BYU NewsNet - Free classes teach emergency preparedness

The power goes out and you think it’s the typical, temporary power outage which happens every couple of months in your neighborhood. But soon the hours turn into days with no power, no heat and no light. Many people may not be adequately prepared for such an occasion.

The American Red Cross Mountain Valley Chapter is offering free classes to help Provo residents prepare for disasters and emergency situations.

Class topics range from shelter setup and operation to psychological first aid. The classes also focus on how to perform disaster assessment and how to care for the masses.

“Our emergency response vehicles can feed up to 600 people in one hour and the classes train people to utilize that during a disaster,” said Leonard Dubois, emergency services director at the Mountain Valley Chapter.

Not all class participants must register with the Red Cross, but it is an option for those looking to volunteer.

The Mountain Valley Chapter also offers separate monthly emergency preparedness classes.

The disaster courses are designed to help people who want to respond in emergency situations; the emergency preparedness classes help people become individually prepared, said Brett Cross, volunteer coordinator for the Mountain Valley Chapter.

Many of the classes focus on household emergency preparedness such as lighting issues and waste disposal during a disaster.

“Many people wouldn’t know what to do about waste disposal if they were dealing with multiple individuals in their home,” Dubois said.

The emergency preparedness classes are directed toward families and are taught by different professionals in each field.

Dubois applies his experiences in hurricane-ravaged Florida to teach disaster preparedness.

“These classes take it to the next level of what to do after a disaster strikes,” Dubois said.

The disaster classes begin the first week of each month with volunteer orientation at the beginning of the week.

Emergency preparedness classes are offered the last Thursday of every month.

“The Red Cross offers these classes to help you, your family and your community to be prepared when disasters strike,” Garr Judd, executive director of the Mountain Valley Chapter said in a news release. “There is nothing like the peace of mind that comes from being prepared.”