Back to School a Good Time to Plan for Family Emergencies

Published on: 2016/09/06 - in Featured Releases

The City of Kingston’s office of emergency management is encouraging families to use back-to-school week as a time to develop their emergency plan.

“Planning together for emergencies helps your family feel prepared for the coming school year. Make sure everyone knows what should happen in the event of an emergency,” says Scott Davis, community emergency management coordinator.

Go to CityofKingston.ca/GetReady to find resources to help you plan.

When developing your emergency plan:

– Choose two emergency contacts – These are they people you contact to help reunite you with your family in the event of an emergency. Choose a local contact and an out-of-town contact.
– Choose an emergency meeting place – This is a child-friendly place, like a grocery store, where you will meet in an emergency. If your child is with a caregiver, he or she should remain with the caregiver during an emergency.
– Meet your community support network – Make sure your child is introduced to adults in roles who can be trusted to help them in an emergency, including police officers, nurses, doctors, teachers and firefighters.
– Prepare for risks facing Kingston – Review and understand the possible emergencies that could affect Kingston. These include: utility disruptions, extreme weather, fire, hazardous spills and health emergencies.

Davis also notes that Sesame Street has put together a great program to help families plan for emergencies. It can be found at  SesameStreet.org/toolkits/ready.


Release source: City of Kingston | Photo: wwworks (cc)