Eighth annual NPM is a good opportunity to build an Emergency Supplies Kit and sign up for Emergency Text Alerts

September – San Bernardino County Fire Department is proud to be participating in the eighth annual National Preparedness Month (NPM) in September. Sponsored by the Ready Campaign, NPM is a nationwide effort designed to increase awareness as well as encourage individuals, families, businesses and communities to take action and prepare for emergencies.

Southern California is subject to an array of potential disasters and it’s important that people are prepared to sustain themselves and their families during disasters. The combination of National Preparedness Month and the approaching height of fire season is a good opportunity to assess one’s own readiness.

San Bernardino County Fire Chief Mark Hartwig emphasized the importance of personal preparedness. “The goal of National Preparedness Month is, in a word, readiness. Due to the nature of massive disasters, people will most likely have to fend for themselves while first responders are dealing with life-threatening emergencies,” Hartwig said. “That’s why it is so very important for everyone to be ready to survive on their own, and that means having enough water, food and supplies for at least three days and preferably two weeks.”

The County Fire Department urges residents to sign up for Emergency Alerts on their cell phones by clicking on the Emergency Alert flashing link on the front page of this site. This service is part of the County’s Telephone Emergency Notification System (TENS), also known as Reverse 9-1-1 and is offered at no cost to County residents. TENS uses listed and unlisted numbers in the region’s 9-1-1 database to alert residents of life-threatening emergencies. TENS has placed hundreds of thousands of calls during wildfire and flood events since its creation in 2004. However, the 9-1-1 database only includes landline telephones, so other numbers must be registered. If a resident wishes to receive an emergency text alert on their cell phone or an emergency call on their Voiceover Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone, they must register the number in the system at www.sbcfire.org.

Click here and download emergency preparedness documents including an Emergency Supplies Checklist and a guide to creating a Family Disaster Plan. Residents can also obtain more information about joining a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program by contacting their local city or by calling the Office of Emergency Services at (909) 356-3998.

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