Our Organization — A.D.A.P.T.

“Get involved now with A.D.A.P.T. Atherton is fortunate to have A.D.A.P.T. as the go-to resource for disaster and major emergency training and preparation.

Join me every month at A.D.A.P.T.’s Community Meetings for real world emergency training.”

—Police Chief Steve McCulley, Atherton Police Department

About A.D.A.P.T.

We are an all-volunteer group of proactive Atherton residents who formed A.D.A.P.T. in 1999 to partner with Atherton Police to educate, communicate with and aid fellow Athertonians in preparing for major emergencies and natural disasters.

Specifically, we:

Empower Atherton residents, their families, and neighborhoods organize to develop emergency plans and improve their overall readiness.
Create and lead training exercises and disaster drills within the community.
Disseminate relevant emergency preparedness materials, information, and resources to the community.
Facilitate organizational and coordination meetings with the Atherton police, the 8 schools located in Atherton (8,000 students in Atherton daily), Atherton town officials, and our 14 Areas/neighborhoods.

A.D.A.P.T.’s History

Atherton’s resident emergency preparation and organization was originally led by Bob Jenkins and other Atherton residents, in the mid-late 1990’s. They created an initial program to prepare the Town’s residents for a major disaster. After Bob Jenkin’s moved out of the Town in the mid 2000’s, a group of citizens formed A.D.A.P.T. (Atherton Disaster and Preparedness Team).
In 2008, Atherton resident Scott Barnum assumed the A.D.A.P.T. leadership role and steadily enhanced its membership and neighborhood participation. During his tenure, A.D.A.P.T. was incorporated as a 501(c)(3), a website was established (www.getreadyatherton.org), emergency equipment caches were funded and procured, and the Town of Atherton Emergency Rollout document was created in November 2015. The first ever Atherton Community Emergency Drill was conducted in August 2016.
In December 2016, Tom Prussing was elected President of the A.D.A.P.T. Board. Between February 2017 and December 2018 Norma Fogelberg, Colleen Haight and Jeanne Jensen were elected to the Board.
2016-2021: Under Tom Prussing’s leadership, the Board grew, community involvement continued to increase via annual emergency drills, monthly community meetings, monthly Town-wide email updates and end-of-the-year holiday parties.. In addition, Areas and Area Coordinators were identified, Emergency Assembly Points were chosen, a resident handbook was distributed and a website and YouTube channel were created. Tom’s tenure also included the creation of a customized 12-month training program dedicated to Atherton citizen emergency preparedness and response.