake accidents, bears locked in cars, mountain lions walking down driveways; the list goes on and on.

Since our main focus for this website is on wildfires, let’s think about communicating with your Buddy Group during an evacuation.

First, talk with your buddies BEFORE any situation arises. You'll want to cover variables such as:

• What to do if someone is away, or in town and cannot get back up to Pinewood

• How to help someone with mobility issues

• What to do with pets and/or livestock

• Where to find necessities such as medication or passports

This brochure will help guide that discussion, but each buddy group can individualize the variables to fit their own needs. If you'd like copies of a printed version, please request them at communications@plwag.org

And that is that! A Buddy Group is easy to start now, and it could save lives in the future!

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SPECIAL NOTE: What happens if you cannot get in touch with your buddy right away in an evacuation, especially someone with special needs? 

Derek Rosenquist, Battalion Chief with the Larimer County Sheriff's Office Emergency Services Unit, says you should go ahead and evacuate, then pass along the information about your buddy to the authorities when you get to a safe place.  Those authorities will then pass along the information to trained responders who can help.

The Sheriff’s deputies will be checking every house in the evacuation, so stopping them to tell them about your buddy delays their important work.  They want people to get out of the area as quickly and safely as possible, he said, and added that in the NoCo Alerts signup, there is a section for residents to highlight their special needs, and the deputies can see that information on the maps they use.