Winter is still here, but be prepared for the rest of the year too

As we are entering the late stages of winter, sectionals and snowstorms, we need to prepare for the next of our four different seasons here in Indiana.

As much as my wife hates cold weather, if it's not 90-degrees outside, she's not happy.

I, on the other hand, think the cold weather makes me appreciate the spring and summer even more.

I have often stated that it is funny 35-degrees in the fall sure feels colder than 35-degrees in the spring even if it is the same temperature. When I start talking about spring, the thought of warm air coming into the area and it mixing with the cold air that is here, the word storms come rolling into my mind.

Emergency Management covers a lot of different things, it is risk management, and disaster situations, maybe even terrorist attacks, but those are the big things.

The one thing more consistent for all of us is the storm season we see during the spring, summer, and into the fall. We may not have severe winter weather, a flood, or even extremely hot weather but we will have storms. I have always been told that if I talked about bad weather it would jinx us and cause it to happen. I never believed it but some people do.

I do believe that if we talk about it, plan for it, and then it happens we are more prepared. Most of you know that I am a firefighter; I enjoy teaching firefighting classes to anyone who wants to learn. I feel confident I can prepare firefighters for an emergency that keeps them for getting caught in a bad situation.

We need to recognize the hazards of the situations we face and know what to do to keep it from getting worse and to protect ourselves. Preparing for storm season is no different, except it effects more people, it will affect us all at some time.

We can't make everyone take classes like firefighting to prepare nor would everyone go to the classes if offered. So, when the possibility for inclement is approaching, we need to take heed of the watches and warnings and know where the safest part of your home or business is. Have a plan so everyone knows what to do.

That's RIGHT, a plan. Plans are what make anything and everything work.

As I said, I teach firefighting and one of the things I tell everyone I teach is that if we don't have a plan, we have chaos.

If we have a plan, but no one knows it, we again have chaos.

If we have a plan and everyone knows the plan, we know where to go, what to do, where to meet, whom to call, how to help, it will make it better.

Don't wait for someone to do it for you, don't think "it won't happen to me," being prepared is the first step to getting through any bad situation that occurs.

If something bad happens I wish I could help everyone that needs help, its what I have been doing for almost 40 years in public safety. The reality of the fact is there will be people that need help because they can't help themselves because of health issues or they have no family to help them.

As for the rest of us we need to be prepared so we can help ourselves. As spring gets closer I will try to keep this blog updated regularly with planning and preparation tips, links to information on the Internet or where it can be found.

We will be having a severe storm class again this year at the library that will be open to the public, I have some weather radios that will be given away that night, I will be doing a press release next month letting everyone know the date and time of the class.

Until then, remember that planning and preparation will make a difference no matter what might happen.