The annual Northeast Holladay Neighbors Emergency Preparedness Fair sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Olympus Stake and Holladay City expanded from one location to three this year to localize the event and help community members to identify their local command center in the event of an emergency. 

The two-day preparedness fair held in April featured 15 booths, where over 500 residents learned valuable emergency preparedness tips and ideas. Representatives from the Red Cross were on hand at each location to answer questions and provide demonstrations about their “Sound The Alarm” program. According to the Red Cross, this program has installed more than 2.5 million free smoke alarms, making more than 1 million households safer nationwide.

“The Red Cross held CPR classes and provided important information about their smoke detector program, which includes home visits to check detectors,” said event director Scott Snow. “Their program offers the installation of up to four smoke detectors for free to ensure that citizens and seniors are safe.” 

In the event of a significant disaster, the Rapid Damage Assessment Plan has been the adopted emergency strategy of the northeast section of Holladay for the past five years and is supported by Holladay City. This plan allows volunteers to assess damage and injuries after an emergency and quickly report their findings to government officials. Following the guidelines of the assessment plan, earthquake awareness classes were conducted to train attendees on how to respond in the event of an earthquake.

The Wasatch fault has the devastating potential to generate up to a magnitude 7.5 earthquake. The Utah Seismic Safety Commission’s online survival guide, “Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country,” highlights that over 85% of Utah’s population lives within 15 miles of the Wasatch fault. In addition, 75% of Utah’s economy and most state facilities are near the fault line. 

The Working Group on Utah Earthquake Probabilities, formed by the Utah Geological Survey, a Utah Department of Natural Resources division, recently evaluated the likelihood of significant earthquakes occurring in the Wasatch Front region. Their findings indicate a 57% probability that the Wasatch Front will experience an earthquake of magnitude 6.0 or greater within the next 50 years and a 43% probability of a quake reaching magnitude 6.75 or higher during that same timeframe.

The Unified Fire Authority, led by Captain Dan Brown, organized fire truck tours and demonstrated the specialized equipment used to protect lives and property. In conjunction with the firetruck tours for the young people in attendance, training classes emphasized the importance of grab-and-go emergency kits, a response to the recent devastating fires in California.

“We focused specifically on creating 72-hour emergency grab-and-go kits and their contents. Also, we provided visitors with resources to build their own,” Snow said. “We were moved by the events in California in January, where fires swept through populated areas. We concluded that one of the most helpful things for everyone would have been to have a bag filled with essentials they could grab quickly, allowing them to take care of themselves and their families in the days that followed.”

According to Allison Jester, Holladay Emergency Management coordinator, the Holladay community would survive a disaster. The significant questions are how residents would survive and how they would recover.  

“The city of Holladay seeks to provide information, tools and training to our citizens through various avenues,” Jester said. “We have many resources posted on our website to help residents understand what they can do to be better prepared including creating emergency kits, making plans and receiving emergency communications from authorities. In addition, we collaborate with our surrounding jurisdictions to provide Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) courses twice a year. These courses are free and available to anyone who would like to participate. Our CERT team meets bimonthly to do additional training, participate in volunteer work and community outreach, and hold exercises to practice response and recovery capabilities. I love working with our amazing citizens to answer questions, do presentations and spread understanding on this topic.”

Small or large, every disaster presents unique issues and requires cooperation between agencies, volunteer organizations and prepared residents during and after it. 

“In the immediate aftermath of any large-scale disaster, the city of Holladay would open our Emergency Coordination Center (ECC) to begin communicating with partners across the valley to find, share and direct resources to the areas in most need,” Jester said. “Our primary concerns would be first saving lives and then working with partners to re-establish access to basic needs such as water, power and shelter in all areas of the city through whatever means possible. In addition, we will work closely with Emergency Management officials at the county and state level to advocate for further resources, assistance and funding to facilitate short and long-term recovery. Through timely and clear instruction to our residents, we will provide information on immediate actions, areas to avoid, how they can assist in the effort, and other pertinent information as soon as possible. At the appropriate time, a Recovery Task Force (RTF) will be established to explore the unique needs of the city of Holladay further, and plans will be developed to reach targeted goals. 

In support of Holladay’s emergency preparedness plan and available resources, this year’s Emergency Preparedness Fair successfully provided comprehensive emergency disaster preparedness training for over 160 families, ensuring they can respond swiftly and effectively when it matters most.

For more information about Emergency Preparedness in Holladay, contact Holladay Emergency Management Coordinator Allison Jester at [email protected].λ