Preparedness Month, 2nd report: 3 chances for in-person training!

| Preparedness | Safety | West Seattle news

April is Disaster Preparedness Month in our state, and for the second year, WSB is committed to a nightly focus on preparedness, with a particular emphasis on being ready in case of earthquakes, given our area’s history and risk, as well as the heightened awareness and concerns resulting from last month’s quake/tsunami disaster in Japan.

Our first report gave a quick refresher on the Neighborhood Emergency Communication Hubs that are part of an amazing volunteer-led effort that has given West Seattle the preparedness edge so far – West Seattle Be Prepared. But the relatively small group of volunteers who have come forward to join in the planning and preparation this far won’t be able to do much in case of disaster without backup and help from hundreds, even thousands of others in the community. That’s why your participation in training is vital as part of Preparedness Month – and the good thing is, you don’t have to seek it out on your own. Here are 3 West Seattle opportunities coming up in the next two and a half weeks, all free – you just have to show up!

THIS THURSDAY (APRIL 7TH): West Seattle Be Prepared launches a new training/education series. 6-7:30 pm, be at the Senior Center of West Seattle in The Junction (California/Oregon). An hour and a half is a small investment considering the potentially lifesaving information you get in return – here are full details from WSBP.

APRIL 16TH: Find out about retrofitting your home for earthquake safety, with a free workshop at the West Seattle (Admiral) Library Branch – full details here. (Though the class is free, registration is requested – 206-233-5076.)

APRIL 18TH: WSBP and the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network team up for a preparedness-training session, 6-7:30 pm at the Southwest Precinct (Delridge/Webster).

Those are all from the West Seattle Be Prepared events calendar, where you will also find a reminder of April 20th – the day for a statewide “drop, cover, and hold” earthquake drill at 9:45 am. More here tomorrow night, and we’re still interested in your suggestions for what you most want to know about earthquake readiness (we’ll be working on the questions raised in last night’s comments!).

hatcher April 3, 2011 (7:24 am)

Are all the trainings the same or will different info be provided at each?

WSB April 3, 2011 (7:31 am)

The earthquake-retrofit event is definitely one of a kind. We’ll check with WSBP regarding the potential differentiation between the other two. – TR

Karen Berge April 3, 2011 (10:49 pm)

Hi hatcher: WSB called your question to our attention. The two trainings are quite different.
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The April 7th presentation by the King County Red Cross will include some First Aid and CPR training, as well as overview presentations about the Red Cross plans to respond to a disaster. The First Aid and CPR portion of the session is an abbreviated version of Red Cross training — it involves practicing the first aid techniques — but attendees won’t get certified at this session as they would if they attended a full-length Red Cross class.
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The April 18 session is emergency preparedness training conducted by the Office of Emergency Management. The focus is more on earthquake safety, storing supplies, and understanding how to respond, as opposed to treating injuries. This will be similar to the SNAP classes that are offered periodically. Class content may vary somewhat from that since many in the audience are involved with Blockwatch. Our group West Seattle Be Prepared is co-sponsoring this event with the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains’ Network.
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Thanks for posing the question! We’ve made some updates to our ‘blog (http://westseattlebeprepared.wordpress.com/) today to try to make the differences more clear.

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