ENJOY YOUR DAY!

Tomorrow is Turkey Day, and you want to enjoy it...so be safe!

• Thanksgiving Safety Tips
• Thanksgiving Hangover
• Turkey and Tryptophan: Is that what makes you sleepy on Thanksgiving?
• Thanksgiving – Road Safety, Cozy Fires, Turkey Frying and more….
• Thanksgiving Food Safety
• Thanksgiving Fire & Burn Safety
• Thanksgiving Day Cooking Safety
• Remember Road Fatalities

Thanksgiving Home Cooking Fire Safety

Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires. For each year from 2011 to 2013, an estimated 2,100 residential building fires were reported to fire departments in the United States on Thanksgiving Day, and caused an estimated 10 deaths, 50 injuries, and $28 million in property loss.

It is important to stay in the kitchen when cooking at high temperatures, particularly when frying, broiling, or boiling. Frying food is the greatest risk of cooking fires. Two-thirds of home cooking fires start when food or cooking materials catch on fire, and more than half of home cooking fire injuries happen when people try to fight the fire themselves.

If frying a turkey this Thanksgiving, remember these facts:

- Turkey fryers can easily tip over, spilling hot cooking oil over a large area.

- An overfilled cooking pot will cause cooking oil to spill when the turkey is put in, and a partially frozen turkey will cause cooking oil to splatter when put in the pot.

- Even a small amount of cooking oil spilling on a hot burner can cause a large fire.

- Without thermostat controls, deep fryers can overheat oil to the point of starting a fire.

- The sides of the cooking pot, lid and pot handles can get dangerously hot.

Visit the U.S. Fire Administration website at www.usfa.fema.gov for more information on cooking and turkey fryer safety.

As hurricane season and winter approach, knowing how to be prepared for severe weather is more important than ever. As part of our community outreach as Weather Ready Nation Ambassadors,  we try to help give advice on how to prepare for and stay safe during this upcoming season.

~ Take the weather with you on your mobile phone!

~ Winter Ready Resolution

~ Workplace preparedness and response: Severe weather emergencies

~ Winter Wisdom – Winter and Severe Weather Safety

~ Winter Storms and Severe Weather Bring Different Meaning to Preparedness Needs

An Emergency Communications Plan and tips for using mobile devices in severe weather was offered by Verizon Wireless.

Prepare an emergency communications plan and stay connected in the event of an emergency:

Stay connected:

• Maintain a list of emergency phone numbers – police, fire, and rescue agencies; power companies; insurance providers; family, friends and co-workers; etc. – and program them into your phone.
• Store the number of a person to contact in your phone book under ICE (In Case of Emergency) so authorities know who to call in an emergency should you be unable to.
• Distribute wireless phone numbers to family members and friends.
• Forward your home phone calls to your wireless number if you will be away from your home or have to evacuate.
• If your wireless device has texting capabilities, practice sending text messages. (Most have texting capability, but check before you need it.)
• Set up all social media and email accounts for you, your family and friends on all wireless phones, tablets and other devices as a method of communication and means to alert contacts of your status and location.
• Set up your work email and server log-in (when allowed) to your wireless device to stay updated with co-workers and projects as necessary.
• Develop a systematic evacuation and communications plan with family and friends that includes what to do, who calls who, where to go, and what supplies and items you will take with you.  This may include updating social media sites to provide updates about your status or location.

Take care of your wireless devices:

• Keep additional batteries charged and nearby.
• Keep car-charger adapters to charge your devices while on the road.
• Utilize a universal portable power pack with a micro USB connection to charge various types of devices.
• Use covers for devices to help protect them if dropped.
• Keep phones, smartphones, tablets, laptops, batteries, chargers and other equipment in a dry, accessible location  For example if you are concerned about severe weather or flooding, is a good idea to put them in a re-sealable plastic bag.

Know and use special Verizon Wireless services:

• Back-up Assistant is Verizon’s free application that stores your phone’s address book and contact information on a secure server in case the phone is lost or damaged.
• Weather applications and alerts provide users with a variety of information about weather conditions, such as radar images, forecasts, and severe storm warnings.
• Location based services provide peace of mind, so that you know where your family members are located.  Specialized devices can provide single-button notification services for medical or other emergencies.

Wireless tips to stay connected and informed:

• Limit non-emergency calls to conserve battery power and free-up wireless networks for emergency agencies and operations.
• Send brief text messages rather than voice calls – often text messages get through when wireless networks are overtaxed during a crisis.
• Check weather and news reports available through many Internet-connected wireless phones, and through other wireless phone applications, when power is out.
• Download apps and subscribe to alerts from aid and relief organizations such as the American Red Cross’ apps for first-aid, hurricane and shelter and FEMA’s Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS).
• In extreme conditions when your battery is running low and you are unable to charge it, consider conserving battery life:
  • Establish an “on air” time as part of your emergency communications plan with family and friends during which you power up your wireless device to take calls or messages during designated times.
  • Turn off background data applications or Wi-Fi search services if you have a wireless device that is capable of these communications. (Note that your device will not receive alerts while data is turned off.)

Other general preparedness tips:

• Take photos or videos of personal possessions for insurance purposes.
• Have at least $200 in cash in the house for emergencies.
• Store several gallons of drinking water, and enough food to last at least seven days in your home.
• Have two waterproof flashlights with extra batteries strategically located in your home.
• Place select emergency items in your vehicle, and keep the fuel tank at least half-full.
• Provide a trusted neighbor, friend, or extended family member with a spare key to your home and cars in case you need their assistance.
• Have an emergency plan for pets.
• Purchase items to keep your house and family safe.  Your local county Office of Emergency Management can provide details for risks specific to your region.  Some items may include plywood to cover windows, sump pump, back-up electric generator, sandbags, etc.

Please share and join  us in spreading awareness, while it’s still early in this severe weather season?

Ready for the next Twister?

• How about a course in Tornado Awareness and Preparedness?
• Road Rules: Driver Safety during Tornadoes
• Be Ready! Staying Safe in a Tornado
• Tornado Preparedness and Response
• Zombies, Hurricanes, Tornadoes, OH MY!

Training Opportunity:
Virtual Tabletop Exercise Series (VTTX) – Tornado

This FEMA / Emergency Management Institute Virtual Tabletop Exercise (VTTX) will focus on a tornado event taking place in your community, using historical events and recovery actions.  The VTTX involves key personnel discussing simulated scenarios in an informal setting, and can be used to assess plans, policies, training, and procedures.  This VTTX differs from other tabletop exercises in that it will be conducted using Video-Teleconference (VTC) technology (not a web-based program), and is intended to provide an opportunity for responders across the Nation to simultaneously participate in a hazard-specific facilitated discussion.  Lead facilitation for the exercise will be coordinated by EMI, with local facilitation provided by the participating agency.  This format will allow the common delivery of exercise materials, scenarios, modules, and discussion questions among those participating in the exercise.

Exercise Date & Location:

February 23, 24 & 25, 2016
March 8, 9 & 10, 2016

Virtual Exercise – Multiple Locations (Note: Six separate offerings to accommodate as many site applicants as possible)

Exercise Length:
4 Hours.
Start time is 12:00 P.M.
Eastern Standard Time (EST) and end time is 4:00 P.M. EST.

Exercise Goal:
This virtual exercise will enable the participants to exercise their knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to effectively conduct all hazards emergency preparedness, response and recovery.

Overall goals include:

1.) Prepare participants for a tornado incident affecting their community.
2.) Enable participants to better coordinate their response operations with counterparts from local governments, other state governments, Federal agencies, tribal, private sector organizations, and non-governmental agencies.
3.) Provide a virtual, experiential education environment to exercise and enhance critical response and recovery tasks.

This delivery method will allow participating communities to share real-time tornado focus
incident related preparation, response, and recovery concerns and solutions with all participants.

Locations interested in participating in the VTTX series should submit an email request to participate in the exercise to Doug Kahn at douglas.kahn@fema.dhs.gov , phone (301) 447-7645, with preferred date of participation.