Following the 11:00 AM service our congregation is invited to stay for a special community conversation on emergency preparedness.

UUCS member Bob Bernstein has kindly arranged for Simone Ramel-McKay, MA, CEM®, Program Specialist with Spokane County Emergency Management, to join us. Simone oversees Alert & Warning systems and Volunteer Management for the county and brings deep expertise in community resilience planning.

The gathering is exploratory in nature — no commitments required. The goal is simply to discuss whether our congregation might want to pursue affiliation with a CERT group (Community Emergency Response Team), a nationally recognized program that trains everyday people in basic disaster response and preparedness.

It’s a timely conversation. We tend to think about safety in terms of the threats that make headlines, but emergencies take many forms — severe weather events, hazardous materials incidents, infrastructure failures. Spokane sits at a major rail hub serving the entire Pacific Northwest, and our building could one day serve as a refuge for community members displaced by a disaster. Being prepared isn’t just about protecting ourselves — it’s about being ready to serve our neighbors when it matters most.

Come with your questions, your concerns, and your ideas. This is a conversation worth having together.

All are welcome. Spread the word.