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Emergency Volunteers
By
Joan E. Thompson |
Plymouth
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September is
National Preparedness Month. September 11 and hurricane
Katrina are two of the largest scale disasters that come to
mind this time of year. But emergencies come in all sizes.
It is no less an emergency because a single home burns to
the ground – especially to the family!
So what can any of us do about it?
While we cannot prevent acts of nature, or even all man-made
emergencies, there is a great deal each one of us can do to
minimize the impact of emergencies.
Months after September 11 and Katrina, we were still hearing
about people who didn’t’ know whether their loved ones were
alive or not. Communicating with our family and friends is a
critical step in recovering from emergencies. But what do we
do if the telephone lines are out?
This is when planning ahead for “In Case of Emergency . . .”
comes in – and may make all the difference in your ability
to cope.
RSVP Volunteers are carrying the “ABCs of Emergencies”
presentation to audiences who want to know what they can do
to better meet the challenge of any emergency
situation. The following are a few pointers from their
presentation.
Make a Plan with your Family
Decide who all family
members would call in the event of an emergency while they
were not together (school, work, and shopping, traveling,
you-name-it). Decide where, outside the house, you would all
meet if there were an emergency when everyone’s at home –
but may be working or asleep in different rooms. If you live
alone, record the location of your important papers,
medicines, or medical equipment and give a trusted family
member a copy. If you need assistance to evacuate your home
due to a medical condition or because you do not drive and
your family is not near enough to come get you, be sure to
file an annual notice of the need for help with MEMA, the
Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.
“ICE” Your Cell Phone
Enter the phone number of
the person you want called first if you are injured
or unconscious. Use the “In Case of Emergency” initials
(ICE) in front of the number, including the person’s
relationship to you: “Son,” “Spouse,” “Neighbor” or
whatever. Then be sure that person knows they are on your
cell phone as your Emergency Contact.
Keep an Emergency Information Card
Keep this card on you at times. If you don’t have a cell
phone – or even if you do – keeping this information where
it will be found if you are injured will insure your
next-of-kin (or whomever you designate) knows of your sudden
emergency.
There are two more important steps to Emergency
Preparedness; being prepared to shelter-in-place for at
least three days, and readying a “Grab & Go” bag of supplies
if you must evacuate.
Completing these five steps can help you stay in touch with
loved ones – and be better able to deal successfully with
any emergency that requires you to stay where you are or if
you must leave immediately.
Along with the volunteers who bring this message to others,
those who follow through with the recommendations are also
volunteering by preparing themselves. Please pass the word
along to your family and friends - we need many more of both
kinds of Volunteers! |
About The Author
Joan
Thompson is the Executive Director for Mayflower RSVP, Inc.,
a nonprofit organization mobilizing Volunteer Service
Activities in Plymouth County. She has directed RSVP’s
Retired & Senior Volunteer Program for nearly 30 years. She
may be contacted by calling (508) 746-7787 or via email at
MayflowerRSVP@Verizon.net.
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