Be Prepared, Not Scared for Disasters

It’s hurricane season and a great time of year to practice being prepared for an emergency or disaster in your area. September marks National Preparedness Month and the theme this year is “Be Prepared, Not Scared”. It’s important to have disaster preparedness plans in place whether you are at home, work or traveling when an event occurs. You never know what type of emergency could affect you. Follow these guidelines to help you and your loved ones be prepared for any situation and help give your family peace of mind with a plan in place.

Here’s the best steps to take to be prepared:

Be Informed: When it comes to being prepared for a disaster, there is no such thing as being too prepared. For example, this can involve making sure you have proper insurance coverage if you live in a potential flood area. Most homeowners’ and renters’ insurance do not cover flood damage which means you would need to obtain additional insurance to cover possible flooding. There are many other ways to plan financially for disasters and you can find out more information from clicking this link. Other ways to keep yourself informed include learning about potential hazards that may strike your community and your community’s plans for warning and evacuation when these events do occur. Awareness is truly the first key to being prepared. Want to know more? Visit https://www.ready.gov/be-informed to see an entire list of potential disasters and how to be prepared for each of these events.

Make an Emergency Plan: Put a plan in place with your family and loved ones simply over a conversation at dinner. You always want to be prepared for the “what ifs” so that when the emergency occurs, you feel more confident in contacting and locating your loved ones. Keep in mind how you will get in touch with each other to check in and know you are safe or if you need help. You also need to know where you plan on meeting to get back together when a disaster occurs. For more information on making a plan, visit http://www.ready.gov/make-a-plan.

Build a Kit: Use building a kit as an opportunity to bond with your family and loved ones. Involve children in the process too so that they feel they are contributing to ways they can help their family in an emergency. Things to include in a supply kit include food, water and other supplies in sufficient quantity to last for at least three days. Local officials and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster, but they cannot reach everyone immediately. You could get help in hours, or it might take days which is why you want to have plenty of food and water to survive on. In addition, basic services such as electricity, gas, water, sewage treatment, and telephones may be cut off for days, or even a week or longer. To find a complete checklist of the supplies your household may need in the event of an emergency, visit http://www.ready.gov/build-a-kit.

Get Involved: Now is a great time to get involved in your community’s preparedness initiatives. Did you know that Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) train volunteers to prepare for the types of disasters that their community may face? Find your local CERT: https://community.fema.gov/Register/Register_Search_Programs.

Cell Phone Sally wants to remind you that 9-1-1 is a valuable resource and way to get or find help in any emergency. And remember to never use 9-1-1 for fun as it can clog up the phone lines for real emergencies.

Back to School Safety Tips from Cell Phone Sally

Can you believe the summer is over and it is time to head back to school? As you start sending your children back to school, it is important to keep a few emergency safety tips in mind to help create a successful school year!

Here are a few back to school tips:

1.    Know Personal Info: Make sure your kids know your name, your phone number and their address. If they were to get lost or were in an emergency, knowing this information can help children get help quicker if they need it!

2.    Emergency Kit: Create a portable first aid/emergency kit for children to carry in their backpacks. That way, if something happens your children are prepared. Items could include: small flashlight, emergency whistle, band-aids, antibiotic ointment, Chapstick, a small snack, antibacterial hand cleaner, and wipes are just a few items you could include. Parents- also include an ID card for children to have on them. Here is a free one to fill out: https://momwithaprep.com/emergency-id-cards-free/ and it shares all ways that these come in handy.

3.    Traveling to/from school: Make sure you have a walking route to school or the bus stop. Walk the route with your children the first few times so they know which way to go. And if they are too young to walk alone, then make sure to walk with them or have a friend/classmate walk with them and stay on sidewalks if possible. Make sure your child knows to never talk to strangers and to obey all traffic signs.

4.    Have a Family Password: Make sure your family has a secret password that only the family knows. Parents- only share this special password with trusted family and friends who might pick your child up. This way if a stranger approaches your child for a ride or anything, your child should ask the person for the password and if they do not know it, then the child knows it is a bad person. Read more about why family passwords are important here: https://momwithaprep.com/do-you-have-a-family-password/

5.    Escape Plans: Schools have protocols on how to get kids out of the school in an emergency, but it is still good to talk to your children about when they are allowed to walk away and go home or call to get a ride home from you or a trusted adult. Parents or guardians, ask the teacher or administrative staff for a copy of their plan.

6.    Communicate with Your Children: Ask them how their day was and make sure to keep the lines of communication open in case something bad happens at school. This way your child will be more comfortable talking about issues that could be dangerous to them or others.

For additional tips on back to school smarts visit this website link. You can learn more about healthy snacks, bus stop safety, bullying, and food allergies, to name a few. Remember, if you or a loved one finds themselves in an emergency situation, please do not hesitate to contact 9-1-1. We are here to help and wish all children a great 2020-2021 school year!

NPEF 2019 Conference Wrap Up

It was an exciting time July 14^th through the 17^th in Virginia Beach, Virginia as 125 9-1-1 and emergency service educators from 23 different states came together to learn and participate in the 9^th Annual National Public Safety Educator Forum Conference. The theme for this year’s conference had to do with water and ocean life since the conference was so close to the beach and conference staff had a lot of fun decorating the room prior to the conference beginning.

The conference kicked off on a Sunday afternoon and hit the ground running with all attendees being separated into groups of 10-12 people. Within these groups the attendees had to complete two projects. The first project was “Think Outside the Box” with NPEF committee member Susan Rodriguez challenging conference goers to come up with all the ins and outs of planning an event from budget, to analytics, to information to share and how many people would be expected at the event and more. The other project came from NPEF committee member Melinda Crockom who led groups in helping them coming up with a Public Service Announcement in a jingle format on different 9-1-1 topics such as text-to-911, Kari’s Law, Know You Location and Lock it in Your Pocket. All projects and PSAs were a big hit when shared at the end of the conference.

One attendee shared, “Great job to the Conference Staff. We have sent our staff to this event for 4 years now, and I have been lucky enough to attend twice” She went on to state “I think this is one of the best National Conferences that I have ever attended. You all put a lot of time and work in to these and it shows. Every single person that I have spoken with about the conference agrees that this is one of the most beloved conferences.”

The conference was jam-packed with some great speakers, including keynote speaker Ron Rosenberg, who spoke about doubling your memory and the secrets of marketing. Other speakers covered topics on collaborating with other entities, social media tips, and design principles, to name a few.

A conference attendee shared, “The speakers were well rounded, and each had a different topic. 911 Education was a hit from multiple angles, and I was able to take a lot back home!”

To see testimonials or PSAs from this year’s conference, please visit the NPEF YouTube page. Next year will be even more exciting as we embark on our 10^th Annual Conference which will take place in Austin, Texas in July 2020. You won’t want to miss this one! For more information on NPEF or to become a member for FREE, visit www.911npef.org.

Learn Safety Tips During National Safety Month

June serves as National Safety Month and provides for an opportunity to become better educated on a multitude of safety topics that can help protect you and your loved ones for various safety issues. Did you know that injuries are the third highest amount of unintentional deaths in the United States? And even more alarming, the number one killer of unintentional death is overdoses from prescription medications- specifically opioid misuse. In this blog we will tackle a few important safety tips in honor of National Safety Month. It is our hope that this blog provides useful information that helps keep you safe starting now!

Work-Related Injuries

Work safety is of the utmost importance for not only your health, but also for businesses. Because of workplace injuries, businesses incur costs in wage and productivity, medical expenses, administrative expenses, and more. As most might guess, the industry that deals with the most preventable injuries is construction, with transportation coming in second and warehousing taking the third spot. Top work-related injuries include overexertion, contact with objects or equipment, and of course slips, trips and falls.

What can you do to help ensure less injuries happen on the job? The most important thing is making sure you have a well-trained workplace. At least once a year, employees should participate in compliance training that includes safety and well being of employees. Here are some great topics to make sure employees are trained on:

·         Emergency Preparedness

·         Specialized Training for Particular Jobs

·         Slip, Trip and Fall Training

·         First Aid Training (this includes CPR and AED training)

·         OSHA Courses

 

Motor-Vehicle Injuries

Distracted driving has become a major concern in recent years, with cell phones being the main distraction causing accidents and injuries even with many states making hands-free cell phone use laws. A distracted brain makes for a distracted driver. The little thing can cause unexpected situations which is why it is so important that when driving you are not only being present but paying attention to all your surroundings too. More than 90 percent of car crashes involve human error, so focus on the roads, put your phones away and practice safety first!

The other major cause of death in motor-vehicles is children dying in hot car deaths. On average, 38 children die a year from heatstroke after being left alone in a hot car. If takes a mere few minutes for a car sitting in the hot sun to heat up and make the inside of a car extremely suffocating. For additional information on heat strokes, visit www.noheatstroke.org.  

Poison-Related Injuries

Sadly, drug poisoning is now the number one cause of unintentional deaths with a staggering 100 people dying daily from opioids alone. Roughly seventy percent of people who have taken prescription painkillers have received them from a friend or family member, but did you know that sharing opiate prescription medication is a felony?

Poison centers receive more than two million calls each year from citizens seeking medical help regarding poisons, including opiates. Some of the other most common calls include carbon monoxide, button batteries, and laundry detergent pods. Read or get more information on poison control and how you can ensure your home is prevented from poisons by visiting www.poisoncontrol.org. If you find yourself in a poison emergency call 1-800-222-1222 for help. 

Home-Related Injuries

Injuries can happen anywhere, and the most common place can be in our very own homes or even on vacation. Whether it be a poisoning, a fall, a drowning, a fire, or an environmental incident, it is important to practice awareness in order to keep you and your family safe. This means picking up items, so you do not fall on them. Or going through your medicine cabinet regularly to clean out and get rid of expired medications.

Remember, if we slow down and take the time to practice safety first, we will do ourselves and others a huge service. If you do ever find yourself in an emergency, please do not hesitate to contact 9-1-1. Call if you can, text if you can’t. 

Hurricane Preparedness Week: A Time to Raise Awareness

It is Hurricane Preparedness Week- a time to raise awareness regarding the dangers that come with hurricanes and a time to practice preparedness for natural disasters. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has also issued a proclamation to help bring awareness to the destructive force that hurricanes bring to communities and businesses.

As many are aware from destruction caused by Hurricane Harvey, the Texas coastline and the inland communities are at much more of a risk during the months of June through November. Hurricanes are incredibly powerful forces of nature that cause mass destruction and damage to homes, businesses and road structures. They also pose a threat to lives and property.

“At this time, I encourage all Texans to remain mindful of the dangers presented by hurricanes, to stay informed about current threats, and to take steps toward preparedness. Together, we are ready!” stated Governor Abbott.

What You Can Do to Be Prepared

Before hurricane season starts, now is the time to prepare yourself for potential disasters by first signing up for emergency alerts on you phone. Next, it is also important to build an emergency evacuation plan and an emergency kit. You can find great resources for creating a plan and building a kit at https://www.ready.gov/. There you will find links to how to be informed and how to plan ahead so your family can ensure safety when the time comes.

Other items that are important to investigate when it comes to be prepared is checking your insurance coverage, documenting your property and assets, and developing a plan to keep in touch with your loved ones. No one wants to go through the destruction a hurricane can cause, but if you can better prepare yourself for the massive destruction it can bring, you will ultimately provide more safety and security to you and your loved ones. If you ever find yourself in an emergency caused by a natural disaster and need help, please call 9-1-1. In some areas, you can also text 9-1-1 if you are unable to call.

May Marks Mental Health Awareness Month

We tend to be quick to go to the doctor if we have a cold or pain in our body. But when it comes to our mental health, many of us do not take care of it like we should. Remember- your health matters- including mental health! National Mental Health Month raises awareness about various mental health illnesses and related issues.

Luckily, as time evolves, so has the mindset of many and the stigma associated with mental health has gone down. There has been a wave of acceptance towards these issues and more support is being provided to those who suffer from them. Did you know 1 in 5 people will be affected by mental illness in this country?

The campaign shared this month is the Why Care? campaign. This provides for an opportunity to share the importance of taking care of our mental health. It is also a time to support those who live with a mental illness every day and a time to educate how many people are affected by mental illness from families, caregivers and loved ones. By caring about mental illness and working to get help for those with mental health issues, we have the power to make a life-changing impact.

WhyCare?

Care is a 4-letter word, but a powerful way to change lives for those dealing with mental health issues. People feel loved when someone cares. People also feel heard when someone cares. And people recover when someone cares. You can participate by sharing your personal stories on social media using the hashtag #WhyCare. You can also look for awareness events to participate in.

May 6^th marks National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day and is a day to focus on youth mental health. For more information on this please visit https://www.samhsa.gov/childrens-awareness-day. On that day you can also participate in a webcast on Suicide Prevention: Strategies That Work. The event will focus on how suicide impacts children, youth, adults, families, and communities.

Then on May 20^th you can view a webinar on Older Mental Health Awareness Day 2019 which focuses on the mental health and substance use of seniors.

Each year, more than 41,000 individuals die by suicide. It is important we take notice and care for the people in our lives. Check up on your friends and family. If you or a loved one is in crises or experiencing suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). If anyone is in any immediate danger, please do not hesitate to contact 9-1-1 for help.

It’s 9-1-1 Public Education Month and a Celebration of National Telecommunicator Week 2019

9-1-1 Education Month in April serves as an important time for 9-1-1 educators to provide outreach to communities. This helps ensure they are aware of the different ways to contact 9-1-1 in an emergency as well as how and when to call. The second full week in April also serves as National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week (April 14-20, 2019). This week recognizes telecommunicators and dispatchers who dedicate their lives to serving the public and deserve recognition for their hard work.

For those of you who do not know, telecommunicators, also known as call-takers or dispatchers, are individuals who work for an emergency service provider (usually 9-1-1) and are qualified to answer incoming emergency telephone calls and then provide for the appropriate emergency response. They answer the tough 9-1-1 calls 24/7 to help get the public the emergency services they need in a timely manner.  

In 1991, Congress recognized telecommunicator’s efforts and created a special week distinguishing who they are and the importance they play in our society. In 2008, the House of Representatives passed a resolution to increase national awareness about the importance and appropriate use of 9-1-1 and created a month dedicated to 9-1-1 education. With this, Congress encouraged public awareness events, advertising campaigns, outreach activities and training/education for parents and teachers.

Below you will find some important topics to educate on this month:

Call if You Can, Text if You Can’t: Many agencies across the country have started implementing text-to-911 services. While more and more entities are incorporating text to 9-1-1, there is still only a small percentage of the country that has it available. If you see a sign or information in your region promoting that you can text to 9-1-1, then you can guarantee it is available. But if you do not, then please assume you can’t text to 9-1-1 and please call if you need help. If you do text to 9-1-1 and it is NOT available in the area, you will receive a bounce back message instructing you to please call 9-1-1 for help.  

Know Your Location: Most people have smart phones these days. And on these smart phones there are many apps that can find our location information. Because of that, it doesn’t seem far-fetched to think that if we have GPS in our phone then 9-1-1 should be able to find us when we call. This is actually not the case. When you call 9-1-1 from a cell phone/smart phone, dispatchers are only able to see approximately where you are and not specifically where you are located. Remember to always be attentive and know your location. Look for mile markers, landmarks, cross streets and addresses on buildings. This information could potentially save your life or another life!

Kari’s Law: A fairly new law called Kari’s Law affects business with multi-line telephone systems (MLTS) so it is important that they are in compliance. This law has to do with providing direct access to 9-1-1 from a MLTS without having to dial an additional digit. Business service users with MLTS phones must have their phones set to be able to dial 9-1-1 directly without dialing an extra digit first. For more info on Kari’s Law visit www.texas911.org/karislaw. Recently, there was a bill at the federal level to provide direct access to 9-1-1 that passed. You can learn more about the federal law here.

Stay Calm, Don’t Hang Up: Whenever someone calls 9-1-1, it is important for them to stay calm and stay on the phone until emergency services arrive or the 9-1-1 call-taker tells them it is okay to hang up. Staying calm helps the dispatcher get answers to the questions they need to help the caller get emergency services quickly. Staying on the phone until emergency services arrive ensures the person who called has safety or can share information the emergency responder might need to relay to emergency services personnel.

Please remember that 9-1-1 is for emergency use only and should never be abused or used for fun. It not only helps save lives, but is an important tool in helping our society to get the aid they need. For more information on 9-1-1 education, please visit www.csec.texas.gov. You can also find resourceful information on 9-1-1 in this PDF print off provided by the National Emergency Number Association (NENA).

P.S. Looking for Cell Phone Sally public education materials to help with your program or to purchase for sharing at community events? Visit www.my911shop.com. Don't see what you need? Email them and they can research it and potentially still purchase it for you!