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Many people enjoy picnics, family, and
fireworks on July 4. Fireworks are fun and beautiful, but they are also
dangerous if not handled properly. In the month of July, an average of 230 people
go to the emergency room each day due to firework related accidents. Sparklers
can burn at 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which is as hot as a blow torch. The U.S.
Fire Administration urges everyone to stay safe this Independence Day, and to
leave the fireworks to the professionals.
For those who decide to legally purchase and
use fireworks, here are some important safety tips:
- Keep a bucket
of water or garden hose nearby;
- Never allow
young children to play with or light fireworks;
- Don’t stand
over a firework when lighting the fuse;
- Light fireworks
one at a time; and
- Do not try to
relight a firework that isn’t working properly.
For
more information about summer safety
and fireworks, visit www.usfa.fema.gov.
Having
a FEMA safe room or International Code
Council 500 storm shelter in your home or small business can help
provide near-absolute protection for your family or employees during extreme
weather events such as tornadoes
and hurricanes,
but safe rooms must be built correctly to ensure occupants are protected from
injury or death.
In
the FEMA publication, “Taking Shelter from
the Storm: Building a Safe Room for Your Home or Small Business,”
FEMA provides specifications on how to properly design and build a safe room.
These guidelines offered in this publication must be met to be considered a
FEMA safe room. This document also outlines how to modify a home or business to
add a safe room to an existing space.
If
you have questions about building a safe room, contact the FEMA Safe Room Helpline
at saferoom@fema.dhs.gov. You can also check out
this list of Frequently Asked Questions.
In
addition to having a safe room, there are other ways to prepare for disasters. America’s PrepareAthon! offers valuable
information about severe weather events that may impact your community this
season, including tornadoes,
hurricanes,
earthquakes,
wildfires,
and floods.
Smoke alarms are an important tool for
preventing home fire deaths. If you have a fire in your home, working smoke
alarms provide an early warning so you can quickly escape. According to the
U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), working smoke alarms cut
the risk of dying in a home fire in half.
If your smoke alarm is more than 10 years old,
it’s time to replace it. Smoke alarms are one
of the best safety devices to protect yourself, your
family, and your home. Before you buy and install a home smoke alarm, follow
these USFA tips:
- Choose
smoke alarms that communicate with each other, so if one alarm sounds,
they all will;
- Put
smoke alarms on every level of your home, in every bedroom, and in the
hallway outside of each sleeping area;
- Place
smoke alarms on the ceiling or high on the wall. Check the manufacturer’s
instructions for the best place for your alarm; and
- Use
only qualified electricians to install hardwired smoke alarms.
For more information about smoke alarms, take
a look at this USFA
public safety announcement.
You
never know where you will be when an emergency occurs. That’s why it’s important
to always be prepared! In addition to having a disaster supply kit at home, you should also
store one at work and in your car. The contents of your kits should vary
depending on the storage location. The Ready campaign
outlines what to pack in your disaster supply kit whether you’re at home or on
the go:
- Your home kit should contain items like non-perishable food items and water to last for at least three days. Keep it in a designated area, so that everyone has access to it. You may want to consider having supplies for sheltering for up to two weeks;
- Your work kit should have enough food, water, and any necessary medications to last for at least 24 hours. You should also have comfortable shoes in case you have to walk a long distance in the event of an evacuation; and
- Your car kit should include flashlights, jumper cables, a first aid kit, water, a shovel, and warm clothes!
The Federal
Emergency Management Agency’s Individual and Community Preparedness Division is
pleased to invite you to a webinar that focuses on practices that will enhance
the experience for CERT participants with disabilities and others with access
and functional needs.
Title: Inclusion of People with Disabilities and
Others with Access and Functional Needs in CERT Programs
Date: Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Time:
3:00 - 4:30 p.m. (ET)
Guest Speakers:
- Gay Jones, FEMA Office of Disability Integration and Coordination (ODIC)
- Kathryn Gerk, Emergency Services Manager, Richmond, CA Fire Department
-
Jennifer Fales, Emergency Management Coordinator, Kansas City, MO Office of Emergency Management
How to
Join the Webinar:
Disclaimer: The reader recognizes that the
federal government provides links and informational data on various disaster
preparedness resources and events and does not endorse any non-federal events,
entities, organizations, services or products. Please let us know about other events
and services for individual and community preparedness that could be included
in future newsletters by contacting citizencorps@fema.dhs.gov.
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