Right Here, Right Now.... KEgg Article
Right Here, Right Now – KEgg Article 02202018
As I was completing an online course for FEMA training, I got a text message from a former student. It was a simple message that asked, “Was life this scary when you were in school?” How ironic that I was in the middle of reviewing active shooter protocol when I was asked this question. What do you say to the rising generation about the world that they are facing and the hurdles that have been created for them to overcome? Here is what I came up with:
The world is good and getting better. Thanks to technology and social media people are reaching out to one another in times of crisis and of joy. The rising generation is taking matters into their hands and not waiting to see if we can solve the problems that are effecting them. I know that great things are on the horizon when a group of traumatized teens put aside the grief that they are suffering and choose to organize a walk out to protest the current status of gun laws and student safety in America https://twitter.com/schoolwalkoutUS.
People care about one another and want to help in their neighborhood and community. During Irma I was “locked-in” at the Osceola EOC and I got to see my friends Maria, Jenn, Danielle, Steve, Lindsey, Daniel and Richard work for hours to care for the residents of Osceola County. The thing that really brought a tear to my eye was that I know when they returned to their full time jobs outside the EOC, they still kept track of the people and areas of concern that they had lead over during the activation. Emergency Management doesn’t attract people that serve for power, money or prestige. Emergency Management is a calling that is answered by those who want to protect, provide for and maintain the community that they call home. Most of us were not paid to be there, we were there because when the call comes to rescue a community of flooded Senior Citizens, sleep, comfort and paychecks no longer matter. Knowing that you are making a difference and protecting the vulnerable are the paycheck. To volunteer for Osceola County visit https://www.osceolaschools.net , for Orange County visit https://ocps.samaritan.com .
C.E.R.T. could be instituted at every public school in America. A Community Emergency Response Team https://www.ready.gov/community-emergency-response-team is a team of trained emergency responders that can be a combination of teachers, administrators and local police and fire fighters. I am not suggesting that teachers or school administrators be permitted to carry fire arms, just that they are trained in emergency response and active shooter response skills. This is not just about the recent school shooting though, it is about communities pooling the resources that they have and acquiring new ones to handle whatever is thrown at them.
People are inherently generous and want to help. Training is available online through organizations like https://www.fema.gov, and the state emergency management center https://trac.floridadisaster.org/trac/loginform.aspx. Some people are more hands-on in their learning method and prefer the on-the-job training method. For them, organization’s like https://www.redcross.org, https://www.volunteermatch.org or https://www.justserve.org give people a chance to sign up to help out in their community by choosing a project themselves and not being assigned by someone who isn’t aware of their capabilities or interests.
I know that this article is focused on the Central Florida area, but my hope is that as people read it and pass it along that they will add their local volunteer and community links. The circle of community involvement will only grow wider as we band together and celebrate the inherit goodness inside each of us.