Command kicks off National Safety Month observance with emergency Preparedness Fair

Command kicks off National Safety Month observance with emergency Preparedness Fair

By Ben Hutto, PSNS & IMF Public Affairs

Code 1130, Emergency Management Division, and Code 105.6, Radiological Emergency Planning, hosted a Preparedness Fair for Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility employees, Sept, 3, outside Building 1106 along Farragut Avenue.

The Kitsap County Department of Emergency Management was also on hand with fire and emergency services to pass out information on home fire safety, how to react in the event of a tsunami, actions people can take to be safe on the water and how to respond to an earthquake.

Tsunamis and earthquakes are not necessarily "bad" or "wrong" in themselves, they're just unpredictable "acts of God," according to Eric Wilmarth, emergency management program manager. With that in mind, fair organizers would like to ensure that workforce members are prepared for any emergency.

The highlight of the event allowed employees to experience the effects of a 9.0 earthquake in a mobile earthquake simulator. Billed as the "world's largest mobile earthquake simulator," the device is designed to simulate a typical living room with couches, lamps and everyday household items. When engaged, the trailer shakes intensely and vibrations allow its inhabitants to see and feel how unsecured furniture and objects respond in an earthquake.

Local safety events like the earthquake simulator and the upcoming regional exercise Citadel Rumble are some of the ways PSNS & IMF encourages its workforce to be safe, both at work and at home, and to prepare for a variety of disasters.

Leaders like Wilmarth hope the event helped better prepare employees for the unforeseen by sharing vital information about assembling an emergency kit and preparing a family plan. Resources, guides and even preparedness games for young children are available at www.ready.gov/plan.

"I've never been in an earthquake," said Mekaylia Smith-Cook, workforce available laborer, Shop 38, Marine Machinery Mechanics. "I thought it was pretty informative. We had fun. We were giggling and joking the whole time, but it was a good opportunity to learn. I got a lot out of it."

That response is what the planners of the event hoped would happen.

"There are a lot of different scenarios where safety is important, but hopefully today gave people the tools they needed to manage how prepared they are," said Wilmarth. "While no one can predict when an earthquake will happen, we can be prepared for it. That is what this event is about. We want to help people start thinking about what they will do."