Disaster Training photo from the Nebraska National Guard
Preparing for a large-scale emergency can seem like a daunting task, but when done step-by-step, and with a team, it can be an exceedingly rewarding experience. There are many ways you can be trained for responding to a large-scale emergency: basic CPR and First Aid, EMT training, or even HAZMAT training. Now is the time to find a training class in your area that can prepare you to help your community in the event of an emergency.
Training courses are offered through a variety of different agencies, including organizations like the Red Cross and those offered through your city, county or state government offices (such as FEMA). Where you go to train depends on how you want to assist your community.
Here are a few ideas about where to find emergency training and the courses offered through the organization:
Volunteering in an emergency situation can be taxing emotionally and physically, so your decision about the training you wish to receive should be based on where you’ll be the strongest. Here are some more tips about how to prepare for an emergency.
As the weather improves, many people find themselves wanting to spend more time outdoors. Fire pits and outdoor fireplaces offer an excellent way to extend the amount of time that can be comfortably spent outdoors with family and friends.
When planning for your outdoor fireplace or fire pit, comfort and ease of access seem to top the list-but the safety of your family, home or business, and guests should be the top priority. By following a few simple suggestions, you can avoid having your latest home or business improvement project become a nightmare.
Here are a few things to consider when protecting your home and family from a fire:
Proximity to combustible materials. It is recommended that you keep any combustible materials a minimum of 10 feet away from your fireplace.
The type of fuel. Wood, gas, or charcoal are the most popular and safest fuels to use in a fire pit or outdoor fireplace. Don’t use chemicals or combustibles, like lighter fluid or gasoline, to get the flames going.
Placement. Never place your fireplace on a wooden deck as hot embers can quickly ruin an evening.
Supervisionand prevention. Always supervise children and pets when a fire pit or outdoor fireplace is in use. Children easily fall and pets sometimes miscalculate their jumps. Many fire pits and fireplaces come with metal grates or curtains that can be placed on top of them–use them.
Proper disposal. Never dispose of hot ashes in a plastic waste receptacle. Instead, wait until the ashes have cooled and place them in a trash can made out of metal
Be ready. Make sure to have a garden hose, bucket of water, and/or a fire extinguisher close by when using your fireplace or fire pit.
Don’t break the law. Before installing a fire pit or outdoor fireplace, check with your local fire department see if these items are legal to use in your area. Some cities allow outdoor fireplaces only for ascetic purposes, but not for use as a heat source.
Local natural and manmade disasters can cause great devastation when they happen. You can help reduce the affect of these disasters by getting involved in your city’s or county’s disaster planning efforts. Some states, like California and New York, have websites where communities can get involved in planning for a variety of local disasters. Check out your city or counties website to see how you can get involved, or call your local city hall or Red Cross. These places will be able to give you information on how your city or county will need help during a local disaster.
When there is a disaster, a community typically needs assistance with the following:
Redirecting Traffic. If there is loss of power to a city or there has been a natural disaster, the roads are often the first to suffer. Directing traffic can help relieve congestion and redirect people to alternate routes.
Phone tree. Operating a phone tree in a disaster helps get vital information to those who need it.
Disaster command center. The coordination of agencies involved in providing aid to a distraught area can be strenuous for just a few people to do; that’s why volunteering to help at a command center can help relieve stress and as you provide another brain that knows what’s going on. Assistance can take on the form of helping run an information booth to helping with emergency shelter services, and more.
CPR & First Aid. Learning CPR and first aid techniques can help you know how to provide immediate life-saving acts until more help arrives.
Volunteer Coordination and Preparation. Volunteer coordinators help recruit able bodies to assist in areas such as outreach to the community about preparedness, clean-up, to helping hand out essential items to those in need. Volunteers help speed the recovery effort.
Nothing can be more annoying than sitting down to relax and hearing the phone ring. If the phone call is from your best friend to see how you are, that’s not so bad. But if the person on the other end of the line is a stranger asking you personal questions, one’s blood pressure can instantly rise. However, residents of Madison County, Kentucky (and surrounding counties) are going to all have their phones ring on Tuesday, January 26, 2010 in an event planned by the county Emergency Management Agency/Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program.
A Madison County EMA/CSEPP public information officer will be calling homes to conduct a survey about how well the residents know about the EMA/CSEPP’s services and how to access them should a disaster strike. The Richmond Register states the survey, which was conducted 5-years-ago, will help raise awareness about how the county can help its residents and see how much they know about emergency preparedness. The information gathered in the survey, which should only take a few minutes, will also help the EMA/CSEPP build upon their outreach and educational efforts.
For more information about this survey, call the Madison County EMA/CSEPP office at 624-4787.
After a week of heavy rains left California wet and muddy, residents are bracing for yet another storm. The National Weather Service reports a smaller storm is expected to make landfall on Tuesday and should last a couple of days.
This comes as bad news as people took advantage of the drier weather and began the restoration process this weekend. The week of stormy weather affected the hills to the beaches: recently wildfire-devastated areas experienced mud slides and the coast had dirty beaches as the San Gabriel River sent trash to line the ocean shores. Stranger yet, cities across the state witnessed the fall of hail, and the sighting of a funnel cloud prompted a tornado warning near Brentwood. Work crews and residents in California are now scrambling to clean up what they can before the next wave of rain hits.
It is vital that water damage caused by the recent storms is cleaned up as mold damage will soon follow if items are left damp. A company that specialized in disaster recovery services can assist in this effort and help businesses and homeowners get back on their feet by drying wet documents and other items.
