Be prepared for anything

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Zachiah Roberson
  • 319th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  September is National Preparedness Month, a time when Air Force emergency experts step up efforts to help Airmen and their families.

Instituted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security, NPM was created to emphasize the importance of disaster preparedness.

The mission of Air Force emergency management teams is to ensure Airmen and their families are informed and ready to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from various emergencies that may affect bases and the surrounding communities worldwide.

"It is important that people and their families have a plan to respond to these emergencies, because disasters can strike at any time," said Tech Sgt. Jacob Babb, NCO in charge of Emergency Management at Grand Forks.

The Emergency Management department here assists in various ways to inform and prepare the community, offering newcomer briefings, quarterly newsletters for the base and showcasing equipment used by response teams to help ensure peak preparedness among Airmen.

EM teams here also train 319th Air Base Wing personnel on response actions to unidentified explosive ordnance identification, marking and reporting procedures and the ability to survive and operate.

Each squadron also has an assigned EM representative. They assist in the dissemination of information, like the AFEM newsletter, chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive class schedules and preparing their buildings for sheltering-in-place in the event of an emergency.

"The more we do to prepare, they more likely it is that we can handle emergency situations when they arise," said Babb. "It's simple: Make a kit, have a plan, be prepared."

Kits should include first aid supplies, food, water, medicines and important papers that can sustain you and your family until the emergency passes.

For more information contact 1st Lt. Andrew Anderson at 701-747-4727, or Tech. Sgt. Babb at 701-747-4231, or go to the National Preparedness Month website at http://www.beready.af.mil./