Emergency Preparedness
If This is an Emergency
Dial 9-1-1
Emergency Operations Plan
The Town of Parker's Emergency Operations Plan has recently been revised and is in the testing process.
Emergency Preparedness Tips
Read some tips on what you can do to prepare in case of emergency.
Community Emergency Response Team (C.E.R.T.)
There are many types of disasters and emergencies that could affect the Town of Parker including floods, fires and tornadoes. It is estimated that after a major disaster, it may take up to three days for relief workers to reach some areas. The Office of Emergency Management is offering some helpful educational programs this year to help residents be prepared in an emergency. One program being offered during the month of September is a Community Emergency Response Team (C.E.R.T.) training.
Resolve to be Ready
The Parker Police Department Office of Emergency Management is offering some helpful suggestions and guidelines this year to help you, your friends and family, and co-workers “Resolve to Be Ready” and, even more importantly, to KEEP that resolution!
The first step is MAKING THE COMMITMENT. If you don’t commit to your goal, you won’t keep it. So, right now, make yourself the promise to improve your readiness skills over the next year. Write it down somewhere that you will see the commitment every day. Grab your daytimer and list one area of preparedness you can improve each month. Make a team at the office to help remind each other and to share ideas with. Add the topic to your family meeting agenda…or if you don’t have family meetings, schedule the first one! Invite your neighbors and friends to do the same. Need some ideas? Visit readycolorado.org for class listings and preparedness topics.
The second step is HAVE A CONVERSATION. Preparedness rarely occurs alone. Even if you live alone, your preparedness still involves other people. Take a sheet of paper and drawn a line down the middle. In one column, make a list of the people who you rely on. In the other column, make a list of the people who rely on you. Now, figure out who overlaps those columns. For most of us, this will be our immediate family, our immediate co-workers, and our neighbors or close friends. Start the conversation by talking to them about what emergency preparedness involves. At work, maybe talk about what happens during a big snow storm and how you can all check on each other for safe commuting. With your neighbors, make agreements to check on elderly residents or people who live alone during severe weather, or ask if your family can use their home as an emergency meeting spot in the event of a house fire or other short-term evacuation scenario. With your family, write an emergency plan. This plan should include at least the following:
1) a communication plan (who talks to who during a disaster)
2) a shelter-in-place plan (what happens when we’re stuck inside for a few days)
3) a short-term evacuation plan (what we do if the fire alarms go off at 2 am)
Ideally, it should also include a plan for longer term evacuation, similar to the actions required of residents impacted by the Boulder wildfires last fall. You can find resources for these plans online at www.ready.gov.
The third step in resolving to be ready is PACK YOUR KIT. Your plan hopefully identifies some important things in your life. Based on these priorities, you can identify some key components to add to your kit. This includes medical needs such as medications, eyeglasses, extra contacts and solution, needles, or testing strips for diabetics. Pack enough non-perishable food and water to last you for a few days (and remember to pack stuff you like to eat!) along with utensils to open and eat the nutrients. Toss in some hygiene materials like toilet paper, toothpaste, and deodorant. Now add a change of clothes, and you’re almost done. Thank about those special little things you really might miss during an emergency. Are you a coffee person? Throw a few packs of Starbucks Via in there. Is chocolate your comfort food? Have a couple bars of Hershey on hand. Try to pack it in something you can carry, and that fits easily in your car. Store it someplace you can access quickly (the attic is probably not that place) and make sure your whole family knows where it is. Don’t forget to plan for your pets, either!
The fourth step is MAINTAIN YOUR GOAL. Preparedness skills fade with time, so you need to revisit your training periodically. Plan to take CPR and First Aid every other year. Practice your family plan twice a year. A great time to practice your emergency plan, and update that emergency kit, is when daylight savings time starts and ends. Why not change your smoke detector batteries at the same time? Remember, your goal is only as good as the effort you put in…if you’re not invested in maintaining your readiness, all of your hard work now may not be available for use later.
Remember, you can find resources for your kit online at www.ready.gov.
"Are You Ready? An In-Depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness"
The "Are You Ready? An In-Depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness" has been designed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help the citizens of this nation learn how to protect themselves and their families against all types of hazards. It can be used as a reference source or as a step-by-step manual. The focus of the content is on how to develop, practice, and maintain emergency plans that reflect what must be done before, during, and after a disaster to protect people and their property. Also included is information on how to assemble a disaster supplies kit that contains the food, water, and other supplies in sufficient quantity for individuals and their families to survive.
There are real benefits to being prepared:
- Being prepared can reduce fear, anxiety, and losses that accompany disasters. Communities, families, and individuals should know what to do in the event of a fire and where to seek shelter during a tornado. They should be ready to evacuate their homes and take refuge in public shelters and know how to care for their basic medical needs.
- People also can reduce the impact of disasters (flood proofing, elevating a home or moving a home out of harm’s way, and securing items) and sometimes avoid the danger completely.
By reading and following the instructions in this guide, you are your family can say, Yes, we are ready!
72-Hour Kit
There are many types of disasters and emergencies that could affect the Town of Parker including floods, fires and tornadoes. It is estimated that after a major disaster, it may take up to three days for relief workers to reach some areas. It would be wise to consider a 72 hour kit. Make sure you plan your 72 hour kit according to your family’s size.
Use this brochure to help you plan for your family and things you should consider in the event you are impacted by a disaster.
FEMA for Kids
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for Kids Web site teaches kids how to be prepared for disasters and prevent disaster damage. You can also learn what causes disasters, play games, read stories and become a Disaster Action Kid. And don't forget to learn about FEMA!
Also, the parents and teachers page has activities, curriculum and safety information you can use in the classroom or at home!
Additional Information and Resources
For additional information contact:
- Douglas County Office of Emergency Services - 303.660.7589
- American Red Cross:
- 24-hour number - 303.722.7474
- Arapahoe / Douglas Branch - 303.781.5511
- Colorado Office of Emergency Management - 303.273.1622
- Federal Emergency Management Agency
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