PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

For immediate release – August 29, 2011

Contact:         Spencer Suter, Assistant County Administrator
540-473-8301

David Firestone, Emergency Services Division Chief
540-473-8401

This September – a Time to Remember, a Time to Prepare

Fincastle, VA – This September, our nation will mark the tenth anniversary of 9/11, remembering those lost, honoring our first responders, and renewing our commitment to prepare and plan for emergencies. Botetourt County has committed to participate in National Preparedness Month (NPM) in September. The event, now in its eighth year, is a nationwide, month-long effort hosted by Ready Campaign and Citizens Corps, encouraging households, businesses and communities to prepare and plan for emergencies.

One of NPM’s key messages is: be prepared in the event an emergency causes you to be self-reliant for three days without utilities and electricity, water service, access to supermarket or local services, or maybe even without response from police, fire or rescue, which could be overwhelmed during a major disaster. Preparing can start with three easy, yet critically important steps:

1. Get an emergency supply kit www.ready.gov
2. Make a plan for what to do in an emergency www.ready.gov
3. Be informed about emergencies that could happen in your community, and identify sources of information that will be helpful before, during and after an emergency.

Preparedness is a shared responsibility; it takes a whole community. This year’s National Preparedness Month focuses on turning awareness into action by encouraging all communities, including households and businesses nationwide to make an emergency preparedness plan.

For more information about the Ready Campaign and National Preparedness Month, visit Ready.gov or call 1-800-BE-READY.

In late spring a group of emergency services personnel finished a three weekend program titled Law, Leadership, & Ethics.

This program was sponsored by Botetourt County in an effort to provide leadership development for volunteer and career emergency services personnel.

The instructor, Randy Krantz developed this program to help emergency services workers throughout the commonwealth prepare for leadership roles in their organizations. Randy mostly known for his role as Commonwealth’s Attorney for Bedford County, began his career as a volunteer paramedic and then a registered nurse in the emergency room setting. Randy provided participants with information on legal and ethical decision making as well as many other valuable tips for preparing to take on a leadership role.

Water Rescue Training will be held June 23 for all Special Operations Team Members.