Don't Panic! It's Emergency Preparedness Week

by Rob Peters | May 5, 2008 at 01:55 pm | 518 views | 9 comments

Earthquake evidence...(a few years old now...)

May 4-10 is Emergency Preparedness Week--do you know where your three-day supply of Alphaghetti is?

According to organizers, there are three steps to not dying in an emergency: know the risks, make a plan, and get a kit. Which step are you on?

Emergency Preparedness (EP) Week is an annual event that occurs the first week of May. This year marks the 13th anniversary of EP Week, a national campaign coordinated by Public Safety Canada in collaboration with partners. This year's theme is "72 hours - Is your family prepared?" Canadians are encouraged to be ready to cope on their own for at least the first 72 hours of an emergency. This will enable first responders to focus on those in urgent need.

Flag this story

Upload

Make your good story a great story. Click here to add your photos & video to this story.

Crowd Power

Scan the web to add photos and videos to this story or add them from the NowPublic Archive.

everchanging

at 18:37 on May 5th, 2008

good stuff:

Rob Peters, I like this story. It's good stuff.

Of course this is in Canada, while the U.S. (we don't anything like this week).

So we remain in our unprepared pasture, waiting for the wolves. Here in the u.s. its on an individual basis of who is aware and not in the pasture.

PEP

at 20:04 on May 5th, 2008

Errr, then again, there's Emergency Preparedness MONTH in the U.S. Then there's Fire Prevention Week,

There's a plethora of regional, state, and local events and observances. There's also a richness of resources for personal emergency preparedness both on the internet, with local organizations, and the library. As a former safety manager, I always tell people: the only person who can prepare you and your family for various emergencies is--you. No one is going to come to your home and pack a backpack or plan an escape route, or bring in emergency water supplies, batteries, and flashlights to have on hand in case of storms.

everchanging

at 12:28 on May 6th, 2008

PEP, Thanks for the insight and the links.

You are so very right:

"the only person who can prepare you and your family for various emergencies is--you"

American Red Cross Oregon Trail Chapter

at 15:53 on May 6th, 2008

Thanks for pointing that out, PEP. Every month in the US has some sort of emergency preparedness theme. We (the American Red Cross) do our best to get preparedness info to people all the time, and we make special efforts for whatever safety theme is in a particular month.

Like recently: April = Earthquake Preparedness Month http://redcrosspdx.blogspot.com/2008/04/earthquake-predictions.html

And May = Aquatic Safety Month
http://redcrosspdx.blogspot.com/2008/05/kulongoski-wants-youto-be-safe-in-water.html

Guðmundur S

at 22:49 on May 5th, 2008

Taken in a Air Crash training weekend in Iceland 24-27 april 2008. The Air Crash training weekend took place in Vestmann Islands south of Iceland where all emergency parties in Iceland came for this weekend and took part.

Guðmundur S has contributed a photo to this story.

Fito san

at 03:05 on May 6th, 2008

Earthquake simulation at the “Life Safety Learning Center” in Tokyo (Japan)

Fito san has contributed a photo to this story.

A R Clark

at 12:13 on May 6th, 2008

The U.S. Coast Guard came to the rescue of someone in medical need and plucked them from the cruise ship that we were on. Quite a dramatic event. For safety reasons we were not allowed too close so this was the best photo available.

A R Clark has contributed a photo to this story.

rharring49

at 21:35 on May 6th, 2008

This photo shows one of two patients who were flown from an accident in Knoxville, Tenn. by University of Tennessee Medical Center Lifestar helicopters. Both were seriously injured but survived.

rharring49 has contributed a photo to this story.

everchanging

at 15:17 on May 7th, 2008

I know some of you people know this but for those that do not, here something for trivia regarding helicopters. I do not know if this universal in terminology, but I know it is used in hospital settings in Arizona. When a helicopter is landing or taking off in an emergency - it is called a hot or cold landing. There is no in between regarding this that I know for safety reasons.

Hot landings - are where the blades of the helicopter stay at full speed and then crews approach the helicopter with caution while loading or unloading patience's, personal or items.

Cold Landings - are where the blades are at a complete stop (no movement). Then crews approach the helicopter to load or unloading patience's, personal or items.

The reason of no in between hot and cold landings or take offs, is the blades flex up and down as they speed up or speed down and can cut or rip a person apart like butter.