Recent Emergency Preparedness Presentations

I wanted to share a few highlights from recent presentations made related to emergency preparedness. The focus of a presentation regarding longer-term power outages was that these types of situations can cascade into disasters, however, they can be planned for. Another presentation related to "See Something, Say Something", and included an overview of the horrific events of a terrorist attack on a school in Beslan, Russia. The focus of the presentation was to discuss the release of the USDHS Strategic Framework for Countering Terrorism and Targeted Violence (Sep. 2019), and some of the highlights. On page 22 of the document, it states, "An aware society is the best foundation for preventing terrorism and targeted violence."

I also wanted to share some information with you from the third presentation. The topic of this presentation was assistive evacuation techniques for those with limited mobility or injuries. Basic carry techniques were presented and demonstrated by myself, as the presenter, as well as by those who were present. These are simple techniques that are widely used and that almost anyone can implement to move someone out of an emergency situation and to safety. If you work or live in a multi-story building, you, and all of those on the upper floors, can and should learn these techniques. They only take about 5 minutes to learn. Learning them and being able to apply any of them if needed can save a life.

"Preparedness is a shared responsibility, calling for everyone's involvement, not just that of the government" (USDHS, 2019, p. 28). While this may seem like a no-brainer, very few take any action to increase their resilience to disasters.

Reference: USDHS. (2019). Strategic Framework for Countering Terrorism and Targeted Violence. https://www.dhs.gov/publication/dhs-strategic-framework-countering-terrorism-and-targeted-violence