National Preparedness Month (NPM) is a commemorative event recognized each September to emphasize the importance of being prepared for emergencies such as tornadoes, hurricanes, or terrorist attacks. Soldiers, families, and civilians are encouraged to turn awareness into action by Being Informed, Making a Plan, Building a Kit, and Getting Involved. This year marks the eleventh annual NPM campaign and the U.S. Armys focus remains steadfast: to educate, empower, and involve the Army community in preparedness activities that enhance the resiliency of the Army and increase the nations readiness for all-hazards events. Why is this important to the Army? Under the National Response Framework, citizens are expected to be self-sufficient for 72 hours when base services such as water, power, and government support may not be available. Every member of the Army community and their families must be ready to survive under these conditions. What has the Army done? In 2009, the Army established the Army Emergency Management Program outlined in Army Regulation 525-27 implementing all-hazards preparedness planning. To bring awareness to this program and increase Army preparedness, HQDA G-3/5/7 executed the Ready Army campaign. Ready Army is a proactive community awareness campaign to empower Soldiers, families, and civilians to prepare in advance for natural or man-made disasters. In 2011, HQDA G-34 renewed the Armys teaming commitment with the Federal Emergency Management Agencys (FEMAs) Ready Campaign to develop a unique Army component that applies to Soldiers and their families. In 2013, the Army joined FEMA in their Americas PrepareAthon!, the community-based campaign for action to increase emergency preparedness and community resilience. What efforts does the Army plan to continue in the future? The Ready Army campaign continues to incorporate the best outreach tools and educational material to encourage Soldiers, families, and civilians to turn awareness into action that enhances individual and family preparedness. The Army will stride forward and align stakeholders such as Family Readiness Groups with the all hazards planning process. The Army will continue to modernize installation emergency management systems through 2016 in order to enhance protection capabilities. In an effort to increase emergency preparedness and community resilience, the Army encourages everyone to continue supporting FEMAs Americas Prepareathon! campaign, and to participate in the National Day of Action on Sept. 30 which reinforces individual responsibility for preparedness. The entire Army community can join these initiatives by visiting the Ready Army website, clicking on National PrepareAthon! Day, and joining the National Preparedness Community and Americas movement to stay safe during disasters.
Posted on: Tue, 02 Sep 2014 12:40:33 +0000
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015