Happy New Year! If your New Year’s resolution is about preparing your family, friends, colleagues, or community, consider embracing a new way of being “prepared.”  Please join us in making 2010 the year we become Prepared to Prosper!

Positive in outlook and approach (no disaster, doom, and fear)
Realistic about what is sustainable (not just what is attainable)
Educated on what really matters (to the people you serve)
Powerful in mobilizing assets (EVERY community has assets)
Able to communicate quickly and clearly (using multiple methods)
Resourceful like MacGyver (there is no limit to creativity)
Empowered to speak the truth (even when it’s not popular)
Determined for all to succeed! (Yes, everyone can succeed!)

From all of us at CARD, we hope you are happy, healthy, and PREPARED for 2010!

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This coming year, communities across America will be bombarded with many different preparedness messages. The majority of these messages are intentionally generic, so that they can be shared nationwide. Most people, however, are much more likely to resonate with, and take action on, a more personalized and specific message delivered by a trusted messenger. Choose a preparedness action that you can passionately champion in your community throughout 2010. Make sure it’s something you have actually done and currently maintain, so that your conviction is real, your words honest, and you have actual success stories to share.

Remember: Everyone can do something that will leave them feeling safer, more confident and more prepared. Everyone. For an example, see how CARD staffer Maryanne Tracy-Baker walks the world with safety stashed in her crutches and champions this message everywhere. See “What’s Up Your Crutch?” on YouTube!

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With holidays approaching, many of us will be looking for gifts to give to our family, friends, colleagues and others on our shopping lists. For safety-minded shoppers it’s a great time to give fun gifts that encourage safety, preparedness, health, and empowerment! For a list of gift suggestions click here.

For a light-hearted approach, how about a mug or cap with a cartoon vampire reminding others to do the “Dracula Cough” or a tie covered in colorful safety supplies? You can customize t-shirts with personal safety info for people you love, or help spread your favorite safety message on items ranging from bags to mouse pads to aprons – all at CARD’s new online store: www.zazzle.com/cardcanhelp.

Proceeds from CARD’s Zazzle store help us achieve our vision of a fear-free, inclusive, prospering community. Please let us know if you have special requests!

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This time of year people of good cheer get together, raise glasses, give thanks, and make toasts! For safety aficionados, this is an opportunity to thank, acknowledge, and praise people whose efforts and support made your organization safer and more prepared.

Remember to be specific: if they checked every fire extinguisher, posted safety signage everywhere, placed hand sanitizer throughout your agency, and made safety fun and empowering for everyone – acknowledge those things. This shows that you noticed their efforts and everyone listening learns what it takes to make preparedness a reality. Share stories of amusing or funny things that happened along the preparedness path. The happy holiday setting is a perfect time for preparedness to be seen as a generous positive activity; undertaken not out of fear of disasters, but out of love, care, and appreciation for the people present.

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Whether it’s hanging a simple wreath, stringing festive lights, or erecting a major outdoor holiday display, this time of year causes us to pull out and put up many kinds of decorations. This is a great opportunity for safety and preparedness enthusiasts! We can demonstrate and insist on proper ladder use, ensure that decorations do not obscure fire alarms, extinguishers, first aid kits, or exits, and remind people of and help them to follow the safety instructions on packages. While you’ve got the ladder and tool box out, it’s also a great time to post safety signage and nudge notices, install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, attend to minor repairs, and use some museum wax or earthquake putty to secure breakables.  Holiday decorations may get more notice, but decorating for safety can save lives!

For free safety signage and nudge notices, please visit: http://cardcanhelp.org/resources/

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Thanksgiving celebrations almost always bring people and food together. With H1N1 circulating, this is a great time to help people adopt safer food sharing behaviors. Some solutions: have ample toothpicks, cutlery, napkins, small plates, small cups, serving tongs, scoops, and ladles – anything to minimize multiple hands coming in contact with shared items. Post attractive reminders about “no double dipping” of ANYTHING once it’s bitten or handled. Cut up or separate items that normally have to be pulled apart (bread, grapes, etc.) Strategically place hand sanitizer everywhere. Serve from smaller bowls and containers to reduce the number of people in contact with each offering. Remember: Make this a happy positive act of love and care, done to keep each other healthy, safe and well. Have a healthy, safe, and loving Thanksgiving!

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For many, this holiday season comes with some extra stress. Some stressors include: how to have safe gatherings during a pandemic, gift giving when money is limited, or simply helping friends or family through hard times. There is one key preparedness solution to help with all of these issues: communication. Get EVERYONE communicating. Some things to address: handling flu safety, using free services (including Skype) to include people who can’t attend in person, and limiting or foregoing gifts entirely.

The important thing is to get EVERYONE communicating, updating everyone’s contact information, and flexing your individual and collective capacity to reach each other by email, text messages, conference calls, social media or other means.  Prepare for a wonderful, loving holiday season by communicating and building resilient communication systems with the people you love most.

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Teach kids before flu season what they can do to keep themselves and others safe. Use games, songs and other tools to teach basic skills like proper hand washing:
• use warm soap and water and wash thoroughly for at least 20 seconds
• remember between the fingers and on the backs of the hands
• dry hands completely and throw the paper towel in the trash (after using it to open the door)

Kids can also learn how to sneeze correctly: into tissues, of course, or into their elbows or even down their shirts – this is better than sneezing into the air or into their hands and then touching things. Wash hands or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer afterward.

Take the fear and threat out of flu exposure and help kids learn positive, empowering and sharable skills.

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“Stranger Danger” is a familiar phrase, reflecting a desire to keep children away from dangerous people. The phrase overlooks the important fact that dangers often come from familiar people. Also — as a strictly negative mantra — it doesn’t reinforce the right things to do. If you have children, care for them, or work with people who do, you can help ensure that kids are prepared to call or find their truly trusted adults. This means being able to recognize them and knowing their phone numbers and addresses. Help children to know the public places — police departments, fire stations, hospitals, etc. – where children and young people can be helped and protected if a known trusted adult is not available. Children’s cell phones should be fully programmed with a wide variety of safety-related resources and many trusted adults.

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