Neighborhood Safety Net

WHAT TO DO IF?

• · A fire swept through the neighborhood
• · An earthquake hit
• · There was a flood or mudslide
• · Theft in the area increased
• · There was a medical emergency with a neighbor

WITHOUT POWER, HOW DO I COMMUNICATE?

Emergency Supplies: Which home might have some?

IS THERE SOMEONE IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD SKILLED AND TRUSTWORTHY?

Who is at home right now in the neighborhood who could help ?

A prepared neighborhood, that you know, is your best back-up mechanism.

The situation where your emergency hotline is not available is common, especially at times of a general emergency.

Picture this: A neighborhood has a back-up communications system; neighbors know each other well;  neighbors have various skills and training to help each other in emergencies; there are necessary supplies and provisions stored across the neighborhood.

What is the communications system used for? The communications structure is in place to make it easy to activate the designated people in your neighborhood. This pictured neighborhood has locations established to store emergency supplies; it is also a place where suspicious characters are spotted easily because everyone knows who is supposed to be in the area and who is not. It's a neighborhood where you feel safe. It's connected and prepared.

THE ABOVE DESCRIBES AN NSN NEIGHBORHOOD

NSN - Neighborhood Safety Net

Neighborhood Safety Net is a non-profit organization.

Its main activities could be described as mechanisms to supply ORGANIZATION, INTERACTION and TRUST BUILDING. We get people, suppliers, services, and other organizations to work together within a specific framework.

We are dedicated to helping neighbors form into communities and helping those communities become more self sufficient in the face of crime and disaster.

Our Mission Statement:

"Creating a safer world, one neighborhood at a time"

We consider our mission complete when we see neighborhoods everywhere that have a sense of community, where people know each other well, where people are kept informed accurately and in a timely manner, where there is no crime and should a disaster strike, everyone in the neighborhood will know exactly what to do to respond, and how to recover and heal the wounds.

How do we achieve this goal?

We follow in the footsteps of the Neighborhood Watch program, and the CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) program. However, NSN introduces these new and critical components to the mix:

Encouragement of the use of available technology:

• Online private communication with authentication
• Hand held radios

Community building:

• Neighborhood Prepared & Ready clubs
• Neighborhood social clubs on specific subjects

NSN is the promoter of an IDEA. We have an organization focused on implementing the idea by tying together existing technologies in a new way. Part of our support structure is an "eManual" - because it is emailed to you - of our Neighborhood Prepared & Ready Members Handbook which includes:

• How to establish and run a Neighborhood Prepared & Ready club
• How to establish and run a Neighborhood Safety Team
• How to establish and run a city-wide communications network

In order to achieve our goal we work with others, specifically:

• Police (existing Neighborhood Watch Coordinators)
• Fire departments (existing CERT training program)
• Red Cross / Red Crescent (CPR/First Aid training program)
• Citynet (online neighborhood communications network) 
• Cobra (hand held radios)
• Emergency equipment suppliers
• Media (making informational DVDs)

Communication

Safety in the neighborhood starts with neighbor participation. "Leaving it to others" is not part of the successful strategy . Each participating neighbor uses the private communications system Citynet  to connect to other neighbors. Each neighbor has a connection to the organizer within that neighborhood.

The online network system is a "participant authenticated" network. At the beginning it's useful to get to know others and can help bring about some familiarity with each other; this in turn may result in that first "hello" and conversation.

The network features validated members showing a photograph of each participant. Recognizing any unwanted or suspicious characters in the neighborhood can be a crucial aspect for neighborhood safety.

After a disaster the network will also serve as a message center for misplaced neighbors and provide a head count. Pictures of pets can be added, so it is easier to find them after they run away scared during that earthquake or storm or other scary event.

Each neighborhood is privately on its own password protected site. Each safety team also has an online club and those teams are connected city wide, making it easy for police and fire to communicate with the teams. The organizer in each team can then communicate the information to their own neighborhood.

The Citynet system is critical to the success of the endeavor. It is a place where neighborhood information is shared and upcoming safety briefings announced and where the Neighborhood Safety Team can get familiar with the "faces" in the neighborhood. Educational materials are placed on neighborhood sites where all members can become familiar with all aspects of neighborhood safety. From a security point of view, it is a way to report suspicious activity to the Neighborhood Safety Team, who can investigate, or call the police as necessary. Even in a neighborhood where most adults are off working, there are those neighbors who are retired or work at home, who can do "drive by" if requested to do so. Knowing who can do what is essential.

Within the system members keep their own contact information up to date. No-one needs to get bogged down with administrative duties.

Education

Safety consists of many aspects.

It is not simply the passing thief or the gang. It is fire hazards caused by the chemicals stored in your neighbor's garage. It includes child safety: how they get home, who they interact with online, what drugs are being shared at school. It includes education on regional emergency preparedness such as what to do in case of an earthquake, fires or flood.

Drug use can become a problem for you even if you're not involved. For example, someone with a drug habit and no money to pay for it, may resort to theft, including "items" from the neighbors. Thus a drug problem in your neighbor's household can end up being your problem. NSN has established contacts to get help in various situations.

Find out how to get your neighborhood going. Send an email to:

support@neighborhoodsafety.net

© Copyright 2005-2010 All Rights Reserved. Neighborhood Safety.Net