EMS, Safety and Disaster Preparedness

I know there is a real need for financial and other resources in rural EMS, including workforce and training.  The Office of Rural Health strives to provide training and financial resources as much as we can.  I know many of you come here looking specifically for EMS information, so here are some grants and other resources for safety and emergency preparedness.  BTW, did you know the Office of Rural Health has recorded a number of our EMS and related workshops, available on our website?  We also host the State-approved Weapons of Mass Destruction interactive training module.

The WI Department of Transportation’s Safe Routes to School program will begin accepting applications in July (probably, according to the site).  The program encourages children ages K-8 to walk and bike to school by creating safer walking and biking routes.  Programs should improve walking and biking travel options, promote healthier lifestyles in children at an early age and decrease auto-related emissions near schools.

Medtronic Foundation’s Heart Rescue Program awards grants to school-based CPR and sudden cardiac arrest awareness programs.  They give priority to proposals that demonstrate sustainability, cost effectiveness, community partnerships, and that include a component serving a socio-economically disadvantaged or minority population.  Submit your proposal by October 15.  This is a great opportunity for EMS and schools to collaborate.

The WI Department of Transportation is also holding a series of children’s bicycle safety Train the Trainer workshops around the state beginning in April.  The workshops appear to be free.  You have to bring your own bicycle and helmet.  You’ll learn about how children differ from adult bike riders and how to organize a children’s bike safety event in your community.  This would be a great way to get some training on bike safety to incorporate into your next community safety fair.  What, you’ve never had a community safety fair?!?!  You could look for some ideas here.

The WI Department of Justice Assistance released the results of a survey a few months ago, Emergency Preparedness in Wisconsin Households.  Only 24% of rural households have prepared an emergency preparedness or home disaster kit.  And only 41% of rural residents have heard any recent disaster awareness message in the media or from other sources.  Here’s another great idea for a project in your community—how to assemble a home disaster kit.  It would be a low cost project—you could probably find some funding for it in the community.  For example, contact local businesses to contribute materials for sample kits.  You could do this at your next safety fair!

The US Department of Health and Human Services has developed some tools to assist emergency planners in identifying alternate care sites in the event of a natural disaster or large-scale emergency.  The Disaster Alternate Care Facility Selection Tool assists users in selecting alternate sites and identifying what they need to prepare these sites for use.  It can evaluate the characteristics of several potential facilities and calculate the results into weighted scores, which you can use to select appropriate sites for operations during a disaster.

March 28, 2010  Tags: , , , ,   Posted in: Conferences and Webinars, Grant Advice, Program Updates, Reports and Studies, Training and Tools

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  1. Rural Health & Community Development » Safe Kids Week - April 23, 2010

    [...] posted before about the WI Department of Transportation’s Safe Routes to School program.  It will provide [...]

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