September is not only the
beginning of a new school year, but it is also National
Preparedness Month! Preparing for
emergencies and disasters can be challenging enough when you are only planning
for yourself. Add kids into the mixture
and it becomes much more complicated. While there are a LOT of topics to cover,
let’s focus on two areas and talk about how to get the kids involved. They are
our future after all! 😀
- Discuss potential emergencies that could occur
My 4 year old son is becoming
quite aware of all kinds of alarms, everything from car alarms to smoke
alarms. Although he may not know the ins
and outs of every alarm he is definitely curious and says, “Dad, tell me all
about them!”
So, where do we start? Every
family should have a family emergency plan. If you don’t have one yet…put one together and
practice, practice, practice (with the kids of course!). We should also be
teaching our kiddos some basic information at an early age, things like:
- Their home address, phone number, and YOUR full name,
- How and when to call 911,
- Who to contact if they cannot reach you (names, phone numbers, and addresses),
- Where your family meeting place is
- Put together an Emergency Preparedness Kit!
I don’t know about your
little ones but my son is right there to “help” me whenever he gets a chance! Including
kids in the preparation activities is a great way to teach them what to do
during emergencies. They love to help
so let’s use that energy to our advantage!
Keep in mind that our kits should fit in a backpack. Use these lists
to begin making a kit and then have the kids gather things like:
- Clothing
- Blankets
- Toys, books, games, etc.
- Food
- Flashlights and radios
Play this fun
game to help them decide which items to choose. Fun Fact – it might even be a little challenge for adults!
If something happens, it will
probably be scary for your kids. Keep in
mind; it is okay to tell them you are scared too. Preparing for emergencies
BEFORE they happen will take some of those worries away. Remember that during playtime, children can
pretend to be superheroes but when disaster strikes…you are the superhero they
need because you will be prepared!
Mark Lafountain
Public Health Emergency
Preparedness Coordinator
Administration Division
