September is National Preparedness Month

National Preparedness Month — also known as September Safety Month or Disaster Preparedness Month — is an annual campaign held in September. It is dedicated to empowering individuals, families, businesses, and communities with the knowledge and resources they need to respond to and recover from emergencies.

Emergencies can happen when you least expect it. Tornadoes can erupt without warning, and wildfires can engulf communities, leaving only ashes in their wake. Earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, volcanoes, flooding, and snowstorms create unpredictable situations that leave disaster in their paths. The unpredictability of natural disasters reinforces the need for emergency preparedness, especially during National Preparedness Month.

Beyond natural disasters, emergencies happen at home, work, or while traveling that require you to respond whether to save a life or lessen the severity of symptoms and complications. Some common emergencies you may need to respond to are as follows.

• Chest injury
• Choking
• Deep wounds
• Heat Stroke or Heat Exhaustion
• Falls
• Choking
• Life-threatening bleeding
• Injuries to neck or spine
• Poisoning or overdose
• Severe allergic reaction
• Severe burn
• Trouble breathing
• Broken bones

Responding when minutes matter requires you to have not only the tools to respond, like first aid kits, but also the skills, like First Aid and CPR training.

Together, we can build a more prepared and resilient nation, one National Preparedness Month at a time.