Columbus Fire and Rescue Magazine V4N1

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description

A fire and life safety publication published by Columbus, Mississippi Fire and Rescue Department.

Transcript of Columbus Fire and Rescue Magazine V4N1

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PUBLISHERCOLUMBUS, MISSISSIPPI FIRE and RESCUE DEPARTMENT

EDITORANTHONY COLOM

ART DESIGN, LAYOUT, & PHOTOGRAPHYANTHONY COLOM

CONTRIBUTING WRITERSCHIEF MARTIN ANDREWS

ASSISTANT CHIEF MARK WARDCHIEF OF TRAINING DUANE HUGHES

FIRE and LIFE SAFETY EDUCATOR CAROLE SUMMERALL

STAFFMARTIN ANDREWS: CHIEF

MARK WARD: ASSISTANT CHIEFDUANE HUGHES: CHIEF OF TRAINING

NEAL AUSTIN: SPECIAL OPERATIONS CHIEFBOBBY BARKSDALE: A-SHIFT BATTALION CHIEF

MIKE GIBSON: B-SHIFT BATTALION CHIEFJr. LANCASTER: C-SHIFT BATTALION CHIEF

TODD WEATHERS: FIRE MARSHALCAROLE SUMMERALL: FIRE & LIFE SAFETY EDUCATOR

MICHAEL CHANDLER: ACCREDITATION MANAGERANTHONY COLOM: PUBLIC RELATIONS

TABITHA BARHAM: ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Columbus Fire and Rescue Department205 7th Street S.

Columbus, MS 39701(662) 329-5121

This publication may not be reproduced in whole nor in part without the written

permission of the publisher. Copyright © 2015, Columbus, Mississippi Fire and Rescue Department.

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O

06 l COLUMBUS FIRE and RESCUE MAGAZINE l Photo by anthonyCOLOM (662) 329-5121

property due to fire.” Unfortunately, in this case, one civilian's

life was lost. Our prayers continue for this family.

With the help and support of everyone in the department, I have

grown into the position of Fire Chief this past year. This real-

ization came when one family from the apartment fire I spoke

about, came to the department to give thank-you hugs to the

guys that responded. I knew that because of our dedication and

desire to fulfill our calling, a family could celebrate one more

birthday or holiday together.

by CHIEF [email protected]

chief s chair

On March18, 2014, a decision was announced that would rock my

world. This was the day that Fire Chief Kenneth Moore announced his

retirement. I had only been in the position of assistant chief since

November of 2012. Having sat through only one budget process, I felt

as if I had not grown accustomed to the position of assistant chief.

Now, I was poised to take control of the entire department.

On September 30, 2014, at approximately 6:30 PM, I was walking with

a friend through one of the neighborhoods in our city. We were talk-

ing and enjoying our walk. We saw children playing in the yard of one

of the apartment complexes. They looked and sounded as if they did-

n't have a care in the world. They were just enjoying life. We complet-

ed our walk, and headed to our homes. The evening progressed and

seemed to be pretty uneventful for the fire department. You see, as

Chief, I am never off duty. I am always listening to my radio. Around

2:00 AM on October 1, chatter over the radio woke me up. There was

an apartment fire. I got up and headed out the door. I arrived at the

fire as the last on-scene engine company pulled in. Two of the apart-

ments were engulfed with fire; it was the same apartment complex that

my friend and I had walked past earlier that day. I immediately thought

of the children playing in the yard, and said a prayer that they were all

safe. The on-duty battalion chief reported a mother and two children

were rescued from the second story of the apartment adjacent to the

one the fire had started in. The mother was transported to the hospi-

tal by ambulance. There were still two civilians missing: one from the

apartment the fire had started in, and one from the adjacent apartment.

Rescue teams arrived on scene, and a young girl was found. She was

also transported to the hospital. However, there was still one civilian

missing from the apartment where the fire originated. Our men

searched up until the last possible moment. When they could wait no

longer because the fire was starting to breach the fire wall in between

the apartment complexes, the go-ahead was given to attack from above

with the ladder truck. All we could hope was that the last civilian was

outside safe from the fire.

The fire was finally called "out" at approximately 5:00 AM. All that was

left to do was to put out the hot spots and find that last civilian, which

we knew by this time was most likely one of the children my friend and

I had seen playing in the yard the evening before. Part of

our mission statement says that we are here to “protect life and

ANSWERINGTHE

CALL

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A lot of time and effort is

put into the layout, design,

marketing, and promotion of

this magazine. We never have

a shortage of stories, photos,

or helpful articles. We wel-

come any suggestions and

comments from the public.

TThis month marks the 3rd anniversary of

Columbus Fire and Rescue Magazine. As we work

towards change within the department and our

publication, we d also like some things to remain

the same: the things that have made us the excel-

lent department we ve become.

In three years, Columbus Fire and Rescue

Magazine has evolved from a 32-page 5.5”x 8”

magazine to a 32-page 8.5” x 11” magazine. We

can be found in locations where customers and

patients tend to have time to sit and read. Citizens

of Columbus and Lowndes County may also stop

by one of our 5 fire stations and Fire and Life

Safety office to pick one up as well.

A lot of time and effort is put into the layout,

design, marketing, and promotion of this maga-

zine. We publish quarterly in print and a digital

version on the internet. We have thousands of

photos to choose from during each quarter, and

that makes it extremely difficult to narrow down

the choices. We never have a shortage of stories,

photos, or helpful articles. We welcome any sug-

gestions and comments from the public.

We thank you all for your continued support, and

we look forward to publishing many more issues

for your enjoyment.

editor s noteHAPPY

ANNIVERSARY

08 l COLUMBUS FIRE and RESCUE MAGAZINE l Photo by Fire and Life Safety Educator caroleSUMMERALL (662) 329-5121

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by anthonyCOLOM, PUBLIC [email protected]

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citizens and the community, the department offers many benefits

to the employee as well. Some benefits are: state retirement,

health and life insurance, a tuition reimbursement program, paid

holidays, and a great work schedule, just to name a few.

As any college football coach knows, he has a limited number of

scholarships to offer to players. The same can be said for the fire

chief as well; there are always a limited number of positions that

come open within the department that can be filled. This is the

reason why a coach or a fire chief is looking for the best possi-

ble recruit to fill that scholarship or position. That coach is ask-

ing that recruit to invest his talents in the organization for four

years, but the fire chief is asking that recruit to invest his talents

in the organization for 30 years!

10 l COLUMBUS FIRE and RESCUE MAGAZINE l Photo by Captain wesMIMS (662) 329-5121

I

by ASSISTANT CHIEF [email protected]

command staff

I am a huge fan of college football, especially the Mississippi State

Bulldogs!

To build an organization or a team, you have to recruit the best indi-

viduals or players that will fit into your organizational needs. College

football teams spend many hours on recruiting players that can have an

immediate impact on their team. But, there are players out there that

may not be as highly rated, but a coach may see that they have the

potential to become a great athlete in their program; and like football

teams, public service organizations, fire, police, and ems are also search-

ing for the best individuals to recruit for their organizations.

When Columbus Fire and Rescue became an Accredited Agency, along

with that designation also came some recommendations as well. One of

the recommendations from the peer assessment team was that the

department continues efforts to bridge the large gap in the makeup of

the racial composition of the department so that workforce composi-

tion is better reflective of the service area demographics. The depart-

ment was also encouraged to continue recruiting efforts to recruit a

broad base of applicants. The department is currently working on plans

to address this recommendation, while realizing that this may take five

to ten years to accomplish because of the low turnover of employees

within the department and searching for the best qualified applicants.

Columbus Fire and Rescue has an extensive hiring process. There is a

Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT) Orientation, followed by eight

weeks of CPAT practice for applicants. Then those applicants that pass

the CPAT are given a study guide for a written test that will be given a

minimum of 30 days after CPAT. After the written test, an extensive

background check is performed on those passing the written test, and

individual interviews are conducted with each applicant. This process

as a whole may take up to six months.

Much like the college football recruiting process, our process gives the

department time to evaluate these applicants. Not only are we looking

for those five star individuals, but also those two and three star indi-

viduals who we feel have the potential to become a five star employee.

A career with Columbus Fire and Rescue can be very rewarding to the

right individual. Not only do you have a chance to serve your fellow

RECRUITING

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SMOKE ALARMS SAVE LIVES I PHOTO BY ANTHONY COLOM l COLUMBUS FIRE and RECUE MAGAZINE 15

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SMOKE ALARMS SAVE LIVES l COLUMBUS FIRE and RESCUE MAGAZINE l 19

prevention

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C

by CHIEF of TRAINING [email protected]

command staff

Columbus Fire and Rescue took part in a tremendously generous

Christmas effort with a local city business. Pet Smart, the pet prod-

ucts and services store, held a competition throughout its nation-

wide chain of stores. Customers were encouraged to purchase

stuffed animals and donate them as Christmas gifts to local chil-

dren. Each store chose a local emergency response agency to dis-

tribute the donated toys. Each national region would select the store

with the highest number of donations by mid-December. These

stores would be presented a cash prize. This prize would be divid-

ed among the stores employees. What a great way to spread

Christmas cheer to children who might otherwise go without. The

donations also present employees with a chance at a great

Christmas bonus.

Pet Smart of Columbus chose CFR to distribute their donated

stuffed animals. The fire department keeps stuffed animals on each

fire truck. These toys are given to frightened children at emergency

scenes. The soft, plush toys calm and soothe small children. They

also provide an emotional boost to firefighters, who use the gifts to

restore hope to a traumatized child.

All through the months of November and December, phone calls

from Pet Smart resulted in hundreds of stuffed animals each week.

It soon became apparent that the needs of the fire department had

been met for the next year. CFR decided to partner with the

Columbus Police Department's annual Christmas toy drive. Officer

Rhonda Sanders was contacted, and she received stuffed animals

from CFR. This donation was abundant enough to make up for a

shortfall in the toy drive. Many children awoke Christmas morning

to hug a stuffed animal donated by a caring patron of Pet Smart!

The community spirit of organizations such as Pet Smart exempli-

fies the best in giving back to the community. Columbus Fire and

Rescue was proud to have taken part in this effort. We look forward

to similar partnerships in the future, as we constantly strive to bet-

ter serve the citizens of Columbus, Mississippi.

COMMUNITYSERVICE

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OHello Ms. Conner. How are you ?

I’m doing well.

How has your recovery and your

daughter’s recovery been going ?

I was in the hospital in Jackson for about

two weeks. I was in ICU for one week,

and the rest of the time I was in the

recovery room. I was burned internally

from breathing in heat and smoke from

the fire.

What were some of the things

that you faced as part of the

recovery process?

The first week, I didn’t remember

anything because I was in ICU.

The second week I was breathing

on my own, and they put me on

solid foods again. I had to learn

to walk again. I spent most of my

time there in a wheelchair. I also

had cracked ribs, so all they could

do for me was give me medica-

tion for the pain. Learning to walk again

was the most difficult part. My main

focus was getting out of the hospital and

getting to my daughter Deja who was also

injured during the fire.

Deja was hospitalized at Le Bonheur’s

in Memphis ?

Yes.

Deja, can you tell me what you

remember about the night of the fire?

I don’t have any memory of what hap-

pened during the fire. I can remember

everything up until I went to sleep that

night, and everything since my recovery,

but nothing that happened that night.

What about your recovery at Le

Bonheur Children’s Hospital?

It was a really nice place, and the nurses

were really good, too. My morning nurse

was really nice and took really good care

of me while I was there. My night nurse,

Ms. Etosha, she was always real with me.

My therapist, Ms. Jill, she always made

sure that I pushed myself.

I understand that you all were visited

by Mayor Smith, Fire Chief Andrews,

and Ms. Glenda Buckhalter, and that

Mayor Smith gave Deja the Key To

The City.

Deja: I was shocked that he gave me the

Key To The City. That was really big. It

made me feel really special.

Yes. To show their faces and say we know

what happened and we’re here, is huge. I

kinda gave them the run down on Deja’s

recovery, because her recovery was a lot

different and longer than mine. Her first

week at Le Bonheur’s, she was in ICU, and

we were both intubated. We were both

extubated on the same day. As I was wak-

ing up, she never did, and they couldn’t

figure out why. It was about another two

weeks for her. When I got out of the

hospital, I went straight to her, and they

were saying, “We can’t wake her up. We

don’t know what’s wrong! We can’t wake

her up. We don’t know what’s wrong!”

They called in a specialist to read her

MRI; that’s when they discovered that she

had brain damage. I shared that with

Mayor Smith. She basically started over

from the beginning, as if she was a baby.

It was like bringing a newborn baby

home. She had to learn to do everything

all over again: walk, talk, eat.... everything.

It’s a miracle for her to even be sitting

here, and for you to even be able to ask

her questions, have her understand them,

and answer them. It’s special to me. It’s

special to us.

Ms. Conner, could you tell me what

happened and what you and your

family experienced the morning of

the fire?

I was home with my three children. I

know the stories that are told about our

getting out of our apartment, but I really

have no idea how. I heard a noise, woke

up, and went to check on the kids, and

there was smoke in the hall. When I saw

the smoke in the hall, I banged on the

walls to try and wake everyone to save

time so that I wouldn’t have to

go into every room and wake

them up. They all came run-

ning into my bedroom. My first

instinct was to get to the win-

dow. I wasn’t even going to try

to attempt to go downstairs. I

didn’t want to know what was

down there. I could see the

smoke when I got them to the

window. I know I called 911

during all of this, and I broke a

window for my children, trying

to get the little ones some air. By that time

the smoke was so thick that you couldn’t

see. Trying to get them to the window,

and not being able to see, I had to walk

with a child on my left, on my right, and

one in front of me. I just knew I had to

keep them close to me, so if one fell, I

would know it. Once I broke the window,

I tried to get my little ones up to the win-

dow. It took a lot out of me. It took all

the strength I had to break the second

window. I had nothing left. By the time I’d

broken the second window, Deja had

passed out. To try and get her up off the

floor.....the strength could only have

come from God. I just didn’t have it. Deja

is a 14-year-old weighing 110 pounds.

October 1, 2015, at approximately 2:00

am, Columbus Fire and Rescue was

dispatched to Jamestown Apartments

on the eastern side of the city for a

structure fire. More than 20 members

of the department responded to the

call to help. This is an interview with

Ms. Shalonda Conner and her oldest

daughter Deja, one of the many fami-

lies affected by the devastating fire.

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My only thought during all of that was to

make sure the people outside knew that I

had 3 children inside with me. I do reme-

ber seeing a ladder hit the window. I

passed out after that. I don’t remember

what happened. From what I was told, I

was dropped down from the window and

caught by Deputy Kemp from the

Lowndes County Sheriffs Department.

He’s a friend of mine. He’s been a friend

of mine for awhile. He wasn’t even work-

ing on that side of town, but he said he

heard the call and recognized the address.

He said he prayed the whole time he was

driving, and once they passed me off to

him, he said he started counting heads

and didn’t see Deja. He said he started

asking around about the other one. He

said he told them that I had one more

child. He asked Skylar if Deja was there

with us, and Skylar said she was. He said

the firemen went inside with flashlights

searching for her. He said when they

found her, she was downstairs in the liv-

ing room. That told me a lot; for her to be

downstairs in the living room when I

know she was right beside me at one

point.... that means some terrible stuff

happened to her while they were getting

me out.

Do you mean being separated from

everyone, and ending up somewhere

else ?

Yes, exactly. I feel like I owe Deputy

Kemp everything. My children are my life;

and his knowing that I had a third child ,

and she was missing, helped save her life.

They are all that I have. God has him as

my friend for that reason. He was there

that night for that reason. You never

know why people are in your life. You

never know. He works for the county, but

yet he makes it to the middle of the city

to help firefighters save my daughter’s life.

I’m not discrediting the fire department

because they definitely did their job. They

did what they were suppose to do: get me

and my children out.

Have you all had the opportunity to

meet the firefighters who rescued

you ?

No! No! We really want to. I think we

really need to.

I’m going set that up for you. I’ll talk

with Chief Andrews about making

that happen.

(Crying) I did everything I could as a

mother to get my children out; and once

you get to the point where there’s nothing

else you can do..... that’s not a good feel-

ing being in a burning building and being

able to see outside, and not being able to

do anything. The only place we could go

was down. You try to protect your chil-

dren from everything, and there’s nothing

you can do. All I could do was pray and

ask God to get my babies out. When

those firemen put that ladder up to the

window, that was my release. My body

gave out at that exact time. I had given all

that I could, and I gave out when they

arrived. It was like I could finally rest

because my help was here. I have no idea

who the firemen are who saved us. These

people were there for a reason: for me

and my children to be here right now. To

have this moment. I can’t imagine if

Kemp wasn’t my friend, and he wasn’t

there; nobody else knew that I had a third

child. So yes, we have to meet the firemen

who saved us.

How has all of this changed your

lives?

Drastically ! Good and bad. Any little

thing that you can’t control doesn’t matter

anymore. I hugged and kissed my kids

every morning and every night before this

happened, and we all make sure we hug

and kiss each other now. It’s scary. In a

split second things can change. Things

scare us now. We’re afraid of noises. We’re

afraid of smoke. We’re afraid of every-

thing. When we cook in the house, my

boyfriend will open the windows because

any smoke in the house will frighten the

kids. He’s really been there for us.

Have you been in touch with the other

families affected by the fire?

I talked to Lynn (her daughter lost her

life that morning) for the first time

Tuesday. I just didn’t know what to say to

her because both of our children were

trapped inside. I found out about her

later. Because when I was in the hospital I

didn’t remember a lot of stuff. I found

out the whole story later. It’s not that I

feel guilty, but it’s that I don’t know how

to feel with her. Our children were

trapped in that building, but mine is here.

I don’t know how to feel with that. You

just don’t know what to say. When I saw

her, she was so excited to see that we were

alright. I was glad to see that she was

good. We’ve talked. We’re actually gonna

see each other tomorrow.

Your two younger daughters are doing

well ?

Yes, they’re well. They both struggle with

it their own way, but they’re both good.

My 5-year-old, she was having nightmares

when we first came home. We don’t have

any idea what they were about, but she

was having nightmares. She’s afraid of

smoke detectors. She’s afraid of different

things. They remember, and they have the

same fears that I have. It’s totally different

for Deja because she doesn’t remember

anything. Her fears are totally different

from ours. I remember up until a certain

point. Skylar remembers everything. It’s

affected each one of use differently. It’s

hard to sleep at night.

Deja: I went to sleep that night, and as far

as I know, I just slept for a really long time

until I woke up in the hospital.

I would much rather Deja not remember

any of the things that happened that

night. To be honest, it’s kind of a blessing

that she doesn’t remember any of it.

Thank you both for allowing me to

talk to you and hear your story. We’ll

all be praying for you.

Thank you guys for everything.

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The smartest plan for attacking a heart attack

is, of course, preventing one from ever hap-

pening. Choose three of the following pre-

ventive strategies that you're currently not

doing. Make them a habit. The closer to the

top of the list you get, the more you reduce

your risk of heart disease.

1. Convince Your Spouse to Stop Smoking

Nonsmoking husbands of smoking wives

face a 92 percent increase in their risk of heart

attack, according to a report in the Journal of

the American College of Cardiology.

Breathing secondhand smoke boosts LDL

("bad") cholesterol levels, decreases HDL

("good") cholesterol, and increases your

blood's tendency to clot.

2. Walk, Run, or Lift Weights for 30

Minutes Four Times a Week

Middle-aged men who exercised vigorously

for 2 or more hours cumulatively per week

had 60 percent less risk of heart attack than

inactive men did, according to the New

England Journal of Medicine.

3. Lose 10 to 20 Pounds

If you're overweight, dropping 10 to 20

pounds could lower your risk of dying from a

first heart attack by 16 percent. Being over-

weight drives up cholesterol and blood pres-

sure, the precursors to coronary disease. A 10-

year Mayo Clinic study found that overweight

people had heart attacks 3.6 years earlier than

normal-weight people did, and that obese

heart-attack patients tended to be 8.2 years

younger than normal-weight victims.

4. Drink Five Glasses of Water a Day

In a study at Loma Linda University, men who

drank that many 8-ounce glasses were 54 per-

cent less likely to have a fatal heart attack than

those who drank two or fewer. Researchers

say the water dilutes the blood, making it less

likely to clot.

5. Switch from Coffee to Tea

A Dutch study found that people who drank

3 cups of tea a day had half the risk of heart

attack of those who didn't drink tea at all.

Potent antioxidants, called flavonoids, in tea

may provide a protective effect.

6. Grill Salmon on Saturday, Have a Tuna

Sandwich on Tuesday

Researchers at the Harvard School of Public

Health say that eating fish at least twice a week

can lower your heart-disease risk by more

than 30 percent. The magic ingredient is the

omega-3 fatty acids found in fish. In another

study, men without heart disease were 10 per-

cent less likely to die suddenly when their

blood levels of omega-3s were high.

7. Ask Your Doctor About Vitamin E and

Aspirin

Men who took the antioxidant and the blood

thinner daily cut the plaque in their clogged

arteries by more than 80 percent, according to

a recent University of Pennsylvania study.

8. Eat a Cup of Total Corn Flakes for

Breakfast

This cereal contains one of the highest con-

centrations of folate (675

micrograms) of any cold

cereal. Taking in that much

folic acid daily (the recom-

mended amount is 400 mcg)

cuts your risk of cardiovas-

cular disease by 13 percent,

according to researchers at

Tulane University. Folate

works by reducing blood lev-

els of artery-damaging

homocysteine.

9. Count to 10

Creating a 10-second buffer

before reacting to a stressful

situation may be enough to

cool you down. Men who

respond to stress with anger

are three times more likely to

be diagnosed with heart dis-

ease and five times more like-

ly to have a heart attack

before turning 55, say

researchers at Johns Hopkins

University.

10. Eat Watermelon

It contains about 40 percent more lycopene

than is found in raw tomatoes, and a new

study by the USDA's Agricultural Research

Service shows that your body absorbs it at

higher levels due to the melon's high water

content. Half a wedge may boost heart-dis-

ease prevention by 30 percent.

Courtesy menshealth.com

26 l COLUMBUS FIRE and RESCUE MAGAZINE l (662) 329-5121

Never Get Heart

Disease Follow these 10 habits and keep your heart healthy for life

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Hands or Church Group to assist if you are able. We all have

a role to play in helping our communities recover from emer-

gencies. For more information contact your local volunteer

organizations; for more preparedness information on how to

Prepare, Plan and Stay Informed, go to www.ready.gov.

D

by FIRE and LIFE SAFETY EDUCATOR /PIO [email protected]

fire and life safety

Disasters can strike without warning, forcing you to go for days

without basic necessities or to evacuate your home. A disaster can

happen to anybody at any time regardless of race, creed or finan-

cial status. A fire, tornado or flood does not care if you are black,

white, rich, poor, young or old; there are no exceptions and no cit-

izen is exempt. How can you help us to help you? Prepare, Plan

and Stay Informed.

Get a kit - Be prepared to improvise and use what you have on

hand to make it on your own for at least three days, maybe longer.

Think of your basic needs first: fresh water (1 gallon per person

per day), food (non-perishable protein bars, dried fruits & canned

foods) and clean air (dust or filter masks). Depending on the cli-

mate, you may include warm clothes & blankets, also, don't for-

get your pet's needs. You may want to consider two kits; one to

stay and one to take with you in case you have to leave.

Make a Plan - Plan in advance what you will do in an emergency

situation. Use common sense and prepare to improvise. Develop

a family communication plan; you may not be together when a

disaster strikes so plan on how you will contact each other.

Consider a plan where each family member calls, texts or e-mails

the same friend or relative in the event of an emergency. Create a

plan to shelter-in-place as well as a plan to get away; become

familiar with alternate routes, get a current map and don't forget

to take your emergency supply kit. Know emergency plans at

school and work.

Be Informed - About possible threats in your area. What type of

potential natural (tornado, flood) and man-made (chemical spills,

explosions) may impact your community. How will you be noti-

fied and receive current information about the disaster? How will

you receive emergency alerts and instructions from authorities on

scene? Consider WEA (Wireless Emergency Alerts). Most

mobile phone carriers have this service. If you don't have a

mobile phone, there are NOAA Weather Radios, emergency alert

broadcasts and outdoor sirens; again, know what your communi-

ty has.

After preparing yourself and your family for possible emergen-

cies, take the next step and get involved in helping out during a

disaster. Contact your local Red Cross, Salvation Army, Helping

AREYOU

READY ?

28 l COLUMBUS FIRE and RESCUE MAGAZINE l Photo by anthonyCOLOM (662) 329-5121

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