There’s no doubt that if residents in certain areas of the region are told to evacuate because of the approaching Hurricane Irene, some residents will opt to “ride out” the storm.

If you are one of those people, keep this in mind: Once winds reach a certain speed, don’t expect emergency personnel to come rescue you if you change your mind about riding out the storm. Even for emergency personnel, there comes a time when they have to park their vehicles for safety reasons — to protect themselves and their vehicles. In Washington, once sustained winds reach 50 mph, the city’s emergency personnel cease operations. They stop, not because of fear, but because they must keep themselves and their equipment in a position to respond to post-storm needs. After all, injured personnel and damaged vehicles aren’t very useful in helping in the aftermath of a hurricane.

So, when faced with a choice between evacuating and riding out a storm, think about it. Seriously, think about it.

If you want to place your life in danger, that’s your choice. Just don’t let that choice put others in danger if they have to come rescue you because you didn’t have enough sense to leave when the leaving was good.

Don’t put others are risk because you chose not to heed the warnings.