Do You Have The Complete Emergency Preparedness Supply List?

Are you overwhelmed by everything you need to do to prepare for a natural or man-made disaster? Everyone is at first! That's why we're sharing a simple to use checklist of everything you will need when #SHTF. We followed the recommended supply list from FEMA and turned it into a free, easy to follow checklist. The list covers the essentials and suggested items to have at home, at work, and at school. Have peace of mind knowing your family can be ready anywhere you are!


You can download the free list here: Complete Emergency Preparedness Supply List

School Shootings: How Safe Are Your Children? 5/25/18

Recent Tragedies

Earlier today there was a shooting in Indiana, where a student and teacher were both injured. May 18th, 2018 there was another shooting in Texas where there were 10 fatalities and 10 injuries occurred. CNN has created a list of shootings in 2018 here.

The Statistics of School Shootings

In the Washington Post there was an article that said "the statistical likelihood of any given public school student being killed by a gun, in school, on any given day since 1999 was roughly 1 in 614,000,000. And since the 1990s, shootings at schools have been getting less common.

The Tragedy of Our Reality

The tragedy of our reality

It is only February 14^th, yet in 2018 there have been many school shootings already. The first occurred on January 10^th in Sierra Vista, Arizona. On January 20^th a 21-year-old was fatally shot at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina during a fraternity event. A 14-year-old committed suicide in the school bathroom. On January 22^nd in Italy, Texas, a 16-year-old shot and wounded a fellow classmate in the middle of the cafeteria. The same day another shooting occurred in New Orleans, Louisiana. A 14-year-old opened fire in the parking lot injuring a student. On January 23^rd in Benton, Kentucky, a 15-year-old killed two students and injured 18 others. On February 1^st in Los Angeles, California, a 12-year-old shot two students. In Oxon Hill, Maryland, on February 5^th a student was shot in the parking lot. Today, February 14^th, a gunman open fired in a high school in Parkland, Florida. It is reported that there were at least 14 victims, the death total is unclear. A suspect has been taken into custody, and has been identified as a former student. The government is aware of what is happening, and working with law enforcement as investigations are underway.  

The scary thing is that since 2013, there have been 290 school shootings in America alone.

What is being done for prevention?

This is a valid question, and one that has been trying to be answered for years.

The most current thing that has been done in January was the United States Army developing a first-person video game. This game is intended to be used to help teach the user how to react if they ever encounter an active shooter. This game will help teachers to be able to know what the best practices are if they are ever in a shooting situation. It can teach cops how to handle a shooter, as well as other security.  

Are the Children You Love Ready for the Next Lockdown?

It’s 7:30 am, at a high school, it could be any high school, perhaps the one closest to you, perhaps the one where the boy down the street that mows your lawn attends, or that young girl who you call to baby sit when you are on a date,  perhaps where your own son or daughter attends.

Like thousands of other schools, the day is about to begin, students are finishing breakfast in the cafeteria and heading to their first class of the day. Some are frantically trying to finish their homework before class starts.

It’s the beginning of a day that is so familiar to each of us.

That’s exactly how the day started for over a thousand students at Chardon High School five years ago on February 27.

In a scene much like the one you are picturing at approximately 7:30 the worlds surrounding seven young students shattered.

In a tragedy that is becoming a far too common headline in our news; a shooting broke out killing three young men and injuring three other students.

The incidents of school lockdowns from threats whether real or fake has been on the rise in the past few years. Bomb Threats alone have seen a 1,461% increase since 2011 according to a study done by the Educator’s School Safety Network with an average of 155 reported threats per month in the 2015-2016 school year.

For many of us these tragedies happen very close to home. At a high school just up the street from where I work five students were stabbed last fall. This really can happen at any school.

How can we prepare for the safety of our students, neighbors, and children? Lockdown drills have proven effective at keeping students in safe locations such as a classroom. What happens after a lockdown begins?

What happens behind those locked doors?

The lights are turned off, the students trying to be less conspicuous, hide against the corner of the room.

They are tense, worried, scared, and a little panicked. Questions begin to cross their minds.

How long will I be here? Minutes? Hours? In cases with natural disasters, a day or more?

How will I stay in a classroom for that long? No food, no access to the bathroom.

These are questions that need to be asked before not after an emergency. Are our students prepared? Are our schools prepared?

Have you thought about hygiene and sanitation, food, water, cold weather protection, and air contamination in an emergency situation?

Whatever the answer to these questions is for you, it’s up to us to make whatever preparations are needed now, to make sure the measures and supplies are in place for the protection of our students before not after an emergency situation arises.

With the right preparation, disaster can be minimized and tragedy avoided.