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TextHealth and Safety Podcast Transcript: Jan. 23, 2013
Hello, and welcome to the Fairfax County Health and Safety Podcast
for January 23, 2013. I’m Jim Person, Fairfax County emergency
information officer. Coming up, learn about flu season and how employers
and businesses can maintain business continuity, portable heater safety
and a new Ready Virginia mobile app. Links to topics mentioned in this
podcast can be found online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov.
The 2012-2013 flu season is well underway. But it’s not too late to
prepare yourself and your employees to prevent the flu. These tips from
the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) can help you avoid illness
and maintain business continuity.
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Identify a workplace coordinator.
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Examine policies for leave, telework and employee compensation.
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Post signs or host a flu vaccination clinic for employees.
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Identify essential employees, essential business functions, and other
critical inputs.
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Share your flu and other pandemic plans with employees and clearly
communicate expectations.
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Prepare business continuity plans.
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Establish an emergency communication plan.
Learn more at www.sba.gov. And for flu tips, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/flu.
An estimated 900 portable heater fires in homes are reported to U.S. fire departments each year and cause an estimated 70 deaths, 150 injuries and $53 million in property loss. Only 2 percent of heating fires in homes involve portable heaters; however, they cause 45 percent of all fatal heating fires in homes.All heating equipment needs space. Keep anything that can burn at least three 3 away. Supervise children whenever a wood stove or space heater is being used. Have a 3-foot "kid-free" zone around open fires and space heaters. Learn more at www.usfa.fema.gov/ and www.fairfaxcounty.gov/fr.
Virginia has launched a free emergency preparedness mobile app to be
mobile ready for disasters. The Ready Virginia mobile app, developed by
the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, provides a new way to
prepare for disasters and also to stay informed during emergencies with
the latest information. The free Ready Virginia app for iPhone and
Android mobile devices provides emergency planning and preparedness
guidance along with several other important features, including:
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Location- specific weather watches and warnings as well as flood
information issued by the National Weather Service.
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Disaster news from the Virginia Department of Emergency
Management.
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Maps with open American Red Cross shelters, hurricane evacuation
routes, hurricane storm surge zones and stream gauges.
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A template for creating a customized family emergency plan that can be
easily shared.
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Local emergency manager contact information.
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Links to register for local emergency alerts.
Learn more from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management website at www.vaemergency.gov/.
That’s it for this edition of the Fairfax County Health and Safety Podcast, produced by the Fairfax County, Virginia government. Thanks for listening. Additional information about health and safety topics and emergency preparedness may be found online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov. And remember, if you have a police, fire or medical emergency, call 9-1-1. For non-emergency needs, call 703-691-2131.
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