This Saturday, Aug. 25, the Delaware Emergency Management Agency will offer the 3rd Annual Family Emergency Preparedness Day, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Delaware Technical and Community College in Georgetown.
It marks the first time that the event has been held in Sussex County, and members of the local emergency service departments are getting involved.
Free admission and plenty of refreshments, demonstrations and training for the public will ensure that Preparedness Day is an enjoyable and educational one, organizers said. Officer Russ Carter of the Ocean View Police Department will be in attendance to perform demonstrations and inform families of ways they can keep everyone in their household safe.
“We’re trying to convey a message,” said Ocean View Police Chief Ken McLaughlin, who has participated in the annual event in the past. “The event is about giving people proper knowledge they need to take the appropriate precautions.”
McLaughlin said, “It’s also an effort to establish a relationship between the emergency response teams and the citizens.”
The event, hosted by Sussex County Emergency Operations Center, is also sponsored by the Department of Safety and Homeland Security, the Citizen Corps, Sussex RSVP and the American Red Cross of Delmarva.
The public will have the opportunity to learn about planning and caring for animals in the event of a disaster, about assembling a family emergency supply kit and to be “Red Cross Ready,” as well as gathering information about Mobile Emergency Command Centers and mobile emergency medical facilities.
Antique law-enforcement vehicles and K-9 Corps demonstrations will also be organized. Children can get started on their own ID kits, and adults can learn about child safety seat and boat safety. Kids will also have the chance to participate in a variety of games and win prizes, while parents will be eligible to receive door prizes and commemorative hand-outs.
“There are a number of things that people can do to prepare themselves, prepare their families, prepare their business as a safeguard against damage in a disaster scenario,” said McLaughlin. “The emphasis of the state-wide event is to enhance the awareness level of the average citizen that these threats are real threats, and these situations can be devastating when they occur.”