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Question and Answer Transcript
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Disaster Preparedness and the Home Safety Council’s Get Ready with Freddie!
Program Webinar
The Home Safety Council would like to thank everyone for their participation in the Disaster Preparedness Webinar and for sending in such thought provoking questions. Included below is a transcript of the questions submitted during the presentation and responses provided by the presenters. If you have questions or would like any additional information regarding the discussion below, please email info@homesafetycouncil.org and a response will be sent back to you. Q: In addition, the Press did such a poor job of telling the people the proper line of "responsibility" for disasters. First, the individual, then the local government, then the state and finally the federal. The press let the first three off the hook! A: The focus of this presentation is on personal responsibility for disaster preparedness, not the lines of authority in disaster response, which is another way to interpret the question. Yes, it’s true, when it all comes down to it, people individually should manage their own destiny. However, government at all levels has unwittingly helped undo that, by stating that “we will help after…”. As a result, people are less likely to help themselves, and then they become angry when outside help doesn’t arrive in a timely or sufficient manner. Ultimately, preparedness educators need to make sure that they don’t serve as their own “worst enemies” by saying “here’s how to prepare” and follow it by, “don’t worry, we’ll be there to help.” Q: Beside the schools, are you also having the faith community nurses give the information to the churches and scouts? I've seen where children do not always bring things home from school unless they need to bring something back. A: While our main distribution vehicle is through Weekly Reader direct to third and fourth grade teachers, anyone may access our materials. The Get Ready with Freddie! program materials are all downloadable from our Web site at: www.kidsprepareamerica.org. We’re also mailing free copies of the program to each of the Webinar attendees and to fire service members of the HSC Expert Network, so they can distribute it to others in their communities who work with kids in the target age group. Q: It is stressful to 'prepare'? A: Preparing for something you don’t want to think about can be perceived as stressful, however, many studies have shown that the more prepared people are and the more they are willing to talk about what they will do in case of emergency, the more calm and less stressed they are after. Children observe caregivers’ stress, so if a caregiver expresses worries, then children may become fearful. That’s why it’s important to talk about what “our plans” are to help personalize what the family will do as an entire family when disaster strikes. Knowing who does what is far less stressful than trying to figure it out on the fly. Q: Any special merit badges or boy/girl scouting program to spread the preparedness message? A: The Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts have included disaster preparedness in their first aid programs, starting as young as Cub Scouts and Brownies to their programs for older children. Some of the preparedness content is also in their respective handbooks. The following specific badges and awards include disaster preparedness as one of the criteria: Emergency Preparedness Award – Boy Scouts Safety Award for Junior Girl Scouts – includes preparing for a storm or natural disaster among the 14 criteria to earn the award Q: Is there a plan to make the Freddie Flashlights available as a prop for presenting the programs in schools? A: Great question and yes, we are researching this for the future! Q: Shouldn't FEMA & OEM make Emergency and Disaster Information document a requirement for each household in a township? A: Well, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. In many U.S. communities, there is disaster preparedness information included in the front of telephone directories. How many people pay attention to that? Unfortunately, most people do not believe they are at risk, or deny their risk, so even if you gave them the best-designed document, they may not pay attention to it. That’s why conversation and repetition play such an important role in the process of disaster preparedness. Q: Why would schools invite us (experts in the network) into the class rooms if the teachers have the info? Thanks. A: We at the Home Safety Council are big believers in partnerships to deliver safety messages. There are many advantages of providing teachers with the tools they need to deliver important safety lessons through the classroom:
1) Teachers can introduce key concepts and vocabulary in advance that will enhance participation and understanding when the safety expert comes to visit; Q: How can we help those in our communities prepare when they are barely meeting their day-to-day needs i.e. homeless, poor, elderly on limited incomes, etc. Many are already in crisis. Any ideas? A: Like I said above – at the Home Safety Council we strongly believe in partnerships. To reach people who are homeless, poor, or who are older, etc., we can partner with other people and organizations that share a common mission to reach these audiences. They may have access and resources we lack. Specific examples in the disaster preparedness arena include: Meals on Wheels, home health care agencies, homeless shelters and care providers, and many others who provide services to the most vulnerable populations in our community. Q: Is more emphasis on being able to care for yourself or family then depend on help from say FD or PD? A: Emergency responders can’t be everywhere at once when a big disaster happens. Sometimes their resources are overwhelmed, and responders themselves may be hurt, injured, or trapped. Roadways may be blocked. We’ve tended to train people to believe that “help is on the way” when in fact help may be delayed. That’s why there remains an ongoing emphasis on personal preparedness, because you need to care for yourself and loved-ones until you can get to help or help can get to you. Q: Does each county school system with third/fourth grades get one kit, or does each individual 3 and 4th grade class get their own copy? A: One teacher from every school in the U.S. with a 3rd or 4th grade will be randomly selected by Weekly Reader to receive a copy. We find teachers often share these materials…the average pass-along rate is 2.3 teachers. A special letter has been mailed to principals to let them know the program is coming and to encourage their support. Q: Is there a part of this program we can take and give to our adults? Senior center, churches??? A: For the Get Ready with Freddie! program, HSC developed a “simplified check list” with illustrations to communicate what families should have in their “Ready-to-Stay” and “Ready-to-Go” kits. It’s reproducible and in English and Spanish. With a little cutting and pasting, this might be suitable for other audiences. In addition, our Home Safety Literacy Project has specially-designed materials for adults with low-level reading skills on fire safety and disaster preparedness. Go to: http://www.homesafetycouncil.org/expert_network/en_literacy_w012.aspx and scroll down to the second section to download free teaching tools on emergency preparedness. Q: How would you suggest involving my 3 year old? She just turned 3 on Saturday, so she's not closer to 4. A: While your 3-year-old is too young to learn about “disasters,” because in her stage of development she only recognizes what’s “here and now,” you can, for example, bring her to the window when it’s raining outside and help her learn about rain, and perhaps flood danger (stay away!). Also, a three-year-old can learn how to “drop, cover, and hold on” in an earthquake, and will find practice lots of fun! Further, you can help your child learn to identify and name things like cans of soup, a flashlight, and other supplies in your disaster kit. Just hold things up in the kit and say their names, and ask your child to say it. It’s educational for the child, and helps introduce preparedness at the same time. Q: Is the Kids Prepare America Contest an annual contest? If it happens the same time every year, those of us in fire prevention/public education can contact teachers and plan early to make it a joint effort by adding incentives and resources. A: Thanks for this great question. The Home Safety Council would love to repeat this program every year, but we have to find the funding for it. It’s always easier to ask for support if you’ve got a good track record…so we’re counting on all of you to make the Kids Prepare America Contest a big success this year! Q: Are there evaluation forms attached to this program to measure effectiveness? A: Yes, evaluation tools are included with each Get Ready with Freddie! program kit. We were thrilled with the results of our first round of in-depth program evaluation based on the program’s 2006 distribution to more than 3 million teachers, students and parents in a four-month time frame. In our first evaluation, more than 80% of the teachers stated that their students were definitely more aware of disaster preparedness as a result of using the Get Ready with Freddie! program. More than 90% of teachers rated the overall educational value of the Get Ready with Freddie! program as “Excellent” or “Above Average.” An unprecedented 55% of the teachers evaluated the video at 10 points out of 10 for being successful in conveying disaster preparedness messages to children and 70% of educators indicated that their students reported some specific changes in their family preparedness at home as a result of the program. We’re looking forward to hearing how effective the 2007 program distribution is as well. Q: Not a question, but a comment: As a lifelong resident of Louisiana, I think one of the most important lessons we have learned from Katrina is the importance of being prepared to evacuate. I think many more people here are prepared to leave now than before. A: Thanks for this comment. With all the sadness caused by Katrina, it’s nice to know something positive has come from it. As time goes by, though, we’ll see as has been seen before, such as in Florida after Hurricane Andrew, that people’s willingness to evacuate will diminish with time. That’s why it’s important to give frequent reminders about what to do over time. The risk doesn’t diminish with time. Q: Comment - I work for the Citizen Corps programs in West Virginia, I have used HSC material to reach children, families, and school staff through Family Night Out events. You can reach a lot of families this way. Just sharing. A:National Night Out is organized by the National Sheriff’s Association in cooperation with local police and sheriff’s departments nationwide. It’s good that you are using HSC materials during NNO activities, and we appreciate your suggestion! Q: I enjoyed the content of the presentation, but how do you get all municipalities involved? Some around me aren’t even doing effective public education now. A: Thanks for your comment. In our experience, the best approach is to start small and create a success, then build on that. Working with teachers is often a great strategy…they tend to talk among themselves and generate a buzz that attracts other supporters. It’s also a good idea to find a “spark plug” in one area whose enthusiasm can be contagious, especially if that person gets attention in the local press. Then more may want to do it. Q: What would you recommend for someone to do regarding medication? Many people have controlled medications. How would they go about getting extra medication of a controlled substance to put in their 'to go' kits? A: We do not recommend that people store medications in disaster supplies kits. Instead, they should have it handy and easy to grab in case they need to leave in a hurry. Any user of prescription meds should consult with his/her physician or pharmacist about the best ways to store their meds and in what quantities. Sometimes for some meds, physicians will prescribe an additional amount to have on hand in case of disaster. This has been done fairly often in the states of Florida and California. Q: Is there a way to print your slide presentation, or to download the presentation you have given today? Will it be on line to look at again? A: Yes, you can download and print the slide presentations and all materials related to past Webinars by visiting: www.homesafetycouncil.org/expertnetworkwebinars_archive. From there, follow the link to the Webinar you’re interested in and you’ll be taken to a page with links to the presentation, all related materials and the archived presentation that you can view again. |
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