Chesterfield Services, Inc.

FEMA Recognizes King County’s Long Term Care Mutual Aid Plan

chesterfield — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 01:00:52 +0000

FEMA’s Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program (RCPGP) recognized the King County Long Term Care Mutual Aid Plan as a grant “success story” in its November newsletter. The article outlines the work done by the “committed working group, strong leadership team, exemplary consultant support, and a significant number of long term care facilities in [the Puget Sound]” who developed and signed a voluntary mutual aid agreement to assist each other and share resources in the case of a facility evacuation. “Key [protocols] keep medical records and patient information with the patient as they are transferred between facilities, and to notify their family and primary care physician of the move. The plan also identified over 700 transportation assets that reside at various long term care facilities which can be made available to transport patients during an evacuation event.”

Winter Weather Tools & Resources

chesterfield — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 00:43:58 +0000

Another cold and wet winter is expected this year. Yes, another La Nina Winter. So, here are some links to the resources and tools that matter most for the healthcare industry:

The Seattle Department of Transportation’s new winter weather response website
Multi-lingual public health fact sheets and flyers to share with your community: Carbon Monoxide, safe water, what to do when the power goes out, including protecting food and medicine safety, and much more.
Ready Freddie! is a humor-filled coloring and activity book that helps elementary-school aged children and their families know what to do and how to take care of themselves during disasters that are common to Western Washington
FLARE is a situatIon awareness software tool by the National Weather Service, designed for use on EOC displays and desktop computers. Download the tool for timely and detailed weather data displays for current conditions and satellite and radar loops. (http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/wrh/ssd/index-flare.html)
Winter Driving Awareness Training Video: Stream this recorded webinar for tips on preparing yourself and your vehicle for winter driving. These tips for responsible driving include tire maintenance, proper breaking, getting unstuck from snow, driving around curved and steep roads, risk awareness when driving in adverse weather, and what to do when driving in specific conditions – including different types of snow and ice storms, high winds, floods, fog, and while hydroplaning. This webinar was presented by Brian Daly and Marina Zuetell, and sponsored by Seattle Auxiliary Communications Services (ACS) and Western Washington Medical Services Team for Region 6.

FIRST NATIONWIDE TEST OF THE EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM

chesterfield — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 16:32:17 +0000

The first nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) will occur next Wednesday, November 9, 2011, at 2 p.m. eastern standard time. (11 a.m. PST) While the EAS is frequently used by state and local governments to send weather alerts and other emergencies, there has never been a national activation of the system. During a catastrophic emergency or widespread communications outage, this is how the President would address the nation.

Although the national EAS test may resemble the periodic EAS tests that most Americans are familiar with, there will be differences in what people will see and hear. During the test, listeners will hear a message indicating that “This is a test.” However, the video test message scroll may not be the same nor use the words “This is a test.” Extensive outreach has been made to 911 call centers, limited English communities and deaf and hard of hearing communities to provide assurance that this is a test, not an actual emergency.

EAS participants include all broadcasters, satellite and digital radio and television, cable television, and wireline video providers. Future testing of the EAS will assess the effectiveness and reliability of other technologies to achieve the ultimate goal of timely alert and warning to the American public in the preservation of life and property. Two videos (English version includes ASL inset) about the upcoming test are available on the FEMA Blog.

FEMA has Tweets and Facebook posts ready to launch as a reminder of the upcoming test. FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate will also make the rounds on the morning news programs next Wednesday.

FIRE SAFETY AND PREVENTION MONTH: How to use a Fire Extinguisher

chesterfield — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 23:37:41 +0000

Fire extinguishers are safe and effective for extinguishing a small fire of paper, wood, gasoline, cooking oil or an electrical fire. Keep it where it is accessible and let others know where to locate it.

Click on How to Use a Fire Extinguisher for a demo and always remember PASS:

Pull the pin

Aim at the base of the fire, not the flames

Squeeze the trigger

Sweep at the base of the fire

Observe National Preparedness Month in September

chesterfield — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 21:41:04 +0000

Washington State will join the National Preparedness Month campaign in September. On August 23, 2011, Gov. Chris Gregoire said in a special state proclamation that “Citizens, companies and government agencies should review their individual preparedness plans, contact information, and emergency kits and need to prepare themselves to be self-sufficient for a minimum of three days following an act of terrorism, natural or man-made disasters.”

Events during September will include:

A statewide Drop, Cover & Hold – earthquake drill at 10:15 a.m. on Sept. 21. The drill will be initiated through the Emergency Alert System using the required monthly test for broadcasters.
A Sept. 21 Tsunami Warning Communication System test. The test will coincide with the earthquake drill and will activate a warning siren test throughout the outer coastal areas of Clallam, Jefferson, Grays Harbor and Pacific counties. The test will include an audible message and will sound a warning siren tone for three minutes.