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EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND PREPAREDNESS

Dial 911 only to report an accident, fire, crime in progress, serious illness, or an injury that requires immediate attention.  The FCC's 911 Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau explains how to communicate during an emergency, and the 911 Consumer Information web site explains what you should know about calling the nation's 911 system. * Note that while 911 is the universal emergency phone number in the U.S. and Canada, other nations may have different emergency phone numbers (066 in Mexico, 999 in the U.K., 000 in Australia, 112 in much of Europe, etc.).  Some nations may have separate emergency phone numbers for police, fire and medical emergency services.  The GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) cell phone system employs 112 for emergencies, and in countries where 112 is not the primary emergency phone number calls are generally redirected to the local emergency phone number.  Wikipedia has extensive information on Emergency Telephone Numbers around the world.

FEMA's In-depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness provides detailed information on natural disasters, technological hazards, and terrorist threats.  Make sure you're ready for disaster with an emergency kit.  Ready.gov, The Home Safety Council, and The American Red Cross all have excellent checklists for creating your own survival kit.  The American Red Cross also offers pre-made kits.  72hours.org offers excellent advice for making 'go bags,' emergency kits, and on preparing for a variety of emergency conditions.

Online reference guides for standard first aid are available from The CDC, The Mayo Clinic and FirstAidGuide.net. You should also consider taking a first aid course from The National Safety Council or from the American Red Cross. The US Department of Health and Human Services and the CDC have put together informative guides detailing specific threats from, and treatment of, Biological Agents, Chemical Agents, and Radiation Emergencies.

NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts weather forecasts, warnings, watches, and other hazard information including natural disasters, technological hazards and national emergencies.  To receive these broadcasts you'll need a NOAA Weather Radio receiver. Current active national disasters and emergencies are tracked by FEMA (The Federal Emergency Management Agency).  If you need assistance coping with a national disaster, contact FEMA and/or your state's Agencies of Emergency Management.

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