National Preparedness Month Research Paper

"Don't wait. Communicate. Make your emergency plan today."

Those are the words ringing all through September’s National Preparedness Month. As FEMA noted, 70 percent of Americans haven’t practiced or prepared for a disaster. Additionally, those with disabilities find themselves at a historically greater risk during a disaster. For families and individuals alike, most don’t think about floods, wildfires, hurricanes, power outages and other disasters that could come into their lives virtually unexpected. However, news of disasters striking throughout the world remains a mainstay on the news.

That’s why National Preparedness Month aims to demonstrate why some of your time should go to preparing. And as a national leader in emergency preparedness,

BCFS wants you all to be just as prepared as our responders are in dire situations. This year's call to action is to make a plan with your community, family and pets. By getting the entire community invovled, the hope is that everyone is prepared on how to stay safe and communicate throughout the entire ordeal. National Preparedness Month leads up to National PrepareAthon! Day on September 30th.

If this is your first time preparing, here are a few helpful ideas to start you off:

Every community is different.

Do your homework to ensure your plan fits your community.
Communication is vital. Speak to everyone when preparing. Speak to everyone throughout the ordeal. The more informed your community is, the better the chances of survival will be.
If anyone is disabled in the community, be sure to get their insight on how what they might need to accommodate their safety.
Preparedness kits aren't all alike. Be sure to identify the particular items you and others will need to survive. This includes medication, equipment and even comfort items.
Don't jsut plan, practice! Get the community involved in a team practice from time to time to ensure everyone is up to date on emergency preparation.

Just like communities, BCFS EMD has to remain prepared at all times. As a non-profit partner of federal, state and local government and private industries, our team of responders are always updating and refining their skills and knowledge just in case they have to spring into response. Our training and exercises provide tailored preparation to any state, jurisdiction or health care entity's needs. By implementing hands-on workshops and exercises, BCFS EMD helps strengthen the knowledge of communities and organizations seeking further response

insight.

BCFS President and CEO Kevin C. Dinnin said it best when he said, “By empowering communities and organizations with the best measures to ensure their safety, BCFS EMD strives to make every individual ready for the worst potential scenarios in their life. We take great pride in being part of these preparations and training.”

Internally, the training BCFS EMD's staff undergoes allows them to provide an unmatched depth of experience and planning to emergencies of all magnitudes. Furthermore, our diverse team of responders continually prepares and practices to remain a national leader on operating general population shelters, medical shelters, alternate care sites and medical surge sites as well.

To learn more about National Preparedness Month, visit Ready.gov/September. And for more details on BCFS EMD’s past, present and future of emergency preparedness, visit BCFSEMD.org.