Emergency Preparedness is a key issue for all residents of Ontario County. Being prepared can range from having extra food for the family in a snowstorm, to having a radio with batteries or a non-electric phone in a power outage, or to be able to sustain a family for a prolonged period of time.
The effort to become educated in this area and actually perform the recommended preparation activities will help give you peace of mind now and may help save the lives of the people who you care about in an actual event.

Since terrorism including bioterrorism is in the news daily, we would like you to be aware that the New York State Department of Health and all counties in the state are planning for an intergovernmental response to terrorism. If an event were to happen please listen to your local radio station or check this site under current health topics for the latest information. www.health.state.ny.us.

The following links are resources to help you prepare for an emergency whether it be a natural disaster such as a flood or snowstorm or a biological, chemical or nuclear event.

American Red Cross

Center for Disease Control

Office of Homeland Security

Community Planners have a unique interest in the Emergency Planning process. At the School of Public Health, SUNY Albany has offered a number of excellent training opportunities on-line. These modules are free and accessible whenever you have the time. Two excellent examples of their online courses are highlighted below.

Working in a Point of Dispensing (POD) - There are a number of situations where local public health departments might need to mobilize a point of distribution (POD) to dispense medication or vaccinate a large group of people. "Working in a POD" provides you with an understanding of what a POD is, how it operates, and what functional roles you may be assigned as a volunteer serving in a POD.

Mass Dispensing: A Primer for Community Leaders – This course provides an overview of mass dispensing, which is a method communities use to give medication or vaccinations to a large number of people in a short period of time. The course describes what mass dispensing involves and how this fits into the national and state response to public health emergencies. It also outlines the leadership roles for community leaders during mass dispensing. See PDF description of the course.