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Summary of Dillsburg ?Live Ready? Meeting ? Feb. 2009
I wanted to post a summary of this first meeting, and then got busy with the IDSA and PHP meetings and forgot. I?ll be attending most meetings, which are held on a monthly basis. I do believe that what this Emergency manager is trying to do may well be a national model for other communities. I have not heard of any other communities being this community-centered in its plans.
I originally presented to the Emergency Director of Dillsburg and his committee in Jan. 'o9. Since then, they have begun plans to launch a full scale preparation campaign within their small community.
This manager so ?gets it?. He was put into this position, last year when the original manager became ill. He went to a couple of meetings and one of which met me (I believe it was the York PanFlu summit). He realized that he had to get the public on board. He is enthusiastic and realizes that he has to garner the enthusiasm of the planning committee that he has to create further enthusiasm in the community for continued large-scale preparation. Throughout the meeting, he made comments like:
His plan is to roll panflu into all-hazards, due to the economic times and the realization that folks are going to roll their eyes at JUST panflu preparation. There WILL be emphasis on pandemic preparation with the scale of home preparation that he is going to be encouraging. The whole ?Live Ready Dillsburg? campaign is going to be developed around my ?Basics in Six Weeks Guide?. Each week they will be recommending the community be concerned with one area at a time, utilizing local business cooperation with possible sale prices/promotions on that weeks items.
Tim is going to take an initial community survey to gauge their base-line knowledge of emergency preparation and panflu awareness. This will be done door-to-door , followed up by other communications to be discussed (phones? On-line website survey? ) A follow-up survey will be done after the campaign is over.
Part of the campaign is going to be placecards in windows of businesses and hopefully homes. We are currently in the midst of designing these placecards. They are to be colorful (utilizing the red and yellow colors) and bright. They are to be simple w/ low verbiage. He wants the signs to generate interest, curiosity. A type lf teaser to get folks interested and want to know more.
They are discussing utilizing the community Farmers Fair with a booth. They want to hold public workshops and trainings for topics such as water purification, personal hygiene and CERT trainings.
Tim advised his committee to ?Temper your thoughts on what?s doable?. They do NOT have a community hospital, the residents have to travel to a local hospital. For that reason, they have to keep their planning centered on what they can do locally with their residents. A local school is going to serve as their POD.
Tim is fully aware that this will be a hard sell. That?s when he made the comment regarding being ?marketing marvels? and to ?make it fun?.
There was a pharmacist at this first meeting to explain Tamiflu to the committee. He provided a handout. (Note: He mentioned that if the patient has difficulty taking the Tamiflu, you can separate the capsule and put it into pudding, honey, etc. to get it down. I didn?t know that!)
Watch this spot for further updates on this communities efforts. -k
I wanted to post a summary of this first meeting, and then got busy with the IDSA and PHP meetings and forgot. I?ll be attending most meetings, which are held on a monthly basis. I do believe that what this Emergency manager is trying to do may well be a national model for other communities. I have not heard of any other communities being this community-centered in its plans.
I originally presented to the Emergency Director of Dillsburg and his committee in Jan. 'o9. Since then, they have begun plans to launch a full scale preparation campaign within their small community.
This manager so ?gets it?. He was put into this position, last year when the original manager became ill. He went to a couple of meetings and one of which met me (I believe it was the York PanFlu summit). He realized that he had to get the public on board. He is enthusiastic and realizes that he has to garner the enthusiasm of the planning committee that he has to create further enthusiasm in the community for continued large-scale preparation. Throughout the meeting, he made comments like:
?Marketing marvels that we are?
?Make it fun?
?We have to figure out a way to infect the community with our enthusiasm?
?Make it fun?
?We have to figure out a way to infect the community with our enthusiasm?
His plan is to roll panflu into all-hazards, due to the economic times and the realization that folks are going to roll their eyes at JUST panflu preparation. There WILL be emphasis on pandemic preparation with the scale of home preparation that he is going to be encouraging. The whole ?Live Ready Dillsburg? campaign is going to be developed around my ?Basics in Six Weeks Guide?. Each week they will be recommending the community be concerned with one area at a time, utilizing local business cooperation with possible sale prices/promotions on that weeks items.
Tim is going to take an initial community survey to gauge their base-line knowledge of emergency preparation and panflu awareness. This will be done door-to-door , followed up by other communications to be discussed (phones? On-line website survey? ) A follow-up survey will be done after the campaign is over.
Part of the campaign is going to be placecards in windows of businesses and hopefully homes. We are currently in the midst of designing these placecards. They are to be colorful (utilizing the red and yellow colors) and bright. They are to be simple w/ low verbiage. He wants the signs to generate interest, curiosity. A type lf teaser to get folks interested and want to know more.
They are discussing utilizing the community Farmers Fair with a booth. They want to hold public workshops and trainings for topics such as water purification, personal hygiene and CERT trainings.
Tim advised his committee to ?Temper your thoughts on what?s doable?. They do NOT have a community hospital, the residents have to travel to a local hospital. For that reason, they have to keep their planning centered on what they can do locally with their residents. A local school is going to serve as their POD.
Tim is fully aware that this will be a hard sell. That?s when he made the comment regarding being ?marketing marvels? and to ?make it fun?.
There was a pharmacist at this first meeting to explain Tamiflu to the committee. He provided a handout. (Note: He mentioned that if the patient has difficulty taking the Tamiflu, you can separate the capsule and put it into pudding, honey, etc. to get it down. I didn?t know that!)
Watch this spot for further updates on this communities efforts. -k
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