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# Public Safety

8 Tips for Local Government Community Emergency Preparedness

Your community is where thousands—maybe even millions—of people call home, and it's your job to help residents protect their homes.

Authored by Civic Plus Logo

CivicPlus

June 6, 2017
10 min

Mothers, fathers, business owners, and even children will look to the leaders of their community for peace of mind and reassurance that response activities are in place to protect them from an unexpected disaster, has been done. To help you protect your residents and give them the peace of mind you all want and need, we’ve compiled 8 tips for local government community emergency preparedness. Stay one step ahead of a possible disaster with these tips for effective disaster preparedness.

What is Community Emergency Preparedness?

Community preparedness refers to community-wide efforts to give citizens the training, education, and resources they need to prepare in advance against the threat of a possible local disaster at an individual and collective level. According to Ready.gov, studies on personal preparedness and emergency response plans have shown that individuals who believe they are prepared for disasters often are not as prepared as they think, while others admit they have not developed any type of personal preparedness plan.

The Challenge for Local Government

Despite the frequency of stories seen on the news that prove the devastation of unexpected natural disasters, public health emergencies or local violence, local governments struggle to impart to residents the importance of preparedness. The optimistic hope that an unexpected disaster could never destroy one’s home or hurt one’s family, is a difficult misperception to overcome. The goal of community preparedness is to maximize residents’ awareness of the importance of proactive planning and encourage participation in disaster preparedness activities.

Civic Tip: Click here for how-to-set-up-a-community-emergency-response-team to learn how to establish an effective community emergency response team (CERT) in your municipality.

Tips for Your Emergency Management Plans

1. Partner with Local Resources

Begin your planning by identifying local emergency response organizations and leaders and asking them to be part of your education and planning efforts. Community-based organizations can provide resources and leadership willing to step in should there be a natural disaster or emergency situation.

2. Recruit Residents for Participation

Use all available communication channels to recruit members of your community to participate in your community emergency response team (CERT). These recruits could include emergency responders, leaders of community organizations and local volunteers.

3. Schedule Regular Group Meetings

Once you’ve recruited residents to participate in your emergency plans, schedule regular meetings that are always open for others to join and attend. The first primary objective of the group should be to develop a disaster preparedness plan. By engaging residents in the planning process, they will be more likely to encourage friends, family, and neighbors to get involved and will help spread your message of the importance of individual and community preparation.

4. Identify Community Members with Special Needs

Make sure your emergency planning takes into consideration seniors, children, and people with disabilities. Identify all the senior centers, assisted living facilities, daycare centers, schools, and adult day habilitation centers in your community. Work with their leadership to make sure you have a plan in place in the event that such facilities need to be evacuated or receive urgent care. For information on human services needs or shelters for service animals, visit the American Red Cross.

5. Educate Residents on Individual Home Preparedness

Create and promote educational materials that offer residents tips and best practices for protecting their individual homes. For example, all residents should have a functional fire extinguisher in their home, as well as a carbon monoxide detector in their emergency kit. Residents should know how to turn off home utilities such as gas, electricity, and water in the event of an emergency. Communicate the location of nearby warm and cool shelters and emergency operations centers, and include a map or listing of such facilities on your local government website for easy access. Providing a list of suggested items for inclusion in a kit of emergency necessities can give residents a proactive way to be involved before disaster strikes.

6. Implement an Emergency Notification System

Once you’ve effectively established emergency response protocols, you’ll need an effective mass notification system to notify residents when a disaster has occurred or is imminent. Make sure you choose a system that leverages the Federal Emergency Management Agency‘s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (FEMA’s IPAWS) to maximize the reach of communications to travelers and residents that have not already opted in to receive emergency notifications.

7. Encourage Signups for the Emergency Communication and Notification System

Again, using all available marketing channels, encourage citizens to opt-in to receive emergency notifications via your chosen mass communication solution. Messaging can include response efforts, health alerts and other emergency communications. An ideal system will let residents choose how they want to be notified—either via email, text message/SMS, or voicemail. Allowing residents to choose their notification channel helps ensure that when a message is distributed, residents receive it and respond.

8. Establish and Communicate Evacuation Procedures

In the event of a disaster situation that requires appropriate response activities like the evacuation of your community, you’ll need to plan an evacuation procedure in advance and make sure residents are aware of the process as well. Distribute evacuation maps along with resident utility bills, and post maps on your local government website so that residents become familiar with all the major and alternate evacuation routes that lead out of your area.

Conclusion

Emergency preparedness saves lives. No matter how prepared your community becomes, you can’t prevent an unexpected local disaster, but you can prepare for one. By involving residents in the planning process, regularly communicating the availability of safety information, and subscribing to a robust emergency notification system, you’ll be doing everything in your power to keep citizens and their homes safe while minimizing recovery efforts.

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Authored by Civic Plus Logo

CivicPlus

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