Elmore County EMA Holding 8th Annual Preparedness Fair
The Elmore County Emergency Management Agency, along with dozens of partnering agencies, will be at Wetumpka High School, Saturday, April 8, 2017, between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., promoting the importance of emergency preparedness at home, school, work, and play.
New this year, EMA has partnered with the Elmore County Board of Education (BOE) to promote school safety. Elmore County BOE personnel will be on hand to discuss emergency plans and to receive donations for classroom emergency supply kits. Donations of any of the following items are greatly appreciated:
Flashlights with extra batteries
Band Aids (small and large)
Gloves (work and non-latex rubber)
Gauze, Cotton balls
Baby wipes
Paper Towels, Kleenex, Toilet Tissue
Ziploc bags (2-3 gallon size)
Tape
Index cards
Pens/Markers
Bottled Water (small bottles)
Books
Blankets
According to Eric Jones, Elmore County Emergency Management Agency Director, “The Annual Preparedness Fair gives us an opportunity to bring together numerous agencies, all expert in emergency preparedness, response and recovery, to discuss and provide critical information on individual, family, and business emergency preparedness.
There’ll be something for everyone and it’s all free! Kids will enjoy meeting Elmore County’s Ready Teddy and McGruff the Crime Dog. Adults, too, will enjoy three hours to come talk with the experts, gather preparedness information, and to learn about programs that promote community preparedness, such as Basic Storm Spotter Training, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Training, and First Aid/CPR/AED—all designed to help increases the county’s overall state of preparedness.
There’ll be plenty of “hands-on, jump-on, sit-on, try-on, and look-on” activities for the kids, with all the fire trucks, police vehicles, ambulances, rescue boats, jump houses, fire house, scavenger hunt, and fire demonstrations planned for the day, including:
– Preparedness Challenge Scavenger Hunt (Search the Fair for Disaster Supply Kit Items)
– LifeSouth Blood Mobile (Give a life-saving gift)
– Fire Safety Training Trailer
– BullEx Fire Extinguisher Training System (Safely Learn How to Use a Fire Extinguisher)
– Prescription Drug Take Back Program (No Needles or Liquids Please!)
– Kitchen/Turkey Fryer Fire Safety Demonstration
– Inflatable Bounce Houses (Wind Conditions Permitting)
– Face Painting
– Free Food and Drinks
– Safe Room Ready Race
– NWS Basic Storm Spotter Training (2 Hour Class, 10:30 a.m. – 12:30)
– Fire Department Turn-Out Gear Try-On Exhibit (Kid’s, try on what the firemen wear!)
– Amateur Radio Operations (Talk live on the radio)
– Free Balloons (Everyone likes free balloons!)
The National Weather Service will be providing a SKYWARN Basic Spotter Training Class from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 during the Preparedness Fair. Theprimary focus of the SKYWARN Basic Storm Spotter course is to train interested citizens, along with members of local law enforcement, fire & rescue, emergency medical services, public works, amateur radio operators, etc. on the SKYWARN procedures for safely spotting and reporting severe local storms and weather-based phenomena. This course does not encourage or teach spotters how to chase storms, but rather how to safely observe and report them. Timely and accurate reporting of information is invaluable to NWS warning forecasters and their warning decision process. SKYWARN trained storm spotters provide the NWS with vital “ground truth” data and enables them to better carry out the NWS’s primary mission–save lives and property.Anyone 12 years of age and older interested in learning about severe weather may attend this free training. For more information on this course and other spotter training opportunities coming up, please visit: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/bmx
Preparedness is everyone’s responsibility. We have to work together, as a team, to ensure that individuals, families, neighborhoods, businesses, and communities are ready when faced with emergencies and disasters in Elmore County.
We can all take simple, concrete steps now to prepare for emergencies, like: (1) Build Emergency Supply Kits, (2) Make Family Emergency and Communications Plans, and (3) Know the hazards and emergencies that can impact Elmore County and understand how to properly respond to them. We’ll have the experts and information on hand to answer these and any other questions you may have about emergency preparedness.
This year’s Preparedness Fair promises once again to provide three hours of free fun and information that you won’t want to miss.
The Elmore County EMA, the Elmore County Board of Education and our numerous participating federal, tribal, state, county, and local partners all look forward to seeing you at the Wetumpka High School on Saturday, April 8, 2017, between 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Please plan to make us part of your weekend!
For more information, please call the Elmore County EMA Office at 334-567-6451.
