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First Responders, City Officials Putting Ducks in Row for Potential Emergency Situation

By Julie Perine on September 05, 2017 via Connect-Bridgeport.com

City Manager Kim Haws made a good point.
 
“It’s human nature that unless we are in the midst of an emergency, we’re complacent,” said Haws at a meeting of Bridgeport Emergency Services. “We think it’s never going to happen.”
 
Haws went on to say that there’s peace of mind in being prepared way ahead of a disaster and that’s exactly what Friday morning’s meeting of Bridgeport EMS was all about.
 
September is National Preparedness Month and our city’s local responders and officials, as well as  representatives of various medical and emergency entities are launching a local preparedness campaign.
 
“This is going on around the globe – stressing the importance of being prepared,” said Director of Bridgeport Emergency Services Laura Pysz. “It can happen anywhere.”
 
As the national slogan states, disasters don’t plan ahead, but you can. Disasters can include anything from derechos and related flooding to snowstorms.
 
Those with school-age children will be seeing flyers come home from school and local TV and radio stations will feature PSAs – all urging residents to think ahead and put an emergency plan into action.  
 
Attendees of Friday’s meeting delved into the nitty gritty of preparedness, brainstorming about everything from hospital and hotel capacity to generator availability.
 
As past local storms have proven, residents can be without utilities for several days. As Bridgeport Paramedic Matt Reed said, Bridgeport can even experience the aftermath of disasters which hit neighboring communities.
 
“It’s like a funnel. Water from Rosemont and Flemington can come right down Simpson Creek,” he said.
 
Preparedness is a two-fold process, identifying how the city, neighborhoods and families can become prepared to operate during an emergency and identifying what individuals and organizations can offer in the face of such emergency.
 
“We need a creative distribution process where we can identify what is needed from the community and have a process for people dropping off donated items,” Haws said. “Then if there is a disaster, residents will know where to drop items off and where they can get what they need.”
 
Meetings will continue and events will be organized centering around themes which have been implemented for the month of September. Residents are asked to be interactive, sharing their ideas for preparedness - something they learned in the face of a recent emergency and/or ways they are putting their own plans into action. 
 
Those thoughts can be shared by commenting on this story or emailing julie@connect-bridgeport.com. 


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