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National Emergency Preparedness Month

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National Emergency Preparedness Month

The CCH Emergency Preparedness Committee would like to bring awareness to September as National Preparedness Month and share some ways you and your family can be better prepared for an emergency.

  1. Build an emergency kit. You may need to survive on your own following an emergency so have an emergency kit that includes a supply of water, food, and other supplies to meet your needs for at least a few days. Use the Emergency Supply List from ready.gov as a starting point. https://www.ready.gov/kit
  2. Make an emergency communications plan. It is possible your family may not be together when disaster strikes. It is also possible that routine communication methods such as cell service could be unavailable. Know how you will communicate in an emergency. Some items to consider when developing your family’s communication plan include:
  • Keep an emergency contacts list on your cell phone and post it in your home as well.
  • Be sure to have “In Case of Emergency” numbers in your cell phone so emergency responders can notify those you have identified, if needed.
  • Be sure to have emergency contact information in your purse or billfold and in your child’s backpack.
  • Teach young members of your family to call 9-1-1 and when it is appropriate.
  • Define a family meeting place within your community and outside of it, in case you cannot go home or communicate using routine methods.
  • Know that during an emergency, cellular networks may be congested or unavailable. Try using text messages, email, and/or social media.
  • In an emergency, notify out-of-town family of your condition and location as soon as possible.
  • Following an emergency, update your emergency contact lists and meeting locations as needed.
  1. Remember your pets in an emergency. Pets should always wear an identification tag. Your emergency kit should include pet food and pet medications as well as a harness, leash, and your pet’s medical records. Have a current photo of your pet in case of separation. Be aware, some shelters will not accept pets during an emergency so keep a list of pet-friendly hotels, just in case. Keep carriers at the ready for birds, lizards, and small animals.
  2. Sign up for emergency notifications from your place of work, city, and county.
  3. Learn CPR. According to the CDC, about 9 in 10 people who have cardiac arrest outside the hospital die but CPR can help improve those odds. If it is performed in the first few minutes of cardiac arrest, CPR can double or triple a person's chance of survival. CCH offers CPR and First Aid classes to the community. Those interested can register for a class using this link: https://www.cchwyo.org/education/first-aid-cpr/
  4. Have a fire extinguisher at the ready in your home and know how and when to use it. CCH offers fire extinguisher training to employees every March using a fire extinguisher simulator.
  5. Regularly inspect and test smoke alarms and other safety devices like carbon monoxide detectors. Establish a schedule such as the 1st Saturday of the month so you don’t forget to do it.
  6. Consider donating blood. CCH regularly hosts Vitalant blood drives. The next opportunity is August 31 from 10:00 am to 3:30 pm at the Health Science Education Center at 3801 College Dr.
  7. Keep important documents safe from damage in an emergency. Consider a fire-proof and water-proof safe for storing physical documents or make digital copies on a USB device that is stored at an alternate location like a safe deposit box.
  8. Last but not least! Download the Wyoming Ready app on your cell phone. It is a free preparedness app that makes it easy to prepare for disaster. It will help you to create customized plans, learn more about your hazards, save your important documents, and get preparedness checklists.

Find more resources on the Being Prepared page at https://hls.wyo.gov/being-prepared.