National Preparedness Month, which takes place each September, encourages Americans to prepare for emergencies in their homes, communities and organizations. Evergreen Safety Council and the National Safety Council urges you to take two simple steps which can go a long way toward managing an unexpected crisis.
Develop an Emergency Response Plan —
Emergency response plans should reflect the kinds of disasters most likely to happen where you live and work. Having a plan can help prepare you to communicate with family members and co-workers during an emergency.
- Develop a list of emergency contact information for family members and neighbors.
- Practice evacuation drills, including primary and alternate escape routes.
- Identify who will assist young children, older adults and the physically challenged.
- Ask local officials for your community’s emergency response plan and coordinate it with yours.
- Determine who has what role to play during a crisis. For example, who decides when there is an emergency, who makes sure everyone has evacuated the building and who decides when the emergency is over? Do you have a certified Safety & Health Specialist on staff?
- Establish a location for people to meet and appoint a person to be in charge of taking attendance to make sure every person is accounted for.
- Appoint and train emergency responders for first aid, CPR and AED in different parts of your building.
- Contact Evergreen Safety Council. We can help with all of your safety training needs. We can come to you for site safety evaluations and to help you develop your preparedness plan. We are here to help.
Join Safe Communities America —
You also can get involved in emergency planning for your community and organization by joining Safe Communities America, an NSC initiative that promotes safety and injury prevention across the United States.
National Preparedness Month is sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security’s "Ready" campaign and Citizen Corps.