Emergency Preparedness
Welcome to the Safe Kids WA Emergency Preparedness site!
Learn how to get prepared and be ready when the unexpected happens.
Here, you will find links for how to prepare for emergencies, how to prevent them and for what to do when an emergency happens. Keep checking back for more, new resources will be added and the information here will be regularly updated.
Share these resources with your friends, family and community to help everyone get prepared.
Emergency Planning
Washington Emergency Management Division
This guide from the Washington Emergency Management Division will help get you prepared one step at a time. Complete 1 activity per month throughout the year to prepare you and your family for disasters.
Prepare in a Year Guide (English)
Prepare in a Year Guide (Spanish)
Red Cross - Prepare with Pedro
Prepare with Pedro is a 30- to 45-minute preparedness education program developed by the American Red Cross for grades K-2 that teaches students how to BE PREPARED and TAKE ACTION for either home fires or a local hazard.
Download activity story books to prepare for earthquakes, fire, floods and more.
Materials also available in Spanish!
Fire Prevention Awareness
Fire won't wait, plan your escape! The National Fire Protection Association has helpful guides to help you plan and practice your home fire escape plan.
Materials available in English and Spanish.
The National Fire Protection Association
Check out Sparky.org for games and activities to help kids learn about fire safety while having fun!
At Sparky’s Schoolhouse teachers can find lessons, videos and games for Fire Prevention Week and fire safety education all year-round.
Learn Escape Planning for older adults. Here you can download an escape plan template, learn how to make your plan and watch a video to explain it all.
Wildfire Smoke
Be ready to protect yourself and your family from wildfire smoke. Here are steps you can take to get prepared.
Check the Washington Smoke Blog for current air quality conditions and forecasts across the state to stay up-to-date
https://wasmoke.blogspot.com
Download this guide from Airnow.gov to help create a clean room in your home when the air outside is unhealthy. This guide also includes information on how to create a DIY Box Fan Filter to filter the air in your home.
How to Create a Clean Room at Home
Wildfire Evacuation
This video from the Washington State Independent Living Council (WASILC) Coalition on Inclusive Emergency Planning (CIEP) and the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) Office of Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ODHH) covers preparedness tips on dealing with smoky air and evacuations that are common during the wildfire season, typically July through October each year. The video is accessible in ASL with captions and voice-over.
Window Fall Prevention
Did you know that every year thousands of children are hospitalized after falling out of a window? It is more common than you think and easily preventable. Below are some resources that you can use to keep kids safe.
Harborview Injury Prevention and Research,University of Washington
Learn how you can protect against window falls, download an info packet and watch Lily Weaver’s window fall story.
Hidden Hazards: Preventing Window Falls this Summer
KingCounty.gov
Check out this page on the King County website that includes prevention steps, flyers in several languages as well as a video presentation by experts. You can even download the presentation slides from the video.
SafeKids.org
At Safekids.org you can learn about all kinds of safety tips and at the link below learn tips for how you can prevent window falls.
Older Adults
Older adults might have unique needs after a disaster. This guide from Ready.gov will help you determine your needs and provides simple, affordable steps to get prepared. This information is available in several languages at the link, including Arabic, Spanish, French, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Chinese.
Earthquake Preparedness
Great Shakeout
Be prepared to respond to an earthquake by participating in this annual worldwide earthquake drill you can do at work, home, or school.
Split second decisions can prevent injuries and save lives. Practicing "Drop, Cover, and Hold On!" at the office, at school and at home develops muscle memory to improve quick lifesaving decisions and reaction time.
Drop, Cover, and Hold On
https://www.shakeout.org/washington/dropcoverholdon/
The Great Washington ShakeOut
https://www.shakeout.org/washington/
Visit the following links for more earthquake preparedness information and resources:
Local Emergency Alerts
FEMA Lookup
Use this tool from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to lookup information for local response, emergency management and resources for current disasters.
https://www.fema.gov/locations
Alert and Warning Notifications from the Washington Emergency Management Division
- Opt in to local alerts for your specific area for Floods, Wildfires and more.
- Sign up for statewide and regional alerts for Earthquakes, Volcano notification and Tsunami warnings.
- Download the USGS ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning system available on all mobile phones in Washington which can provide seconds of warning to get safe.
- https://mil.wa.gov/alerts
All Hazard Posters
Download this handy one-page guide from the Washington Emergency Management Division with basic emergency information for earthquakes, landslides, and tsunamis, as well as power outages, hot weather, chemical hazards and more.
Available in English, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese.
