Preparing for emergencies

ccccemergency022: Preparing for emergencies�When emergency situations occur, they can be confusing, frightening, even paralyzing to an adult. How would young children, who have never been exposed to that kind of trauma, react? Community Connection for Child Care (CCCC) Productions and the California Child Care Initiative (CCCIP) are producing a video that will help educate youngsters about how to handle emergencies and at the same time remove some of their fear and uncertainty about the unknown.

"After September 11 (2001), we realized that an opportunity existed to provide information to child care providers with a video workshop on emergency preparedness," said CCCC Productions' Brooke Antonioni. "This video is being made possible thanks to CCCIP and a grant from State Farm Insurance."

The video title is as straight forward and focused as the subject matter. It will simply be titled "Emergency Preparedness." Its scope is a little more complex covering important information that could save many lives in an hour presentation that will be voiced in both English and Spanish.

"It will be targeted to child care providers, with experts in emergency situations giving them life-saving information and activities to share with children and parents," said Gladys Lozano, CCCC program supervisor. Lozano and Antonioni brainstormed the ideas that led to the production with Antonioni writing the English script and Lozano the Spanish version. Kern County Superintendent of Schools' broadcasting unit provided the video and broadcast support.

A lot of different elements, some of them already recorded on videotape, will be introduced into the production which will be presented as a live training in the studios of KETN at the Kern County Superintendent of Schools office in Bakersfield on September 14. The training will be videotaped and broadcast on TimeWarner Cable Channel 15 and Cox Cable Channel 20 from 1-2 p.m. on October 17, 24 and 31.

"One of the ways we encourage caregivers to introduce new ideas to children is through the use of puppets," Antonioni said. "CCCC staff performed a puppet show on emergencies for children at the Downtown Child Development Center in English and Spanish which we videotaped. It is a great way to address some of children's fears, anxieties or questions. Puppets are usually non-threatening to children and give them the courage to ask questions they might not otherwise have asked of an adult."

Lozano, by the way, was one of the puppeteers, playing "Firefighter Kelly."

"Two important activities we teach caregivers to introduce to their children are how to make an 'earthquake box' and an 'escape plan,'" Lozano said. "The earthquake box is nothing more than a shoe box filled with items such as rocks, plastic spoons and paper clips and then taped shut. When children shake it, they get used to hearing the sounds of things that could be rattling or moving during an earthquake. Caregivers are encouraged to involve their children in preparing an escape plan. That way children know what the route is and are prepared where to go instead of being scared and running aimlessly in the event of an emergency."

Other parts of the training video will have meaningful, easy to understand safety messages from emergency providers, such as firemen and police officers.

"During an emergency, the people who come to rescue the children can scare them wearing safety clothing and equipment they have never seen before," Antonioni said. "Firefighter Darrell Buck was gracious enough to put on his equipment on a hot Bakersfield day to show a demonstration of his air tank, mask, breathing apparatus and fire safety suit. When children see there is a real person inside the strange looking outfit, who is there to protect them, they will run towards that person instead of way from him."
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