Safety Workshops Get You Ready for ‘Preparedness Month’

September is National Preparedness Month and Humboldt State University is offering a number of free workshops for students, staff, and faculty to help participants become better prepared and informed. Disaster preparedness experts stress that, while getting prepared can be overwhelming, the goal is to take small steps each month. One suggestion is to start where you stand, look around, and ask yourself ‘what can I do to make myself and my family safe?’

Disaster Preparedness Classes

Jan Marnell, emergency services coordinator with the University Police Department’s Emergency Management Program, is leading classes on disaster preparedness in HSU’s Goodwin Forum. Class participants will learn how to prepare for the next big earthquake or disaster, because, experts say, it’s not a matter of if—it’s a matter of when the next quake will strike.

Class objectives include: finding out how to prepare a kit of emergency supplies; making a plan for what to do in an emergency; becoming informed by learning about alert notifications and hazards in your area; and getting involved with preparedness in your community.

Marnell will lead discussions about disaster preparedness, building evacuations, active shooter, sheltering in place, earthquakes and other emergencies that could affect people on campus and on the North Coast.

Participants will also be guided through various online resources such as “Are You Ready?” and “Totally Unprepared” and will learn how to determine hazards in the areas they live and play. For more information, visit training.humboldt.edu.

All classes are held in Goodwin Forum at the following times:

  • Sept. 11, 10 to 11:30 a.m.
  • Sept. 20, 3 to 4:30 p.m.
  • Sept. 27, 2 to 3:30 pm

Safety & Health at Work and Home

Tom Manoli, coordinator of the campus’ Environmental Health & Occupational Safety office, leads a series of classes on safety and health at work and home. This four-part series focuses on injury and illness prevention. Each part will concentrate on specific hazard categories such as hazardous materials, ergonomics, fire prevention, emergency response and more. Many of the topics will provide Cal/OSHA-required awareness level training and can be recorded in a campus Departmental Injury and Illness Prevention Plan. The individual parts may be taken in any order as each part functions as a stand-alone workshop. For more information, contact Environmental Health & Occupational Safety at (707) 826-5711 or register at training.humboldt.edu.

Free CPR and First Aid Training

HSU staff and faculty can take free CPR and first aid classes through the campus’ Training & Professional Development program, also available for registration at training.humboldt.edu.

The HSU Extended Education Regional Training Institute (RTI) offers a number of disaster preparedness classes. These include free Living on Shaky Ground classes as well as other courses for a nominal fee. Check out page 18 of the “HSU Office of Extended Education Fall 2012 course catalog”:http://www.humboldt.edu/extended/pdf/fa2012bulletin.pdf (PDF) for course dates and times.

Join the Great California ShakeOut

Finally, HSU joins the statewide Great California ShakeOut on Oct. 18 at 10:18 am. ShakeOut participants will build muscle memory by practicing what to do when the ground starts shaking. Participants are urged to set an alarm for 10:18 am on Thursday, October 18, and to drop, cover, and hold on for 60 seconds wherever you are on that date and time. More