Cavalier County Emergency Management

An emergency supply kit should include a three-day supply of food and water, a battery-powered or hand-crank radio and extra flashlights and batteries. Thoroughly check and update your family’s emergency supply kit and add the following supplies in preparation for winter weather:

• Rock salt to melt ice on walkways;
• Sand to improve traction;
• Snow shovels and other snow removal equipment;
• And adequate clothing and blankets to help keep you warm.
• Ensure your family preparedness plan and contacts are up to date and exercise your plan. Learn about the emergency plans that have been established in your area by your state and local government, and ensure your home and car are prepared for the winter weather.

Finally, everyone should get familiar with the terms that are used to identify a winter storm hazard and discuss with your family what to do if a winter storm watch or warning is issued. Terms used to describe a winter storm hazard include the following:

• Freezing Rain creates a coating of ice on roads and walkways.
• Sleet is rain that turns to ice pellets before reaching the ground. Sleet also causes roads to freeze and become slippery.
• Winter Weather Advisory means cold, ice and snow are expected.
• Winter Storm Watch means severe weather such as heavy snow or ice is possible in the next day or two.
• Winter Storm Warning means severe winter conditions have begun or will begin very soon.

http://www.ready.gov/winter-weather

The Ready site link above has so much greatwinter preparedness information. It is proven that those that have a plan have a much better chance of surviving severe winter weather. So go ahead, click the link, make a plan.

It’s important to know how cold weather can affect your heart, especially if you have cardiovascular disease.

Many people don’t realize how much they exert themselves when they are not conditioned for it simply by walking through snow, not to mention trying to get rid of the amounts that have come this year. Even those that are accustomed to being outdoors in winter can accidentally suffer hypothermia if certain precautions are not taken.

Hypothermia means the body temperature has fallen below 95 degrees Fahrenheit. It occurs when your body can’t produce enough energy to keep the internal body temperature warm enough. It can kill you. Heart failure causes most deaths in hypothermia. Symptoms include lack of coordination, mental confusion, slowed reactions, shivering and sleepiness.

Children, our elderly and those with heart disease are at higher risk. As we age we seem to become almost immune to feeling moderately cold conditions, we can suffer hypothermia without realizing the danger.

People with heart disease often suffer chest pain or discomfort when they’re in cold weather. Some studies suggest that harsh winter weather may increase a person’s risk of heart attack due to overexertion.

It’s not just cold temperatures, high winds, snow and dampness can also cause the body to lose warmth. Wind is especially dangerous, because it removes the layer of heated air from around your body. Similarly, dampness causes the body to lose heat faster than it would at the same temperature in drier conditions.

To keep warm, wear layers of clothing. This traps air between layers, forming a protective insulation. Also, cover your head. Heat is lost through your head, ears are especially prone to frostbite. Keep your hands and feet warm, too, as they  lose heat quickly.

Don’t drink alcoholic beverages before going outdoors or when outside. Alcohol gives an initial feeling of warmth, because blood vessels in the skin expand. Heat is then drawn away from the body’s vital organs.

This morning at the regularly scheduled meeting, the Cavalier County Commission enacted unanimously, a burn ban for the entire county. This burn ban is linked to the North Dakota Rangeland Fire Danger Index when it is in the High, Very High, or Extreme categories and/or there is a Red Flag Warning. No burning, to include a ban on campfires and garbage burning is allowed in the county when the fire index falls within these categories.

Information on the Fire Danger Index will be on local radio each morning and is also available at:

www.nd.gov/des or http://www.crh.noaa.gov/bis/ and click Fire Weather in the left column.

If you do not have internet access you may call Cavalier County Dispatch at 701-256-2555 for the daily Fire Index information.

The penalty for violation of this burn ban is a class B Misdemeanor (NDCC 37-17.1-10.1: Maximum sentence of 30 days in jail and a $1000.00 fine).

Please, be wise, use good judgement, our firefighters are volunteers, attend your fires.

For a controlled burn at any time; call Cavalier County Dispatch to report when you begin burning, stay and watch your fire, you are responsible for it. Use caution and have items on hand to control it. If a fire gets out of control, call 911 immediately. Call dispatch again when the fire is out.

According to the County Declaration: You can not burn when the fire index is in the High, Very High or Extreme categories, or if the National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning, you can access the fire index here.

A RED FLAG Warning means the the firefighters are to be on the alert, do not burn during a red flag warning.

Read the guide available at the link below for more information.

http://www.nd.gov/des/uploads/resources/154/brochure-ruralfiredangerguide.pdf

It’s important to maintain your kit once you put it together! Here’s the link

http://www.ready.gov/maintaining-your-kit

Build a kit!

http://www.ready.gov/build-a-kit

Here are some free resources for preparing your business! Scroll down once you are at the link to see past Webinars

http://www.wtoc.com/story/19376716/sba-offers-free-workshops-during-national-preparedness-month

This fall, sit down with your family and develop a plan. You’ll feel much better when an emergency or disaster occurs if you can have contact with your family. Figure out how to communicate in a disaster. Where will you meet up? What if you can’t be the one to pick up your young children? Plan now, it will bring you peace of mind.

For a plan template you can either download or fill in online click the link!

http://www.ready.gov/emergency-planning-checklists

September is National Preparedness Month

Take time to have a plan,  so that you can survive, and recover from disaster.

Here is the first step in the process;

Stay Informed

http://www.ready.gov/be-informed

From NG9-1-1.org

“To understand why a Next Generation system is needed, let’s look at some problems with today’s 9-1-1 service, and how NG 9-1-1 will solve them.

When you call 9-1-1 from home, your phone number and address are automatically delivered to the PSAP with your call. This allows the PSAP to dispatch an emergency vehicle to your location even if you are unable to speak. It could save your life. If you’re away from home, you may be able to call the local PSAP from your cell phone, and your location may or may not be delivered with your call. They’ve been working on this, so it works in some areas and not in others. NG 9-1-1 will help to make it work everywhere. If you’ve witnessed an accident, you could even send a picture to the PSAP, which can help them send the right teams of responders very quickly.

Now, say you’re a hearing impaired person. You can make a TTY/TDD (TeleTYpe/Telephone Device for the Deaf) call from home, and type messages back and forth with a 9-1-1 operator. But if you’re away from home, you’re stuck. You have no way of making a 9-1-1 TTY/TDD call. NG 9-1-1 will allow you to send a text message from a cell phone, with pictures or video, if needed.

Another problem with the current 9-1-1 system occurs when a 9-1-1 call must be transferred to a different PSAP. In most cases, this must be done over standard business lines, which means the location information can’t be transferred with it. NG 9-1-1 supports an “emergency network” infrastructure that will allow a call – and all its data – to be transferred to another PSAP intact. The plan is to leverage the existing IP infrastructure to carry all this traffic – voice, data, everything.

But there’s more. Consider these other types of data that the NG 9-1-1 enabled PSAP will be capable of receiving:

• Vehicle Telematics – this is data transmitted from your car by systems like OnStar and ATX Group. Advanced Automatic Collision Notification data can be sent to the local PSAP the moment after a crash, even if you are unconscious. It can tell them the speed and impact measurements, and even where you are. Was your car stolen? It can tell the police exactly where it is!
• Emergency Medical Data – this your personal medical information, and could save your life. It can be transmitted from your cell phone, from your car, or from an emergency alert device. The PSAP will be able to transfer this data to the ambulance en route to you, other first responder, or to another serving PSAP when needed.
• Long Distance 9-1-1 – say you’re on the phone with your mother, who lives in another state, and she has a sudden heart attack. Today, there is no way to make a 9-1-1 call to her local PSAP. You’d have to call the local police or sheriff’s department, which can take time. NG 9-1-1 will allow you to call her PSAP directly – and get immediate assistance. You could even keep the line with her open, using 3-way calling.
• Emergency Alerts – say you’re on the highway, and there’s been a major accident a few miles ahead involving a fuel tanker. The PSAP can send out a voice or text message to all wireless devices in the area, telling you to avoid this serious hazard (and the traffic jam that goes with it). And send the same information to roadway alert signs and traffic news service.
• Sensor data – traffic flow sensors provide real-time information that is critical in major emergencies. This information not only helps the emergency response team, but also provides input for outgoing alerts that help the public to avoid dangerous or congested areas. In a major emergency like a dangerous chemical spill – or like hurricane Katrina, this information flow can save lives.

What does all of this mean to you if you’re a Public Safety professional? Better service to the public, certainly. But also, more training, more skills, more interconnectivity between serving agencies, and yes, a bigger work load. Some aspects are actually expected to reduce PSAP costs, but these will be offset by others that will almost certainly increase costs. That seems to be the logical result of these developments, but we’ll have to see how it all works out. But one thing is certain: the Next Generation PSAP will look and operate very differently from the current PSAP.

The results will be pretty incredible for responders and public alike. It’s almost like “Buck Rogers in the 21st Century”. Oh, wait – this is the 21st century! The future is today, and the public and private sector are working together now to make all this happen.”

The above is just a snippet of what a Next Generation 9-1-1 can be to read more go to http://www.ng9-1-1.org/