This holiday season, if you are like me, you are looking for gifts for your family, friends and neighbors. I would encourage you to consider giving yourself and those you love the gift of preparedness. Before my position as Mayor, I spent many years as a volunteer and then as a staff member learning, promoting and teaching about personal preparedness for all emergency situations.
Bluffdale has wonderful resources to help you meet your goals. Often people ask me where they should start. I always tell them water. Water storage is essential. I like to break preparedness into sections, making it simpler to decide where to focus my efforts. Then when one area is stocked, I move my focus to a different one. The 12 areas are:
- Water
- Food
- Communication
- Cooking
- First Aid
- Important Documents and Money
- Light/Power
- Safety and Security
- Sanitation
- Shelter/Warmth
- Tools and Personal Items
- Transportation and Navigation
On the city website, there are links to wonderful resources for all these areas.
www.bluffdale.gov/Plan
www.bluffdale.gov/preparedness2021
Another fantastic way to become more prepared is to take the CERT class. During CERT training you learn about the city emergency plan and become certified to help when there is an incident. You also train on how to “stop the bleed” and other basic first aid skills, practice using a fire extinguisher, and learn the process for search and rescue. Spring CERT classes will be on Thursday nights April 10-May 8 at City Hall for ages 16 and older. You can register here: www.bluffdale.gov/CERT
Our HAM radio club also offers classes to help you become a licensed HAM operator. The class will be offered twice next year; in the spring on Tuesday nights from February 18-March 18 and in the fall on Thursday nights from October 2-30. Registration is not necessary. The test will be given on Saturday, March 22 and November 1. You don’t have to attend the classes to take the test.
There are opportunities to join the Emergency Section Leader coalition. We need more people to join the effort to organize our neighborhoods. You can fill out an volunteer application form here: https://www.bluffdale.gov/Volunteer
I strongly feel that being personally prepared is so important and grateful that the City offers these opportunities so in an emergency we will be able to work together to help each other.