Busy Week for Delaware Citizen Corps

Business embraces CERT Awareness. The DE State CERT Team and the Office of Emergency Management from City of Wilmington partnered Friday September 24, to provided Wilmington Trust Bank with a full day of Preparedness Training . The day included Evacuation and Shelter in place procedures, Fire Safety, Search and Rescue and Citizen Preparedness. How prepared are your employees?  The more prepared they are, the quicker your business will be able to reopen after disaster.

Faith Based Training; The Mount Calvary AME church invited Citizen Corps on Saturday September 25 to their Emergency Preparedness Day in Seaford. Bob George and Marny McLee spoke to the group about Emergency Preparedness and assisted in their efforts to actually prepare a disaster kit for all participants. Donations from the local business coupled with Emergency Kits and training from  DE Citizen Corps helped to make the day productive and enjoyable. If your community group is interested in learning about preparedness, please contact us!

Family Emergency Preparedness Day A Success!

The Family Emergency Preparedness Day (FEPD) which is an annual state observance of National Preparedness Month attracted an estimated crowd of more than 2,000 visitors to Glasgow Park on Sept. 11. Admission and all events at FEPD were free and the rapid consumption of the first 400 free burgers prompted Jake’s to send for more. Delmarva Power was a corporate funding supporter along with Jake’s Hamburgers, Rita’s Water Ice and ServPro of Bear/New Castle which provided free bottled water.
New Castle County Office of Emergency Management was the 2010 host sponsor with co-sponsors including the Department of Safety and Homeland Security, DEMA, Citizen Corps and the American Red Cross of the Delmarva Peninsula. NCC Executive Chris Coons attended and delivered a proclamation of September as Preparedness Month in New Castle County. He presented the proclamation to NCC OEM Coordinator Dave Carpenter. Previous events have been hosted by Sussex and Kent County Emergency Management offices.
A field full of more than 20 exhibitors provided displays and information on preparedness and safety. Many people participated in free training for fire extinguisher use, Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and family emergency planning and emergency supply kit building. The Delaware National Guard climbing wall attracted a crowd and encouraged young people to get high without drugs. Citizen Corps basic emergency supply backpacks were given away during training sessions and in drawings throughout the day.

Gov. Markell proclaims Delaware Preparedness Month

In conjunction with National Preparedness Month, Gov. Jack Markell and Lt. Gov. Mathew Denn have declared September as Delaware Preparedness Month. In issuing a declaration, the Governor and Lt. Governor encourage all Delawareans to take steps to be better prepared for emergencies in their homes, businesses and schools.

Markell advises residents to take advantage of opportunities to learn more about ways to prepare for all types of emergencies from natural disasters to potential terrorist attacks. Delaware Emergency Management Agency, Citizen Corps and FEMA have programs and informative web sites that can guide the public in creating emergency plans and stocking emergency supply kits.

The Governor also asks citizens to be part of the anti-terrorism team by reporting suspicious activity to the Delaware “See Something, Say Something” tip line, 1-800-FORCE-1-2.

The declaration refers specifically to the importance of not only having a plan and a kit, but also being knowledgeable about evacuation or sheltering decisions, and being aware of potential conditions and threats.

Delaware Emergency Management Agency joins the national initiative for preparedness by encouraging and teaching preparedness. The agency, including Delaware Citizen Corps, offers materials, presentations and instruction in household and community preparedness. Events scheduled to observe National Preparedness Month include Family Emergency Preparedness Day, Saturday, Sept. 11, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. in Glasgow Park in New Castle County.

Free family emergency preparedness presentations are available statewide. DEMA-trained presenters can be scheduled for a presentation that features step by step guidance in creating a family plan, an example of an emergency supply kit and preparedness materials. The presentations are appropriate for civic and educational organizations, church groups and neighborhood associations as well as for businesses. For information or to schedule a presentation, call 856-5815 in Sussex County, and 659-2210 for Kent or New Castle counties.

Citizen Corps also offers Community Emergency Response Team training and emergency preparedness classes. For information, call 659-2243. 

Emergency preparedness information is also available at www.dema.delaware.gov,  www.delawarecitizencorps.org, www.preparede.org, andwww.ready.gov.

9/11 Drill Down

As part of the 9/11 Drill Down for SAFETY Campaign, Safe America Foundation is focusing on the use of wireless devices as “safety tools”. The campaign is called “Test First, Talk Second”. We all know land lines work exceptionally well; however with most of the population out and about on a daily basis and cell, text and internet are common modes of communicating.

So on the anniversary please join me in a call down drill with your family. Whether a disturbance at school, mall, airport or a weather event, stay connected with FOUR simple letters  ----I    M   O  K    -texting IMOK takes less than 2 seconds,  faster than a call, it is a fraction of the bandwidth so 800 additional people can send out the same message  in comparison to just one phone call.

So please take some time at dinner and discuss with the family, if there was an event and you needed someone to know you are okay –then text –I M O K.