As part of National Preparedness Month, the Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security will hold the free Ready Montgomery: Emergency Preparedness and Public Safety Fair at Wheaton Local Park in Silver Spring on Saturday, September 13 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Residents can expect safety demonstrations, training, and resources.
According to the press release, the Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (OEMHS) will hold the free Ready Montgomery: Emergency Preparedness and Public Safety Fair on Saturday, September 13, in honor of National Preparedness Month in September. Wheaton Local Park, located at 11729 Georgia Ave. in Silver Spring, will host the Public Safety Fair from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
According to Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, “I urge everyone to come to the Emergency Preparedness and Public Safety Fair and interact with our public safety experts to learn how to take proactive steps to protect themselves and their loved ones.” Disasters and emergencies can happen at any time, and being ready can be the difference between catastrophic harm or death. We can guarantee our families’ and communities’ safety and resilience by gaining useful skills and making use of the available resources.
Every year, National Preparedness Month serves as a reminder to everyone that safety for themselves, their families, and their communities may be achieved through preparation for crises and disasters. Anyone at any time can use the tools and information posted on Ready.gov especially during National Preparedness Month to prepare for any situation that may arise. The goal of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Ready Campaign is to make sure that all of our friends and neighbors have the resources necessary to become resilient before a disaster occurs.
The Public Safety Fair will offer a range of resources and activities, such as:
- Emergency preparedness talks
- CPR and AED training
- Bleeding control demonstrations
- Public safety resource tables
- Face-painting
- Giveaways
- Lawn games
- Touch-a-Truck: an opportunity for families to explore emergency vehicles from the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Montgomery County Fire Rescue Service (MCFRS) and Montgomery County Department of Police (MCPD)
- Shaved ice
Several County agencies, OEMHS, MCPD District 4 Wheaton, the MCFRS Community Risk Reduction Services team, the County Emergency Communications Center, the Department of Health and Human Services Crisis Center, and the Gilchrist Immigrant Resource Center are among the exhibitors and vendors at the Emergency Preparedness and Public Safety Fair.
The American Red Cross, Salvation Army, County Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD), CERT, the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute Emergency Management Division, So What Else!, Meals on Wheels of Takoma Park/Silver Spring, and Maryland Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) are among the other organizations taking part in the Public Safety Fair.
A network of neighborhood organizations called COAD works together to meet the needs of the community at every stage of a crisis. In order to improve disaster response and recovery operations, COAD connects the capabilities of different partners. Nonprofits, community organizations, religious institutions, and governmental organizations collaborate in this cooperation to offer disaster survivors prompt and efficient aid. The objective is to effectively organize and deploy resources during disasters in order to make the community safer and more resilient.
To receive critical emergency warnings, residents are urged to register for Alert Montgomery atalert.montgomerycountymd.gov. When an emergency occurs that could impact your home, place of employment, a child’s school, or other locations within the County, the Alert Montgomery System sends precise and prompt emergency notifications from the County to your cell, work, or home phones via text, email, or voice message.
Visit the website of the County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security to learn more about OEMHS.
