How to turn a reactive community into a proactive community (preparation)

[Steven Longmire]

How do you get people to fill out the emergency family packets they have been provided with from many sources? I did a door nock on my community and questioned if they had a Family Emergency Plan, above 98% said no (I was astonished) this was on only 100 door knocks so it may not be representitive overall, but it does show a horrible trend. when asked if they were aware of resources like Ready.gov, 3days3ways.org and the RedCross.org they said yes, they had also on some occasion received Plan packs from volunteer and other local efforts like faith based and City Fire and Police safety efforts. Problem is, the 98% did not fill them out, they just sit there on the shelf and collect dust. Asking for your creative jucies to flow openly on this to solve this problem I believe exists in every community on the planet. With the 100's of millions of dollars spent trying to help citizens aware of what they should do, has failed in doing it in such a was as to get the people actively involved in actually helping themselves with the resources provided. Let the knowledge flow in this chat, we need solution to this big problem
-Steve

[John Bartlett]

Hi Steven,

Your committment is awesome!! There is actually a program coming out that we are going to promote to churches and CERTS that will link resources in the community with the needs of the people in the community. It will be promoted through church bulletins etc. A grass roots effort. The difference here is that it won't only be emergency related. This will be tied to day to day needs (ie.. sinlge mom needs her roof worked on, who in the church can help). It will get people building relationships that may not have been there before. We can in turn work wtih local CERT programs (as we will have a special needs assesment on their too) and they can get access to the database of information. Unfortunately, I think the emergency planning community runs into people thinking it will never happen to them, so they don't prepare until something happens. We are going to link the day to day lives of people (and their "normal" needs) into a database that CERTS can work with too. Allowing them to manage teams and resources, matching them up to the needs of the community.

[Steven Longmire]

Thanks John, its on response to this. I am not a member of the IAEM, just finding it difficult to find the extra dollars to join. But my efforts here locally are generating viral interest. I respect and appreciate you guys that are experts in emergency management. I did discover a method of of increasing the completion of family emergency plans. I have a friend on board Rick Tobin, I would appreciate any assistance that you can offer in my endeavor. I believe in the strength of numbers especially when you pull people together for a common cause. Thank you for your feedback, John, it is an honor to meet you.
-Steve

John Bartlett said:

Hi Steven,

Your committment is awesome!! There is actually a program coming out that we are going to promote to churches and CERTS that will link resources in the community with the needs of the people in the community. It will be promoted through church bulletins etc. A grass roots effort. The difference here is that it won't only be emergency related. This will be tied to day to day needs (ie.. sinlge mom needs her roof worked on, who in the church can help). It will get people building relationships that may not have been there before. We can in turn work wtih local CERT programs (as we will have a special needs assesment on their too) and they can get access to the database of information. Unfortunately, I think the emergency planning community runs into people thinking it will never happen to them, so they don't prepare until something happens. We are going to link the day to day lives of people (and their "normal" needs) into a database that CERTS can work with too. Allowing them to manage teams and resources, matching them up to the needs of the community.

[Les Powell]

Hi Steve and John,

I have been in the Safety field for over 35 years and the question that has been asked here has always been a mystery to me, I see it all the time but do not understand the mentality that supports the action (or inaction in this case). Most people with little or no knowledge of emergency services or that have not had actual experience with a disaster will ignore the signs until it has actually affected their lives directly, it goes back to the cavemen and the instinct to survive, only dealing with what is affecting them at this very moment or in the near future (thorn in foot= take it out now or getting hungry= get food to eat now and later, etc).
Most families we have polled here in my town have said they did not take the time to make a family emergency plan because of the following issues.
1. no experience or knowledge to build a plan
2. not enough time other priorities
3. no known resources or help with their plan
4. no interest because they have never seen a need for one
( I think this is backward; my family IS important to me and I will do this to protect them, I will make time to do it, I will find time to do it, I will find the resources,because my family is the most important thing to me.) When approached with this thinking most people will take some time to apply this to the task and develop a plan.
One major underlying cause for lack of action in this area is ( I believe ) Most people EXPECT someone else to keep them and their loved ones safe, ie; Govt, fire dept, etc; and this is reinforced daily by the media and govt officials in search of more funding or getting reelected. What family does not think their loved ones should be given first priority during a disaster?? They do not care that there are a defined number of resources available during a disaster and every person involved in that disaster believes they should be helped first, after all didn't the govt officials and emergency services that recieved tax money and possible donations from this family have a certain amount of loyalty to this family because the family donated more than someone else?? This one paragraph is acted out in many courthouses and public meeting places during open local govt council meetings every day in this country.
CERT is a good start but with NIMS and ICS programs placing govt funds in areas with the most population versus the most consequences or most interest to apply benefit to the entire country. This again is driven by law makers that do not understand the problem and continue to chase and apply funds to a symptom of the main problem without ever applying funds to determine the real problem. This again is due to the fact that the people with control of the money and the power to apply it have little or no knowledge of the specific area of need, sometimes supported by EXPERTS that were political appointments and also have little knowledge in the area of question.
Now do not get the idea that I am down on anyone in politics but I am not happy with the dispersement of funds that could and should be used in a more responsible manner. I hope this partly answers the question of the amount of funding that has been applied to this effort but with such poor results.
Ok that is enough for a first try, I hope my attempt at an answer is taken in the way it is intended, to help in a positive way.
Enjoy the day.
Les Powell

[Steven Longmire]

Hi Les,
I think you understand the mentality of the problem quite well.
Les, do you remember 35 + years ago when the avg working person was told a nuke was coming over, and just that statement had what to do engrained into everyones brains of making it to your bomb shelter if you had one, or the Civ Def shelter, back then there was more of a community togetherness that does not exist today. I can also see a disconnect between all the self serving volenteer orgs out there that are not in sync and present information seprately or have their own spin on what is presented to the public. Les do you realize there are more people willing to fill out a plan for pets, then they are a plan for their family? What is your thoughts on that one?
Thank you for your input Les,
Steve

Les Powell said:

Hi Steve and John,

I have been in the Safety field for over 35 years and the question that has been asked here has always been a mystery to me, I see it all the time but do not understand the mentality that supports the action (or inaction in this case). Most people with little or no knowledge of emergency services or that have not had actual experience with a disaster will ignore the signs until it has actually affected their lives directly, it goes back to the cavemen and the instinct to survive, only dealing with what is affecting them at this very moment or in the near future (thorn in foot= take it out now or getting hungry= get food to eat now and later, etc).
Most families we have polled here in my town have said they did not take the time to make a family emergency plan because of the following issues.
1. no experience or knowledge to build a plan
2. not enough time other priorities
3. no known resources or help with their plan
4. no interest because they have never seen a need for one
( I think this is backward; my family IS important to me and I will do this to protect them, I will make time to do it, I will find time to do it, I will find the resources,because my family is the most important thing to me.) When approached with this thinking most people will take some time to apply this to the task and develop a plan.
One major underlying cause for lack of action in this area is ( I believe ) Most people EXPECT someone else to keep them and their loved ones safe, ie; Govt, fire dept, etc; and this is reinforced daily by the media and govt officials in search of more funding or getting reelected. What family does not think their loved ones should be given first priority during a disaster?? They do not care that there are a defined number of resources available during a disaster and every person involved in that disaster believes they should be helped first, after all didn't the govt officials and emergency services that recieved tax money and possible donations from this family have a certain amount of loyalty to this family because the family donated more than someone else?? This one paragraph is acted out in many courthouses and public meeting places during open local govt council meetings every day in this country.
CERT is a good start but with NIMS and ICS programs placing govt funds in areas with the most population versus the most consequences or most interest to apply benefit to the entire country. This again is driven by law makers that do not understand the problem and continue to chase and apply funds to a symptom of the main problem without ever applying funds to determine the real problem. This again is due to the fact that the people with control of the money and the power to apply it have little or no knowledge of the specific area of need, sometimes supported by EXPERTS that were political appointments and also have little knowledge in the area of question.
Now do not get the idea that I am down on anyone in politics but I am not happy with the dispersement of funds that could and should be used in a more responsible manner. I hope this partly answers the question of the amount of funding that has been applied to this effort but with such poor results.
Ok that is enough for a first try, I hope my attempt at an answer is taken in the way it is intended, to help in a positive way.
Enjoy the day.
Les Powell

[Les Powell]

Steven Longmire said:

Hi Les,
I think you understand the mentality of the problem quite well.
Les, do you remember 35 + years ago when the avg working person was told a nuke was coming over, and just that statement had what to do engrained into everyones brains of making it to your bomb shelter if you had one, or the Civ Def shelter, back then there was more of a community togetherness that does not exist today. I can also see a disconnect between all the self serving volenteer orgs out there that are not in sync and present information seprately or have their own spin on what is presented to the public. Les do you realize there are more people willing to fill out a plan for pets, then they are a plan for their family? What is your thoughts on that one?
Thank you for your input Les,
Steve

Les Powell said:

Hi Steve and John,

I have been in the Safety field for over 35 years and the question that has been asked here has always been a mystery to me, I see it all the time but do not understand the mentality that supports the action (or inaction in this case). Most people with little or no knowledge of emergency services or that have not had actual experience with a disaster will ignore the signs until it has actually affected their lives directly, it goes back to the cavemen and the instinct to survive, only dealing with what is affecting them at this very moment or in the near future (thorn in foot= take it out now or getting hungry= get food to eat now and later, etc).
Most families we have polled here in my town have said they did not take the time to make a family emergency plan because of the following issues.
1. no experience or knowledge to build a plan
2. not enough time other priorities
3. no known resources or help with their plan
4. no interest because they have never seen a need for one
( I think this is backward; my family IS important to me and I will do this to protect them, I will make time to do it, I will find time to do it, I will find the resources,because my family is the most important thing to me.) When approached with this thinking most people will take some time to apply this to the task and develop a plan.
One major underlying cause for lack of action in this area is ( I believe ) Most people EXPECT someone else to keep them and their loved ones safe, ie; Govt, fire dept, etc; and this is reinforced daily by the media and govt officials in search of more funding or getting reelected. What family does not think their loved ones should be given first priority during a disaster?? They do not care that there are a defined number of resources available during a disaster and every person involved in that disaster believes they should be helped first, after all didn't the govt officials and emergency services that recieved tax money and possible donations from this family have a certain amount of loyalty to this family because the family donated more than someone else?? This one paragraph is acted out in many courthouses and public meeting places during open local govt council meetings every day in this country.
CERT is a good start but with NIMS and ICS programs placing govt funds in areas with the most population versus the most consequences or most interest to apply benefit to the entire country. This again is driven by law makers that do not understand the problem and continue to chase and apply funds to a symptom of the main problem without ever applying funds to determine the real problem. This again is due to the fact that the people with control of the money and the power to apply it have little or no knowledge of the specific area of need, sometimes supported by EXPERTS that were political appointments and also have little knowledge in the area of question.
Now do not get the idea that I am down on anyone in politics but I am not happy with the dispersement of funds that could and should be used in a more responsible manner. I hope this partly answers the question of the amount of funding that has been applied to this effort but with such poor results.
Ok that is enough for a first try, I hope my attempt at an answer is taken in the way it is intended, to help in a positive way.
Enjoy the day.
Les Powell

[Les Powell]

It looks like my last addition to this forum got lost.
Les

[Les Powell]

Steve, I will try this again.
I do remember the nuke scare and( duck and cover ) in the schools. Shows how old we are doesn't it? To address the community togetherness= Most funding goes to large population bases ie; cities, think about it,, how many people in cities even know one person on their block where they live unless it is in the suburbs, most city living people don't want to know anyone and want to be left alone and lost among the masses so they cannot be singled out. I know this is a simplification of the actual facts involved but it will serve to make a point here.
It is a shame that funding is aimed at this venue and is least likely to be applied to a usefull and successfull project. Togetherness applies only to those that want to work together and doesn't address the option that maybe some do not want to play together, unfortunately the current mentality is help yourself and forget everyone else unless there is gain to be had for self. Look at my first reply to this forum for additional input on this one.
The disconnect of volunteer orgs. in working together I think is because they all have an agenda that is beneficial to their specific org and are often in competition with each other for scarce funds that are available, therefore they must hold their cards close and not share with the competition. Also some volunteer orgs are run by individuals that see no further than their own goals despite the fact that working with another org may benifit both.
The pets VS family again was of our own creation, the Gov has for years told us that they will take care of us therefore people that want to do anything along this line must find an outlet for their creativity= pet rescue; see my first post for more on this one also.
Ok someone else chime in, I know there are more opinions than mine and Steve's. This is going to be a fun and informative forum if more will just add their comments.
Les

[rick]

I have particpated in many health fairs and disaster booths at local special events and have found that the best way to insure that your packets get filled out is to help the person or family do it most of the time they appreciate the help and it only takes a few minutes of your time. it sounds like you are more proactive than not anyway it will also help with biulding relationships and maybe even help in reducing stress wada you think

[Dean Berenbaum]

Steve- I think that the problem and cause are correctly identified here. Here are my ramblings on your subject:

You are right, most communities deal with apathy. Emergency managers can be reluctant to openly bring up issues and plans with their community because they worry they will create fear or encounter opposition, or just be wasting their effort. We must respect those we serve, and try to understand the apathy, the interference of everyday life, etc. I am learning to respect the 'wisdom' of the masses-- that if so many people aren't packing a bag, should we ask what they are doing and build from that.

Our office was cracking up over the motto (unofficially) posted by another OEM--Emergency Management: Spanning the divide between "That'll never happen here" and "Oh my God, we're all going to die!" So true!

Use the power of marketing. Bring in community celebrities, sports stars, someone with a compelling survival story. Develop a program at schools, kids get it. The Boy Scouts are really starting to get involved in preparedness. There is an amazing retirement community in our area that is incredibly well prepared for disaster, with its own EOC, CERTs, plans, communications, shelter, and supplies. They have representatives at every Citizen Corps Council regional meeting! Perhaps they can start a movement within other retirement communities, if someone works with them to share the concept.

I'm pretty big on getting people to at least improve their preparedness. Small steps are important Ask the gas company to circulate instructions on how/when to turn off the gas in a home in case of disaster. If messages are coming in from all around that the individual citizen is really the most common first responder, then people will want to acquire the skills and tools they will need. Hope this helps, sorry if it is long winded.