EMS – Emergency Medical Services- is a broad term to describe people who will come to your assistance in the case of medical emergency, critical incident, or disaster. After much research and meeting of EMS responders nationwide- I can honestly say that I feel assured that the United States and Canada are equipped with top notch medical personnel to help.
Recently, I have attended EMS Conferences around the U.S. The last one was in Alabama. I have to tell you that the people of Alabama are kind, generous and very much in to saving lives by learning various methods for communication. This includes learning Sign Language and Spanish to employ in the event of an emergency. I had the privilege to spend three days with EMS from around Alabama. I also met a plethora of vendors and specialists from other states. I was overwhelmed by the number of people who either attended my training or asked for information regarding the use of sign language within the field. I met with dozens of people. Many from hospitals, ambulance corps, disaster preparedness agencies (including social workers who help displaced people in shelters) , law enforcement, fire departments and military branches . I even met with a wonderful person from the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex who wanted to learn about how to have her staff trained in order to become better prepared for an upcoming Deaf sponsored event!
Katherine Dixon-Hert is my direct link to the Alabama Culture of Excellence event. She works with EMS at their Children’s Division. She is a dynamo. Enjoy our video which made casually during the conference. Note the ten things all should have in the event of an emergency! Their motto for disaster preparedness is BE YOUR OWN HERO- Get Ready for Emergencies with their GET 10!
Here is the list and video:
Be sure to have on hand in the event of an emergency (including manmade and natural disasters):
- WATER
- FOOD
- CAN OPENER
- MEDICATIONS
- FIRST AID KIT
- FLASHLIGHT
- RADIO
- CLOTHING
- PERSONAL CARE ITEMS
- IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS (and I would include a flashdrive of important documents from your computer and photos)
