SNCU Newsletters

A part of Map Your Neighborhood

City and County Emergency Managers, along with Police and Fire Chiefs all understand that in a major emergency, there will likely never be enough first responders to address all the needs of a community during the first 24-72 hours. Depending on the disaster, it may be even longer.

In Sebastopol, Fire Chief Bill Braga directed the Sebastopol Neighborhood Communication Unit (SNCU) to partner with the Map Your Neighborhood (MYN) Program to provide communication between MYN neighborhoods even when there is no power and cell phones don’t work.

The result is a neighborhood-level communications system linking MYN Leaders and their immediate neighbors together. And connecting these MYN neighborhoods to other neighborhoods implementing the MYN program in the Sebastopol area.

SNCU provides training on simple and inexpensive FRS (walkie-talkie) radios to any local residents and more extensive training for MYN Leaders. The basic class (the beginners class) answers the questions of HOW, WHEN and WHY to use your radio. Other, more detailed trainings include, communication protocols and message formulation.

Monthly practice Check-ins and Rehearsal Drills are available to all radio operators, past and present, for the purpose of becoming competent with your radio and feeling comfortable using it in an emergency.

Please connect with SNCU by using the form on this page. And look to the calendar for training and check-in details.

Sebastopol Ready

A Sebastopol Fire Department - Map Your Neighborhood Program