Gail McGovern: Preparedness is Everyone’s Job
This is National Preparedness Month and we are trying a lot of different venues and messages to get the word out that it’s very simple for people to prepare for a disaster.
It seems like people know they need to prepare but for whatever reason there’s a roadblock. Perhaps they think it’s too complicated or will take too much time.
I’m really interested in knowing how others think we can better motivate the public to take some simple steps.
We are using various communications vehicles to hammer the message that it’s easy: Get a kit. Make a plan. Be informed
One of the most interesting for me was a press conference we held in Times Square to launch some new and eye-catching PSAs on preparedness.
We were particularly fortunate to have DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano there because she is such a fan of preparedness on so many levels. The message she’s always reinforcing with the American public is that it’s not just the government and Red Cross that need to help you. You need to help you. In addition to being prepared, you can reach out and help a neighbor. She believes that we all have a social responsibility to engage the community not only in preparedness but in response.
Secretary Napolitano is really putting her money where her mouth is. She insisted that her team attend a Red Cross sponsored session to get trained in CPR and the use of AED technology. She was on CNN during the training and took it very seriously. I was fortunate to be at the first wave of the training and the team there asked fabulous questions and were very focused on the content of the course. Later we heard that one top DHS deputy quipped,
“You can have a heart attack now. I’ll know how to save you.”
They were great students!
I was particularly proud of our organization. They did a wonderful job of fulfilling the training, answered the questions beautifully, and they tailored the session to a group of people who are very busy. Our staff made sure that every minute was valuable.
While at Times Square, Secretary Napolitano encouraged the American public to take a Red Cross training course. The people in DHS and FEMA have been great partners for us. It’s especially important to have flawless integration between FEMA, DHS and the American Red Cross because it’s the best way for us to serve our country.
Filed under: Leadership, Preparedness
I have a suggestion . I am one of the volunteers here in Staten Island New York. I am not to active anymore due to rheumatoid arthritis but I can sit at my computer and pass information to people with my computer. Well this is my suggestion. You should bulk email your volunteers asking them to send out the messages you would like for them to pass on thru their email. I think we all would be surprised at how many people would be getting notifcation about the red cross then. I think more people check their email then pay attention to messages on the television. We here in Staten Island also have a phone network where one person has about three to call in case of emergencies this way all dont have to tie themselves up with making too many call.
It comes from within…not another speech from the president. Convenience seems to be more appealing to the fast-paced public like annual redcross set-ups at various locations [e.g. hospitals, etc.].
ARC needs to play the “What if” game. Are you ready for this?
“Knowledge is Power” and to be able to apply the power to any situation you have to be prepared! What if you were in the accident, or disaster or in need? What could YOU do to prevent it from happening? If it happened to someone near you what could you do for them? Answer: “An Ounce of Prevention is worth more than a Pound of Cure” Think about it? A little now or a whole lot later?
Self-insurance=learn how to prevent, prepare, and respond to life’s incidents that affect YOU!
[...] increase the number of Americans able to respond to life’s emergencies? Our President & CEO Gail McGovern recently asked this question at the launch of our new national preparedness campaign – Do More Than Cross Your [...]
I find Maureen McGovern’s half a million dollar annual salary can be very helpful at this time. Please take half her salary for 2010 and invest it into Haiti. That would give you an immediate cash fusion for food, medicine, water and food.
By the way, what does she do there for half a million a year?