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Block Captains

Become a Block Captain

You don't need to be an expert. You just need to care about your neighbors.

Block Captains keep 10–20 nearby households connected. It takes a few hours a year before a disaster, and it makes a huge difference after one, especially at the end of a one-road peninsula.

Before a disaster

  • Build a small team: an assistant and a couple of runners; maybe someone for supplies or radio.
  • Host a block get-together once or twice a year. We provide the agenda, sign-in sheet, and handouts.
  • Keep your block's contact list and map, with each household's consent. Welcome new neighbors when they move in.
  • Note who may need extra help: neighbors living alone, people with medical equipment that needs power, kids home alone after school, pets and livestock. Only with their permission.
  • Record skills and tools: first aid, chainsaw, generator, ham or GMRS radio, heavy equipment, languages.
  • Pick a meeting spot for your block and make sure everyone knows it.
  • Encourage household prep: One Hour a Month, kits, plans.
  • Get trained, or recruit someone who is: CPR and first aid, CERT.
  • Get on the radio network: a Meshtastic node (no license needed) and, ideally, a HAM license for you or someone on your block.

After a disaster

  1. Take care of your own household first
  2. Go to your block's meeting spot Account for households. Note urgent needs.
  3. Check homes in pairs, never alone Start with HELP signs and homes with no sign. Give first aid if trained. If something feels unsafe, stay out.
  4. Check gas meters and propane tanks Shut off only if there's a leak.
  5. Report to your Area Lead Injuries, missing people, damage, and needs, by phone, HAM radio, or Meshtastic. Call 911 for emergencies.
  6. Share updates Pass along Response Mode updates and help neighbors share skills and supplies.

You own your block's information. Your block's contact list, map, and needs notes belong to you as Block Captain. Keep them on paper (with a backup copy somewhere safe), share them only with your co-captain, and hand them to your replacement if you step down. Don't post them online or put them in shared spreadsheets without the households' permission.

The Block Captain toolkit

When you sign up, your Area Lead will share the toolkit:

  • A role summary
  • Get-together agenda, sign-in sheet, and consent form
  • Block contact list and map templates
  • Skills and tools inventory
  • Block status report and runner message forms
  • North End OK / HELP signs
  • An annual checklist: refresh the list, test radios, re-confirm the meeting spot

Count me in

Tell us a little about you and your Area Lead will get in touch.

I'm interested in

Volunteer safety. Never enter damaged buildings or do anything beyond your training. Consider registering as an emergency worker with Kitsap County DEM, which covers training and approved activities.