DEMA HOSTS FAMILY EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS DAY ON SEPTEMBER 13 IN RECOGNITION OF NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH

(Smyrna, DE) - The Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) hosts the 19th Annual Family Emergency Preparedness Day, Saturday, September 13, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Brecknock County Park, 80 Old Camden Road in Camden, Delaware. This free event features fun, family-friendly educational activities and safety demonstrations in observance of National Preparedness Month. Food, music, raffles and photo opportunities with firetrucks and helicopters, and with beloved safety mascots such as Smokey Bear round out the fun. The event and onsite parking are free to the public, and the first 500 people to complete an activity challenge can earn a free treat from Kona Ice. There is no rain date for this event.

In acknowledgement of the essential collaboration between Emergency Management agencies and the public, this year's theme is Preparing Together Makes Delaware Better. The event will feature more than 40 public safety agencies, nonprofits, and utilities that provide adults and children of all ages a chance to interact with and learn from first responders and safety experts in a fun, family-friendly environment.

"Emergency preparedness remains Delaware's best defense against unexpected threats to public safety. Planning and readiness can improve outcomes while contributing to community well-being," commented DEMA Deputy Director Paige Fitzgerald. "Family Emergency Preparedness Day provides residents of all ages the chance to learn about emergency readiness from experts in a fun, interactive environment that celebrates Delaware's sense of community spirit."

Event Highlights:

• Visitors, young and old, can tour 40+ exhibits on the Majestic Express jump-on-over mini train.
• Make-A-Kit activities raise awareness of the importance of emergency kits and go bags.
• St. Francis Bike Safety
• Car Seat Safety Check sponsored by the Delaware Office of Highway Safety.
• Hands Only CPR presented by Kent County Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
• Department of Safety and Homeland Security Impaired Driver Simulator.
• Delaware Department of Transportation aerial drones' exhibition.
• Photos opportunities on emergency apparatus from local fire companies and EMS agencies, including ladder trucks, helicopters and ambulances.

Other agencies and nonprofits on hand to inform the public of their services and resources include Delaware State Fire School, the Division of Public Health - Community Mobile Health Unit, US Coast Guard Axillary Flotilla for Boating and Marine Safety & Dover Air Force Base Office of Emergency Management (see full list below).

FEP Day 2025 Scheduled Exhibitors:

Preparing Together Makes Delaware Better - Community Readiness

• AT&T FirstNet
• Delaware State Housing Authority
• Delaware State Police - Trooper Dan
• Dover Air Force Base Office of Emergency Management
• Kent County Crime Watch of Delaware
• Sussex County AUXCOMM / CERT Trailer
• US Coast Guard Axillary Flotilla - Boating & Marine Safety

Preparing Together Makes Delaware Better - Transportation, Outdoor & Environmental Safety

• Delaware Forest Service/DE Wildland Firefighting Program - Smokey Bear
• Delaware Department of Transportation - Drones, Bike and Pedestrian Safety
• Delaware Office of Highway Safety - Car Seat Safety
• Delaware State Fire School & Camden-Wyoming Fire Dept Vehicle Extrication Demonstration
• Delaware State Police Maritime/Scuba
• Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control - Watershed Stewardship Flooding Risk Tool & Division of Waste and Natural Substances
• Department of Safety and Homeland Security/Division of Alcohol & Tobacco Enforcement - Impaired/Distracted Driver Simulator
• Little Creek Fire Company - Ladder Truck
• Magnolia Fire Department -- Tanker Spray Truck for kids
• Majestic Express Mini Train - Jump on Over

Preparing Together Makes Delaware Better - Health, Wellness and Safety

• Bayhealth Healthcare - Public Safety and Trauma Services
• Brain Injury Association of America - Delaware Chapter
• Contact Life, Inc.
• Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) & Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (DSAMH)
• Department of Public Health - Community Mobile Health Unit
• Kent County Emergency Medical Services -- Hands Only CPR
• Respond DE - Medical Reserve Corps
• St. Francis Bike Safety
• YWCA Sexual Assault Response Center

Preparing Together Makes Delaware Better - Home Preparedness & Special Populations

• Chesapeake Utilities - Safety Trailer
• Delaware Animal Response
• Delaware Behavioral and Emotional Support Team (DE BEST)
• Delaware Department of Insurance
• Department of Public Health Office of Preparedness - Make a Kit
• DHSS Office of Preparedness - Access and Functional Needs & Vulnerable Populations
• DJ's Alliance
• Freedom Center for Independent Living, Inc.
• State Council for People with Disabilities
• University of Delaware - Center for Disabilities Studies

Food Vendors:

• Kona Ice - Desert Truck
• Steel Bowl - Food Truck

Family Emergency Preparedness Day is sponsored by the Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA), Kent County Parks and Recreation, Kent County Department of Public Safety, Delaware State Fire School, and the Delaware Division of Public Health's Office of Preparedness. Family Preparedness Day activities and CERT program training are funded with support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

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