Brownsville, CA – On the doorstep of the wildfire season, state and local emergency responders will once again bring their fire engines, command vehicles, and other equipment to the Yuba County foothills for the 2023 Be Prepared Fair.
The event is scheduled to take place on Thursday, May 18, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Ponderosa Community Center, located at 17103 Ponderosa Way in Brownsville.
This will be the third year the Yuba County Office of Emergency Services has hosted the fair that brings top public safety personnel to one place to mix with residents and talk about the importance of being prepared for any emergency. Thirty-seven agencies have confirmed they will be on hand to answer questions about preparing for the wildfire season, and many will provide both information and giveaways that can be useful in any emergency situation.
“We designed the Be Prepared Fair to be an informal and family-friendly event that makes it easy to have helpful conversations with the same people who have the jobs of keeping communities safe,” said Yuba County Office of Emergency Services Manager Oscar Marin. “The children will be able to get up-close to fire engines and other emergency equipment, while the adults can have meaning conversation with our sheriff, firefighters, and people from several other emergency response agencies.”
A variety of emergency vehicles and equipment will be on display in front of the Ponderosa Community Center, while several information tables will be located inside. Among the giveaways are items that will be useful for starting the process of preparing a go-bag, an important part of preparing for an emergency. There will also be door prizes that include fire extinguishers and bicycles.
Marin said food trucks will be at the Be Prepared Fair, for those who want to grab dinner, a snack, or something sweet.
Agencies scheduled to be at the 3rd Annual Be Prepared Fair include the Yuba County Sheriff, Cal Fire, Cal OES, U.S. Forest Service, California Highway Patrol, Foothill Fire, Camptonville Fire, Yuba Water Agency, PG&E, the American Red Cross, Yuba County Health and Human Services, The Yuba FireSafe Council, two animal rescue projects, FREED, and many more.
During the event, the REACH medical helicopter will land on the baseball field across from the Ponderosa Community Center. Radio station 93Q will be broadcasting updates from the fair, as well.
“One of the most important things we do at this fair is help people sign up for CodeRED alerts and assist them in locating their home’s Zonehaven zone,” Marin said. “These are important services used by the Yuba County Sheriff’s Department and Office of Emergency Services to immediately alert residents during an emergency.”
Fair organizers say parking for the event will be at the park across the street from the Ponderosa Community Center, as well as near the baseball field behind the center. Shuttles will be available.