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Community Corner

Introducing Renton Rockstar: Rachel Myers

Renton's Rockstars are the well-known movers and shakers — and sometimes unsung heroes — who continue to make Renton "Ahead of the Curve" in the place we call home. Some of these rockstars are volunteers, or some continue to give and give as part of a job

As the Emergency Services Outreach Coordinator and AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer with the City of Renton Fire and Emergency Services Department, Rachel Myers has seen and done a lot in her three years on the job. Her main task has been helping diverse populations in the Renton Community become aware of disaster preparedness.

Myers began the Americorps position after graduating from Pacific Lutheran University in 2008 where she majored in French and English. Because she was born and raised in Renton, Myers looked for AmeriCorps positions in the area and found the opening for an Emergency Services Outreach Coordinator.

Although Myers hadn’t worked in emergency management or the fire service before, once she embraced it, she found that she really liked it, and the populations she has served.

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“I’ve done presentations to community organizations, churches, schools and neighborhood associations about disaster preparedness,” Myers said. In all, she thinks she’s delivered over 50 presentations to groups in her three years on the job.

Some of the groups that have benefitted from Myers’ presentation include Honeydew Estates Neighborhood, Living Hope Christian Fellowship, Leisure Estates, complexes, the Filipino American Community of Renton, Vantage Glen, Bright Horizons Childcare, and the Chinese information Service Center.

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“Rachel is well known throughout our diverse community as one who is caring, compassionate, patient and creative in identifying/making connections with new groups,” said Greg Taylor member. “She is genuinely interested in learning about different cultures, religions and customs.”

Myers embraced the challenges of her position by learning how to make the idea of disaster preparedness relevant to the groups she addressed and “what is actually realistic for them to do,” she said.

“It may just be giving someone carbon monoxide poisoning prevention in their own language or a DVD in their own language on how to be prepared for disasters,” Myers said.

Some of her other work at the department included writing a section of the adopted 2009 Renton fire code that provided guidelines to nursing and boarding homes about disaster preparedness and planning.

Fire Chief Mark Peterson has been extremely pleased with Myers’ work, and said the department will truly miss her as her volunteer position ends.

“Rachel has done a tremendous job of establishing relationships and getting our preparedness message out, especially to our multicultural community.  It is obvious the she cares for her community and the people she serves,” he said.

The next challenge on this Renton Rockstar's horizon is doing part-time work with Fire 20/20 helping multi-cultural groups connect with fire and emergency services departments.

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