PREPAREDNESS MONTH HIGHLIGHTED BY VISIT FROM DHS SECRETARY NAPOLITANO






Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano met with Prince George’s County officials and municipal leaders at an event hosted by the City of Laurel to highlight Preparedness Month.

The event took place Tuesday, September 8, 2009, at Scotchtown Hills Elementary School in Laurel, Md., where Secretary Napolitano participated in President Obama’s My Education, My Future initiative by visiting students and listening to the President’s remarks encouraging them to work hard, set educational goals and take responsibility for their learning. While addressing county and municipal leaders at a press conference after the Presidents televised address, Secretary Napolitano mentioned the importance of first responders and acknowledged the presence of firefighters and police officers at the preparedness event.

Secretary Napolitano, City of Laurel Mayor Craig Moe, Prince George’s County Fire Chief Eugene A. Jones and other public safety leaders participated in preparedness training activities with students highlighting the importance of disaster preparedness, response and recovery. The Fire/EMS Department was well represented with volunteer and career firefighters/medics from both Laurel stations, Bomb Squad display and a Fire Safety-House on Wheels demonstration by members from Community Outreach.

Theses events and displays are part of September’s National Preparedness Month, during which Secretary Napolitano is encouraging citizens around the country to focus on becoming better prepared for and more resilient in the face of emergencies of all kinds.

DHS Citizen Corps, part of FEMA’s Community Preparedness Division, is a community-based initiative to bring government and community leaders together to involve citizens and organizations in all-hazards emergency preparedness, planning, mitigation, response and recovery.

For more information about Citizen Corps, visit www.citizencorps.gov. To learn more about the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department, visit www.pgfireems.com.

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