Spartanburg, SC Wins Award for America's PrepareAthon! Event
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Congratulations to Spartanburg County, South Carolina, that won the 2015 National Public Awareness Award for Large Counties at the International Association of Emergency Managers Annual Conference on November 16 for their March PrepareAthon! event. Read their story ! |
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Deep Fryer Dangers
| Thinking about what to prepare for your holiday feast? If your menu plans include deep frying a turkey, there's important safety information to keep in mind.
According to the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires . Keep your festivities from going up in flames; only use turkey fryers outdoors.
USFA wants to remind you of the dangers that exist when deep frying a turkey, including:
- Turkey fryers can easily tip over, spilling hot cooking oil over a large area;
- A partially frozen turkey will cause cooking oil to splatter when put in the pot;
- Even a small amount of cooking oil spilling on a hot burner can cause a large fire; and
- The sides of the cooking pot, lid, and pot handles can get dangerously hot.
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Heating Your Home Safely
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As winter weather moves in, many people use fireplaces, space heaters, and other fuel-fired equipment to warm their homes. While alternative heating sources can make your home cozy, using them increases your risk of a home fire.
According to the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), heating is the second leading cause of home fires following cooking.
Taking simple steps can prevent a fire from happening in your home. The National Fire Protection Association and USFA offer these heating safety tips , including:
- Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from a fireplace, wood stove, or space heater;
- Make sure the fireplace has a sturdy screen to stop sparks from flying into the room;
- Always use the right kind of fuel, specified by the manufacturer, for fuel-burning space heaters; and
- Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.
For more ways to have a fire-safe home when the mercury dips, check out this USFA resource guide to share with family and friends. |
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Reminder: Preparing Individuals Disproportionately Impacted by Disasters Webinar
Have you registered yet? Join the upcoming webinar about disaster preparedness efforts to serve populations that are disproportionately impacted during an emergency due to risk factors related to language, cultural isolation, immigration status, and national identity.
Title: Community Discussion: Preparing Individuals Disproportionately Impacted by Disasters
Date: Monday, November 23, 2015
Time: 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. (ET)
Featured Speakers:
- Iskra Gencheva , from Ready New York, New York City Citizen Corps, New York City Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) w ill share experiences preparing New York City's immigrant and Limited English Proficiency (LEP) populations
- Sarah Babcock , from New Orleans Medical Reserve Corps w ill share experiences preparing New Orleans's Spanish-Speaking and Vietnamese communities
- Dana Perry , from Newport News CERT w ill share experiences preparing refugees from various nations including Afghanistan, Cuba, Burma, Nepal, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tom Hipper , from The National Resource Center on Advancing Emergency Preparedness for Culturally Diverse Communities w ill share helpful resources that support emergency preparedness efforts for culturally diverse communities
How to Join the Webinar:
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Reminder: Citizen Corps and CERT Information Deadline
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has improved the online Citizen Corps/CERT Registration System and needs you to update your information by Friday, December 4 . This will help FEMA provide you with better support. You can use this link to log into the system . A slide presentation is also available to help guide you through the update process.
There are several reasons to update your program's information:
- You will soon be able use the registration system to generate a printable report that will feature your specific program's information. If your information in your profile is up-to-date, the information in your individual program report will be, too.
- We use this information to develop reports, presentations, and talking points to promote Citizen Corps and CERT to internal and external stakeholders. The numbers that we use are far more effective and reliable when more programs update their information.
- We have begun sharing some CERT registration data through Open FEMA . Please help us to ensure that this information is accurate.
- By updating your information, you ensure that your program's information is accounted for in the National Preparedness Report.
- When members of the public and other stakeholders look up your programs online, much of the information you provide through the system is visible on your public-facing online profile.
We value all of the information that you provide, but the following data points are of the highest priority for the December 4 deadline:
- Number of Volunteer Service Hours (Citizen Corps and CERT)
- Number of Volunteers (Citizen Corps only)
- Number of Individuals Who Have Completed CERT Basic Training Since Start of Program
- Average Annual Deliveries of the CERT Basic Training
- CERT Classes Graduated Since Start of Program
- Citizen Corps Council Membership
- CERT Response Activities
If you have any questions, please direct them to your state point of contact . If they are unable to resolve your request, you can also contact us at citizencorps@fema.dhs.gov or cert@fema.dhs.gov .
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Dates for Your Calendar!
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