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Hazelwood Fire Dept. Joins Multi-State Effort to Prepare Students, Community for Earthquakes
Hazelwood’s “Great Central U.S. ShakeOut” Team – (Back Row – left to right) Drenda Underwood, American Red Cross; Deane Adam, American Red Cross, Dr. Jennifer Roper, McNair Elementary School principal; Hazelwood firefighter Mark Manson; Hazelwood firefighter Mike Martin; Hazelwood paramedic/firefighter Rory Abberton; Hazelwood Battalion Fire Chief Tom Stone; and Matt Jannings, American Red Cross. (Front Row – left to right) Jamie Climaco, McNair student; Jayla Fitch, McNair student; Devin Marciniak; McNair student; and Adan Falcon, McNair student.
(Posted May 6, 2011)
The Hazelwood Fire Department partnered with the Hazelwood School District in late April and the American Red Cross in helping local school children, faculty and the community prepare for earthquakes. They participated in the “Great Central U.S. ShakeOut,” a public earthquake drill involving eleven states in the New Madrid Seismic Zone and more than three million Americans in K-12 schools, colleges, universities and businesses throughout the region.
Students and teachers at McNair Elementary School and Armstrong Elementary School in Hazelwood participated in an earthquake preparedness assembly conducted by American Red Cross disaster relief experts. The first lesson they learned was to Drop, Cover and Hold On. They were instructed to use this technique for the region’s first multi-state earthquake drill. Everyone was told to drop to the ground, take cover under a table or desk, and hold on to something sturdy for at least 60 seconds, which is the duration of most major earthquakes.
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano were the ones who initially called on schools, colleges and universities to participate in this April Earthquake Drill, scheduled precisely at 10:15 a.m. (CST). They co-signed a letter that was sent to every school and institution of higher education in the central U.S., where many states would be impacted if a major earthquake hit the New Madrid Seismic Zone.
“As adults, it’s our responsibility to make sure students are prepared, both at home and in school, for a possible emergency,” said Secretary Duncan. “The ShakeOut drill is an important exercise for parents, students, teachers and school leaders across the country. And, I hope it encourages more schools to develop, implement, and evaluate emergency plans.”
“As the recent earthquakes in American Samoa, Haiti, New Zealand, Chile and now Japan remind us, earthquakes can strike at any time,” said Secretary Napolitano. “It’s critical that all members of the nation’s emergency management team – including the federal government, state, local and tribal officials, the private sector and the public – are prepared. Learning how to protect yourself and your loved ones in the event of an earthquake or other disaster is a vital life skill.”
Hazelwood Emergency Management is given the responsibility of helping the City of Hazelwood save lives, minimize injuries, protect property, preserve a functioning civil government, and maintain economic activities essential to the community’s survival and recovery from a natural disaster. This organization worked in cooperation with the Hazelwood Fire Department, Hazelwood School District and the American Red Cross in setting up these school assemblies at McNair and Russell for the “Great ShakeOut” event.
