The District of Columbia has planned a month of preparedness activities focusing on all segments of the community in observance of National Preparedness Month, which is held annually in September.
The District will kick off the 2008 observance with a preparedness fair, noon to 2 pm, Wednesday, September 3, 2008, at Franklin Square Park located at K and I Streets between 13th and 14th streets, NW. The fair will feature information tables where fair goers can receive information about family and personal preparedness and sign up to receive emergency text messages through the city’s Alert DC citizen emergency notification program. Fairgoers also will be able to tour emergency response vehicles from the city’s Metropolitan Police Department, Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, and Department of Health and learn how the city responds to various types of emergencies.
This year’s observance in the District will focus on the basic steps of preparedness–“Get Informed”, “Make a Plan,” “Make an Emergency Kit” and “Be Aware”–and will encourage residents to take a different step to become prepared each Wednesday during the month-long observance.
The city will also use the month to focus attention on its emergency information center website, 72hours.dc.gov, where citizens can register for DC Text Alert, which sends emergency alerts to text-capable devices, including cell phones, pagers, BlackBerries and computer desktops and also contains information about protective actions for various types of emergencies, as well as instructions on how to make an emergency plan and kit.
In addition to the kick-off event, other highlights of the month of activities include a multicultural preparedness fair from 10 am to 2 pm, Saturday, September 6, 2008, at Powell Elementary School, 1350 Upshur Street, NW, and a business preparedness fair, co-sponsored with the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District, 12 pm to 2 pm, September 23, at Farragut Square Park, 17th and K Streets, NW.
In observance of Patriot’s Day, September 11, members of Serve DC’s Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) will partner with the Metropolitan Police Department and the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department for a volunteer beautification project at Trinidad Recreation Center, 1310 Childress Street, NE. Serve DC is also partnering with FEMA’s Office of National Capital Region Coordination (ONCRC) for a series of “National Preparedness Month Roadshows” hosted by several federal government departments and agencies throughout the National Capital Region. The District’s participation in the FEMA ONCRC “Roadshows,” which are designed to provide preparedness information specifically for federal agency employees, is part of the District’s effort to reach out to the various constituencies that live and work in the city.
In addition to outreach activities aimed at employees of federal agencies, HSEMA’s training and exercise division will offer a range of training classes for District government first responder agencies. See the attached training calendar for course titles, dates and registration information.
“We have planned activities for a range of audiences, including District residents, schools and businesses as well as District and federal government employees,” said Darrell Darnell, director of the city’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (HSEMA). “This year, for the first time, we have also planned a special preparedness outreach fair for residents who have limited English proficiency. We are hoping as many citizens as possible will take advantage of the events and activities we have planned for this month,” he said.
A complete schedule of activities is attached. Activities marked with * are open to agency employees only.
National Preparedness Month is sponsored annually in September by the US Department of Homeland Security’s “Ready” campaign. It is designed to encourage individuals across the nation to take steps to increase their preparedness, including making a family emergency plan, making an emergency supply kit, and being informed about the different emergencies that may affect them. The District of Columbia is among more than 1,200 national, regional, state and local businesses and organizations that have joined the National Preparedness Month Coalition and pledged to sponsor events and activities to promote preparedness during the 2008 National Preparedness Month observance.
Patriots Day is a nationwide, Congressionally-endorsed effort to establish a long-term, meaningful and positive way to observe 9/11 each year. Initiated in 2003, the campaign has already engaged more than 3 million Americans in acts of community service.