Preparedness is Elementary for Students

Six Los Angeles chapter AmeriCorps members participated in a Feb. 7 preparedness event for children called “FEMA for Kids- Preparedness Through the Eyes of Children” at Frank Del Olmo Elementary School in Los Angeles.

The children rotated through four learning stations, including the Red Cross station where they learned how to call 911, prepare a first aid kit, and take care of cuts and minor injuries. After the demonstration, the children happily volunteered to practice on each other, bandaging classmates like 7-year-old paramedics.

The three other learning stations included: a FEMA for Kids website where the children learned how to prepare a disaster kit; an Animals in Disaster station where they learned how to help their pets before, during and after a disaster; and a station staffed by LAFD personnel who demonstrated how to stop, drop and roll.

Bob Spears, Los Angeles Unified School District director of Emergency Services, said, “This training is very important because these children may be the only ones in their family who are able to help if a disaster occurs.”