preparedness

From City of Batavia Fire Department:

Weather emergencies can strike often times without warning and inhibiting our ability to secure basic necessities. Rescue and response agencies will be responding but may not be able to assist immediately depending upon the severity of the event.

As a result, the City of Batavia along with the Department of Public Works, Fire and Police departments would like to remind all City residents to take the necessary precautions and preparedness steps to be ready in the event of an emergency situation.

In the event that there is a loss of power, practice energy conservation to help the power company avoid rolling blackouts.

• Keep your car’s fuel tank at least half full as gas stations use electricity to operate the fuel pumps.
• Ensure that you know how to manually release your electric garage door opener.
• Always use a surge protector to protect your computer and other electronic devices from an energy surge.
• Avoid opening the refrigerator and freezer doors as food will remain fresh for up to several hours after the power goes off.
• Lastly, if the power outage is expected to last for several days or more, consider relocating to a shelter or a friend or family member’s home if possible.

In the event that you plan to use a portable generator, be sure that you operate it outside only. Do not operate the generator within the home or garage and do not hook it up directly to your home’s wiring. Instead, connect the equipment and appliances that you wish to power directly to the outlets on the generator.

We also recommend that you have the following items available: Fully charge cell phone with a spare power block, battery-powered radio, flashlight with spare batteries, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils, blankets and sleeping bags, personal toiletry and first-aid kits.

Lastly, having a family emergency plan along with an emergency supply kit will assist you in managing many different types of weather-based emergencies.

Additional information on specific types of emergencies can be found on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Red Cross websites as well as on their apps for smart phones.

As always, you can contact the City of Batavia Fire Headquarters for any questions that you may have at (585) 345-6375.

Being a relatively new observance, National Preparedness Month is not necessarily widely known. It is what Homeland Security designated the month of September in 2002, in response to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

This initiative, which has the support of the Red Cross and other such organizations, is geared toward helping individuals, families, schools and workplaces develop efficient emergency response plans. This way, they will be ready in the event of a disaster -- natural or manmade.

Jim Maxwell, chief of the Batavia Fire Dept., recently commented on the fact that National Preparedness Month gets too little attention at the local level.

"It upsets me that not enough people get involved locally," he said. "I'd like to try and prepare for more (involvement) next year."

Maxwell's disappointment stems from his belief that every emergency is local in nature.

"It just depends on how you define local," he said. "'Local' starts in the household. For me (as fire chief), local means the City of Batavia. For someone like Jay Gsell (the Genesee County manager), the word 'local' has an even broader meaning. It (an emergency) starts and ends locally."

Of course, reparedness is not limited to September -- it ought to be a year-round priority.

"Part of my position is to make people aware," Maxwell said. "National Preparedness measures make things easier in the long run, because people are trained to handle smaller emergencies while we (firemen, emergency response teams, law enforcement, etc.) handle the bigger emergencies."

The chief pointed to National-Preparedness-Month-related websites that list things people can do to be ready for an emergency or disaster, as well as prepare for greater involvement in promoting the awareness campaign next year.

He mentioned websites like www.ready.gov, which educates people regarding steps they can take in order to successfully weather emergencies and provides information on what materials/provisions/supplies (and how many) they will need.

If you Google terms such as "National Preparedness Month" and "survival mom" (for parents), you will find a lot of useful information, including:

• how to coordinate an exit drill in your home
• establishing a meeting place for your family outside the home
• designating what Maxwell calls a "focal person" -- someone who is outside of the home, the area, or even the state -- who the family can contact if they get separated.

Another website Maxwell mentioned was www.72hourplan.com.

Anyone who is interested in contributing to National Preparedness Month next year or would simply like more information can contact Maxwell at jmaxwell@batavianewyork.com, or call 345-6400, ext. 4379.