Absolutely true, thanks for pointing this out to everyone Phillip. I'm aware of the issues for prematurely turning off gas (turning it back on safely), I would turn off gas only if I smelled it and felt I could safely turn it off at the source to stop a leak. That itself is iffy - I read somewhere recently about the incidence of fire and explosion, that the best course is to run away quickly and simply write off that property, and possibly the people trapped in it. Like you said, everyone's mileage varies - mine doesn't include prematurely turning off any gas without evidence of a leak. Most homes won't be unattended after an earthquake either - if a homeowner is there and gas is leaking, I ask if he/she wants my assistance turning it off. If they don't, and understand the ramifications of not turning off their gas, I move on down the street. For the first hour anyway, I'm not inclined to turn off anyone's water at all, unless there is a visible foundation leak or other running water. As per CERT, the most I'm doing right away is a quick visual run down of the area and possible damage,and preventing more damage by turning off gas where indicated. That's my plan anyway - I live 150 yards from the Seattle Fault, more than likely I will be slammed by my bedroom wall and lying unconscious beneath some rubble.

For my 2 block radius inventory I didn't inform the cops, at least half of my neighbors know me by sight, and the other half were more or less calmed when I pointed to where i lived (at worst, I was a nosy neighbor). I think Boy Scouts (in uniform) could accomplish this inventory task pretty well too without raising suspicions.