Protection At Location (PAL), offers a line of prepackaged in-room safety kits and staff
emergency response training that may offer hotels and other hospitality providers the competitive
edge they’ve been looking for to get ahead in today’s market. According to PAL creator Marcelle
McCullough, the kit includes essential personal protection equipment needed during an
emergency, in one convenient, on-site package. The hope is that PAL Kits will become standard
fare for hotel rooms worldwide.
“When people travel, they’re more vulnerable to disasters, both natural and man-made,”
McCullough says. “They’re away from home. It isn’t practical to carry emergency kits around with
them. With PAL, hotels can take an important and proactive stance in keeping their visitors safe.”
Packaged in a distinctive purple safety helmet, the PAL Kit includes leather gloves, safety
goggles, a manual flashlight, a distress whistle, an N95 mask and a glow stick. Because of its
purple color, the helmet quickly differentiates disaster victims from professional first-responders
on the scene. According to McCullough, the PAL Kit is small enough to be stowed discreetly in
closets, allowing guests easy access and to feel more secure, but not overwhelmed, by their
presence.
The PAL kit is a logical extension of any disaster plans currently in effect at many hotels and
resorts, most of which emphasize process over product. For instance, while guests may be
informed on where or how to exit a building in case of emergency, they aren’t provided the gear
they would need to protect themselves should such an emergency arise.
“I can’t stress enough how important it is for guests to have tools like this while traveling,” says
Dan Madrigal, a 32-year fire service veteran and fire chief in Redondo Beach, CA. “Just the piece
of mind of knowing the hotel cares enough to give you and your loved ones the tools to self
evacuate should a emergency arise is a tremendous leap forward in guest safety.”
While items contained in the PAL Kits are available in the consumer market, the Purple PAL Kits
are the first product to give travelers and their families a stress-free, ready-to-go solution when it
comes to emergency planning while away from home. For that reason, McCullough sees PAL
Kits becoming not just a standard safety amenity in the hospitality industry, but a potential
revenue stream for hotels themselves. Guests who appreciate the security that PAL offers will be
able to order additional kits, which can be shipped directly to their homes or offices.
In addition to its line of PAL Kits, PAL also offers disaster preparedness and response training for
the hospitality and corporate industries. PAL delivers community emergency response training
(CERT), a FEMA recognized curriculum that educates hotel staff and corporate employees in
areas of disaster preparedness, first aid, CPR/AED, disaster psychology, light search and rescue
and more. This training offers lifelong skills and provides the priceless gift of safety.
McCullough herself is a 25-year veteran in the field of meeting planning and is a certified disaster
preparedness trainer. She has served as president of the Community Emergency Response
Team (CERT) in Redondo Beach, CA, a city of 63,000 people and growing. In her experience,
there is a real need for increased awareness regarding emergency preparedness training at
public venues. Her hope is that PAL Kits will not only offer hotels a simple, cost-effective way to
keep their guests safe in times of emergency, but that guest security will become a priority issue
throughout the hospitality industry, in the United States and abroad.
“Eventually, I’m hoping that we can work together to encourage AAA, Zagat and others to include
a safety rating in all of its hotel listings,” she says. “I see the PAL Kit and PAL Training becoming
a safety standard.”
Protection at Location develops products and services to positively impact the safety of
individuals at any location with the utmost regard for affordability and ease of implementation.
Founder Marcelle McCullough is also President of Masterpiece Meetings & Events, based in
Redondo Beach, CA. For more information, contact Marcelle McCullough at 310-346-8551 or
email mmccullough@protectionatlocation.com.
The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program educates people about disaster
preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response
skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical
operations. Using the training learned in the classroom and during exercises, CERT members
can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional
responders are not immediately available to help. CERT members also are encouraged to
support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness
projects in their community.
As a commitment to making CERT training available to all communities PAL will be returning a
portion of all proceeds to local, regional or national CERT organizations.
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