Safety Initiative - September 2009

PROTECT YOUR CHILDREN
 

Motor vehicle collisions are the leading cause of death among children from age 2 – 14. This is due primarily to misuse or nonuse of child safety restraint systems.

Many people don’t realize that there is a right way and a wrong way to install a child safety seat. It is also important to learn and understand where small children can be positioned in a motor vehicle.

Child passenger safety week is September 12-18, 2009. In light of this, we urge every parent, grandparent, or anyone else who transports children in a motor vehicle to check the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration’s website for more information on how you can provide the safety your child deserves. You can find this information here:

IS YOUR FAMILY PREPARED?
 

September is National Preparedness Month and the Graymoor-Devondale Police Department and the Lyndon Fire Protection District are encouraging everyone to get prepared. In the past year, our community has suffered through several natural disasters; the windstorm generated by Hurricane Ike, the ice storm in January and in the past month, severe flooding. These events are only unusual in that they occurred within one year. The Metro Louisville area is subject to many natural hazards of varying severity including tornadoes, hailstorms, dam failure, drought earthquake, extreme heat, and wildfires. Manmade hazards in the form of hazardous materials are either stored or transported via railroad tanker cars or semi-tractor trailers in and through our community every day. In addition, the World Health Organization (WHO) has categorized the H1N1 influenza (Swine Flu) as a pandemic, although so far, the severity of the disease has been moderate in that the virus has not mutated into a more lethal form.  Even less-lethal pandemics can disrupt our lives with possible school closings and worker shortages in the workplace. Natural and manmade hazards are a fact of life for all Americans and those that cannot be mitigated have to be endured. With effective preparation and planning, families and communities can manage many disasters in order to minimize adverse effects.  

Our governments, the Louisville/Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) and our First Responders (police, fire, EMS) all work on a local level to plan and improve our responses to natural and manmade disasters. But, as Hurricane Katrina tragically illustrated, our resources are finite. When capable adults fail to prepare, those incapable or without familial or financial resources may suffer when these finite resources are overwhelmed.  Therefore, not only is emergency preparedness a familial responsibility, it is a civic responsibility as well. Planning for emergencies can be done on a step-by-step basis and there are many resources available to assist with the planning. The Louisville/Jefferson County EMA’s website has many of these resources listed on its website http://www.louisvilleky.gov/EMA/. The first step in any emergency planning is to identify risks. Louisville/Jefferson County EMA has compiled these in their All Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan which is linked on their homepage.

Next, a plan must be developed based on the identified hazards. On its website http://www.fema.gov/plan/index.shtm FEMA has a guide Are You Ready?  available for download and a Getting Ready for Disasters DVD, also available for download which has excellent information on what families must do to prepare. FEMA recommends a three day supply of emergency food, water, supplies and medication for most emergencies and a two week supply for pandemic disease emergencies. In addition, FEMA has developed emergency planning guides for businesses and government agencies. Not only should families prepare at home, but emergency plans should be reviewed at the workplace and at daycares, schools and nursing or assisted living homes or anywhere where their family members spend a great deal of time. Children spend many hours a day in schools or daycares and parents should have knowledge of the plans these facilities have developed. A communication plan should be developed, so that in the event of an unexpected and sudden emergency, family members can stay in contact. A lot can go into a plan, but a lot of good can come out of a plan as well. Families can help in mitigation as well, particularly with pandemic diseases by being vaccinated, practicing good hygiene and teaching children good hygiene. Seasonal flu vaccines are available right now, and now is a good time to start protecting your family.