Go “Beyond Expectations” with CERTCON 2015
The Montgomery County Maryland Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) will sponsor a two-day conference, CERTCON 2015 , Saturday, June 20 and Sunday, June 21 at the Universities at Shady Grove in Rockville, Maryland. The conference is designed to provide:
- Advanced education and hands-on disaster preparedness training to CERT teams in the mid-Atlantic region; and
- An understanding of CERT capabilities to emergency management personnel.
CERTCON 2015 includes a focus on foundational CERT skills, and participants will have access to a diverse set of training and learning opportunities. In addition, there will be interactive hands-on experiences and scenarios designed to broaden horizons and explore the possibilities for service by CERTs at home, work, and in the community.
This will be the fifth annual CERT conference in the National Capital Region, and more than 250 CERT-trained attendees are expected. The goal for the conference is to educate and provide networking opportunities and enhance cooperation among the region's CERT teams.
Registration for CERTCON is free and open to the public by visiting www.certcon.org . For more information about CERTCON 2015, contact certcon@montgomerycert.org and be sure to follow @CERTCon and #CERTCON2015 to receive the latest updates.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sheltered Pets
When you prepare for disasters, be sure to make arrangements for pets too! In the event that you have to evacuate to a public shelter, keep in mind that for health reasons, some facilities cannot accept pets; therefore it's important to properly prepare them for alternative shelter. Service animals, however, are allowed in general population shelters.
The Ready campaign offers the following tips when seeking pet shelter :
- Call your local emergency management office, animal shelter, or animal control office to get advice and information; and
- If you're unable to return to your home right way, you may need to board your pet. Find out where boarding facilities are located and research some that are outside of your area in case local facilities are closed.
Once you've found an alternative shelter, follow these tips to keep your pet safe while they are away from you:
- Make sure identification tags are up-to-date and securely fastened to your pet's collar. If possible, attached the address and/or phone number of your evacuation site;
- Take a current photo of your pet for identification purposes; and
- Pack a “pet survival kit” that can easily be deployed if a disaster hits. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has a checklist of emergency supplies to include in the kit.
For more information about pet preparedness, check this Ready resource guide .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Family Emergency Communication Plan
You may not be with your family when a disaster strikes so it's important to make your family communication plans now. Do you know how you will get to a safe place, how you will contact each other, and how you will get back together?
Creating a family emergency communication plan will help keep everyone accounted for during an emergency. Download and complete the Ready campaign's Family Emergency Communications Plan for Parents and Kids today! Fill out the documents online and print or email to family and friends.
Ready also offers these tips to make communicating during a disaster easier:
- Identify a contact such as a friend or relative who lives out-of-state for household members to notify that they are safe;
- Be sure every member of your family knows the phone number and has a cell phone, coins (for a pay phone), or prepaid phone card to call the emergency contact;
- Teach family members how to use text messaging. Text messages can often get around network disruptions when phone calls might not go through; and
- Subscribe to local emergency alert services. Sign up through your local Office of Emergency Management.
For more information about emergency alerts, review the Be Smart. Know Your Alerts and Warnings guide from America's PrepareAthon!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dates for Your Calendar!
|
