The Preparedness Post Newsletter

Franklin County Emergency Management and Homeland Security (FCEM&HS) has partnered with the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) to help keep the public safe and informed by offering Air Quality Alert notifications through ALERT Franklin County.

MORPC provides year-round air quality forecasts and alerts and air quality awareness programming as public services to the Central Ohio region.  Through this collaboration, citizens who are sensitive to air quality now have the option to receive ozone and particle pollution air quality alerts through ALERT Franklin County.    

ALERT Franklin County is a county-wide mass notification and warning system used to warn residents about emergencies and community news in jurisdictions throughout Franklin County. The system is customizable and allows residents to choose the alerts they want to receive and how they want to receive them.

Citizens can elect to receive Air Quality Alerts when selecting their alert subscriptions after registering in ALERT Franklin County at www.alertfranklincounty.org.  Citizens who are already registered and would like to receive Air Quality Alerts can do so by updating their subscription selections in their profile. 

Ohio’s Winter Safety Awareness Week will be celebrated November 17- 23, 2019.  The week provides an opportunity for Franklin County residents to prepare themselves for the upcoming months of potential severe winter weather. 

FCEM&HS reminds residents to update their emergency preparedness plans, replenish disaster supply kits for their home and car and prepare themselves, their pets and their homes for winter. 

Citizens should consider purchasing a NOAA Weather Radio as well as alternative heat sources and/or generators. Winter driving can be dangerous.  Residents should pay attention to weather forecasts and traffic reports. If the weather is bad, remember: Ice and Snow … Take It Slow – or just don’t go.  For more information on Winter Weather Safety, visit www.weathersafety.ohio.gov. 

FCEM&HS Operations/Resource Manager Chris Williams graduated from FEMA’s National Emergency Management Executive Academy at the Emergency Management Institute in Emmitsburg, Maryland.  The Executive Academy provides emergency management professionals and executives the opportunity to work collaboratively, share smart practices, and participate in exercises with others facing similar challenges.  FEMA’s National Emergency Management Executive Academy is the final phase of FEMA’s Emergency Management Professional Program (EMPP) and supports the advancement of the emergency management profession at strategic policy and executive leadership levels. 

The EMPP provides a structured and progressive framework for acquiring the knowledge, skills, and abilities to enter and progress through the field and to meet the challenges of a dynamic and complex environment. The program is designed to provide a lifetime of learning for emergency managers and includes three separate training programs including the National Emergency Management Basic, Advanced and Executive Academies. Chris is one of only 250 students from across the country to graduate from the Executive Academy.  Please join us as we congratulate Chris on this high level achievement. 

FCEM&HS relies heavily on volunteers before, during and after times of disaster. Trained volunteers can assist others following a disaster when professional responders are not immediately available to help. The  Franklin County Emergency Response Team (FC CERT) Program and the Volunteers in Public Safety Support (VIPSS) Program provide the proper training needed to assist others in the event of an emergency or disaster. 

 The FC CERT Program educates people about disaster preparedness and trains them in basic disaster response skills such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations.  The program follows the national curriculum and covers nine units over a nine-week period totaling approximately 27 hours.  In October, FCEM&HS welcomed 18 new graduates of the program.    

The VIPSS Program trains volunteers to aid county and local governments with major emergencies and disasters. VIPSS volunteers are trained in terrorism awareness, crowd and traffic management, emergency radio communications, public health emergency dispensing, volunteer management, CPR & first aid training and active shooter response.  The recent class added 14 new VIPSS volunteers to the program.  All participants must complete the FC CERT Program to become a VIPSS volunteer. 

Volunteers are critical partners in emergency management.  The benefits they provide to disaster victims and are are invaluable to FCEM&HS and the entire Franklin County community. Anyone interested in joining the FC CERT or VIPSS Program can visit our website at https://fcemhs.org/Volunteer