Do 1 Thing in May has the theme of work, school and community. The goal is to make sure people who count on you are prepared for a disaster.

Disasters can happen anytime. If you are away from home, do you know where to find safe shelter locations? Do you know what the emergency procedures are for your child’s school or for your workplace? Will people who count on you know what to do if you can’t reach them?

Know how to make sure you and your loved ones are safe in a disaster, no matter where you are.

Make sure emergency procedures are in place for your workplace or school. Talk to your employer about emergency plans for the building where you work. Think about other places that you and your family members regularly visit or spend time, like your child’s school. Talk to administrators at those places about their emergency plans as well.

A few ways to be safe at work and school are to make sure evacuation routes and tornado shelter locations are marked on a map and posted in the building. You can also hold emergency training and drills, help create an emergency kit for the faculty, and know where fire extinguishers and Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) are located.

Know that your child’s schools are already following these procedures. Tornado drills are conducted on a regular basis, along with fire and lockdown drills.

Last week, we, your Community Service Troopers (CST’s), from around the state, participated in a T.E.A.M. Teach-in in Detroit. CST’s from as far away as the Upper Peninsula, both of us from Niles, and others throughout the state arrived in Detroit Sunday night, April 27, to prepare for the Teach-in.

Monday and Tuesday, 24 of us went to six different schools in the inner city and surrounding area and presented classes to K-5. These classes were the “Big 5 Safety Rules” and “I Will Learn About Gun Safety” to kindergarten through second grades and “Why Do We Have Rules And Laws” and “I Will Stay Safe” to third through fifth graders

The students were very receptive to us and I felt appreciated there by the students and the teachers, with many high-fives from the students thanking us for giving them safety tips. This was a very rewarding event.

Last year, a teach-in was conducted in Flint with equal success.

On Tuesday, May 6th, I participated with the AEP Safety Day in South Bend, using a driving simulator to test driving skills of many experienced drivers. I received several comments about how many driving skills were taken for granted and the program was an eye opener for many.

I am impressed with the safety that the chain of command enforces with all their workers. The tools and procedures these workers are trained in to repair lines and transformers in inclement weather or to just keep power supplied to our homes were very impressive.

Walking throughout their building, safety posters are in every room and hallway. Is your place of business concerned about safety? What is your administration enforcing to keep you safe while doing your job?

If we can assist with crime prevention classes or safety training, please feel free to contact your CST’s and we can assist with this type of training.

Next week I will be writing this article from the Great Lakes Homeland Security Training Conference and Expo, where I will be attending many breakout sessions for school security and information on school violence. I will keep you informed.

 

Rob Herbstreith is a Michigan State Police trooper. Questions or comments can be emailed to TrooperRob53@yahoo.com