| Training
Sessions Teach Preparedness for Emergencies |
By Sabrina Enayatulla
Observer Staff Writer |
| Fairfax County has dedicated the later part of the summer
months to host emergency preparedness training sessions for
area faith communities. |
| "Ready…Pack…Go" was the title of the two-hour seminar held
Aug. 8 at the North County Governmental Center in Reston.
|
| Nearing the end of Aug. Fairfax County will have completed
ten sessions reaching McLean, Burke, Alexandria, Fairfax,
Chantilly, Annandale, Reston, Vienna and Springfield. |
| The training sessions are being held as part of a countywide
effort to enable area residents to cope better in emergency
situations. |
| Cathy Hudgins, supervisor of the Hunter Mill District said
the County was committed to this type of outreach program
and said she was proud to have the second meeting in the Hunter
Mill District. |
| Merrily Pierce, of the Fairfax County Citizen Corps Council
said most people don't know what to do with websites and pages
of information. Pierce said there was an opportunity to participate
as active citizens helping in the community. "If we follow
lines of communication, we have an opportunity to become a
critical part of the situation." Pierce said. |
| Reverend Lewis Saylor, director of strategic development
from the Centerville United Methodist Church said the purpose
of having preparedness sessions was to bring a sense of calm
to the people in any emergency situation. "What would you
do if there is a terrible snow storm, or if a plane misses
Dulles and crashes in Centerville?" Saylor asked. "We need
to learn how to react within our congregations and neighboring
communities." |
| Participants and area faith leaders came from Fairfax and
Montgomery Counties to learn how to better prepare themselves
so they could inform those absent from the meeting. |
| Doug Bass, emergency management coordinator for Fairfax
County said Fairfax County is equipped with some of the best
resources in the world. He talked about taking necessary precautions
due to the geographic location of the County but added that
area residents should feel confident in fire fighters and
law enforcement. "Our Urban Search and Rescue team in Fairfax
County is one of the best in the country along with L.A. County
in California," Bass said. "We have lots of cooperation from
the County, we need people to become ambassadors." |
| Jesse Viles from the American Red Cross showed participants
how to pack and store emergency kits. "You should pack three
days worth of supplies," Viles said. "This is in case of fires
and storms, not just terrorism." |
| Viles used a large bin filled with supplies to illustrate
what an emergency pack could look like. She also talked about
important items to keep in storage including extra medicine,
duck tape and practical tools. "Cell phones will come in handy
for a list of contacts even if towers are down," Viles said.
|
| Viles also stressed the importance of packing emergency
products to the specific needs of each person including small
children, the elderly and pets. |
| If the summer preparedness sessions show positive community
involvement, Fairfax County may consider broadening target
groups to possibly involve schools and various organizations.
"This is a pilot program," said Greg Licamele with the Fairfax
County office of public affairs. "We'll assess the community
feedback and see if we can have different facets of it next
year." |
| Emergency preparedness information in various languages
can be obtained by visiting the County website at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/emergency. |
