September is National Preparedness Month

September is National Preparedness Month (NPM), founded after 9/11 to increase preparedness in the U.S. Preparedness is a shared responsibility; it takes a whole community. Emergencies can happen anytime and anywhere without notice.

Being prepared and responding to emergencies is something that has been very important to me for most of my life. As a child I admired my dad who was active with Civil Defense which later became the NYC Auxiliary Police. He became the Auxiliary Police Captain in the 52nd pct (Bronx) and I joined the unit as an Auxiliary Police Officer helping to patrol the streets of my community. And yes, that is where my husband and I finally got together; he was also an Auxiliary Officer.

Later after marriage we moved to an upstate NY community and spent nearly three decades as volunteer certified Emergency Medical Technicians and responded to 911 calls - we delivered babies, did CPR, treated broken bones, comforted scared patients and did what we could. We taught CPR, taught First Aid, and helped educate what to do in the case of an emergency. Both of our children were raised in EMS and made their careers as highly trained EMS providers.

Last October 2012 Superstorm Sandy devastated a portion of our community and we saw first hand and personally the need for preparedness, the need for community. and the spirit of people who faced nature's fury.

I'm a writer and I write about people living through situations that might seem dire. I wrote my two EMS novels, Final Sin and Hyphema as a tribute to first responders. In tomorrow's blog I'll post an excerpt from Hyphema where Flight Paramedic Matt Garratti responds to a community devastated by tornadoes.

In the meanwhile, strengthen your own preparedness:

• Stay Informed: Information is available from federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial resources.
• Access Ready.gov to learn what to do before, during, and after an emergency.
• Make a Plan: Discuss, agree on, and document an emergency plan with those in your care. For sample plans, see Ready.gov. Work together with neighbors, colleagues, and others to build community resilience.
• Build a Kit: Keep enough emergency supplies - water, nonperishable food, first aid, prescriptions, flashlight, and battery-powered radio on hand - for you and those in your care.

And as a special gift from me to help you with your everyday emergencies

Download this FREE .pdf ebook now from PayLoadz

Until the Ambulance Arrives

thanks to http://www.ready.gov/ for this information