City Reminds Residents That Preparation is Key

If a huge disaster were to hit, would you know what to do right off the bat? Before emergency responders even arrived at the scene?

"With the month of September being Emergency Preparedness Month, we want residents to know what they can do to ready themselves,” said City of Tacoma Deputy Fire Chief Tory Green. “This year's theme is 'Pledge to Prepare - Awareness to Action.'" 

According to ready.gov, the federal government’s official preparedness website, there are three key things each resident needs to do to prepare for an emergency:

The first thing you should do is build a kit. That means keeping enough emergency supplies on hand for you and those in your care. Water, non-perishable food, first aid, prescriptions, flashlight, and a battery-powered radio are all good things to keep in that kit.

The next thing you should do is make a plan. Be sure to discuss, agree on, and document an emergency plan with those in your care.

The third thing you should do is be informed. Free information is available to you from federal, state, local and other resources.

And, if you want to get more involved, you can consider enrolling in a Community Emergency Response Team.

"CERT training is the next level up in terms of emergency preparedness,” said Green. “When you do CERT training, you'll gain some advanced disaster prep and response skills. If you're interested in CERT training, call (253) 591-5955. There’s also CPR Sunday on Oct. 13 at Foss High School. For more information on CPR Sunday, go to cpr-sunday.net or call (253) 594-7979.”