Introduction to Family Preparedness Guide

  • The September 11th terrorist attacks of 2001 and the continued threat of a future attack made everyone aware of the vital role played by police, fire, and emergency personnel during a disaster.  The incidents also reinforced the message public safety professionals' stress everyday:  Be prepared.
  • No one will ever be immune to disasters.  Police officers, fire department personnel, paramedics, and other city, county, and state personnel are ready to assist you in the event of an emergency, but you can help them and your family by taking a few simple steps and doing a little bit of disaster pre-planning.
  • Please take a few minutes to review this Family Preparedness Information.  Keep a hard copy for future reference, since you never know when you might need it.  Put the guide in a prominent place.  Make sure ALL family members are familiar with it, and practice fire and evacuation drills.  Update this guide immediately when information changes.  And take it with you if you need to evacuate!

If you call 911, remember the operators rely on good information to save lives.  Please be prepared to give the operator:

 

  • Location of emergency, including the complete address, apartment number, and gate code if necessary.
  • Your name and phone number.
  • As much detail as possible about the nature of the emergency.
  • Having information ready will enable emergency personnel to respond quickly and effectively.
  • You should also teach your children how and when to dial 911 for help and what information they will need to provide.

 

How you will be notified in the event of an emergency:

  • Tune in to your local television station, KTAR 92.3 FM or KEC94, Phoenix VHF Frequency 162.550 for Emergency Alert System announcements.
  • It is important to keep a battery operated radio in case an emergency knocks out electrical power.  In smaller-scale emergencies that affect specific neighborhoods, police, fire, and other personnel typically notify residents door-to-door.
  • Emergency shelter locations are identified and set up as needed based on each individual emergency situation.  In the event of an evacuation, emergency personnel would communicate shelter location information to affected evacuees.