Smyrna to Conduct Day of Preparedness Friday

Patch Staff Report

The City of Smyrna will conduct several preparedness activities including a community tornado drill on Friday, March 21 at noon as part of Ready Smyrna’s PrepareAthon!, a campaign to promote preparedness activities.

More info can be found at www.ReadySmyrna.com.

Ready Smyrna’s PrepareAthon! is part of a nationwide, community-based campaign for action to increase local preparedness and resilience for disasters through discussions, drills, and exercises. 

The goal is to increase the number of residents and businesses who understand the hazards most relevant to Smyrna, know the steps to take to protect themselves, and to practice those steps. The campaign is coordinated by FEMA and supported by partners across Federal, State, local, territorial, and tribal government, and by nongovernmental partners at all levels. 

On Friday, Emory-Adventist Hospital at Smyrna (EAH) will partner with the City of Smyrna for a citywide tornado drill.

The joint emergency/disaster preparedness exercise will be the first test of the City of Smyrna and EAH’s Joint Emergency Operation Center (JEOC).

The hospital and city signed an agreement in the fall of 2013 to develop the JEOC which will serve as a single point of command for disaster and emergency management for the city and for the hospital.

During the March 21 drill, this unified command center, located on the hospital campus, will be manned by EAH Incident Command, City of Smyrna Fire and Police departments, Cobb-Douglas Public Health, Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) and Metro Ambulance.

The hospital will remain open throughout the drill and patient care will go on uninterrupted. There will be fire, police, and other emergency responders and vehicles on the hospital campus throughout the day.

“The City of Smyrna and Emory-Adventist Hospital both strive for the highest level of citizen care and attention," Bob Crowe, MSN, RN, assistant vice president of EAH, said in a new release. "This is especially evident in our approach to emergencies and disasters that impact our citizens, patients, employees, and staff. We are proud to be one of only two cities in the state of Georgia that has its own Emergency Management Agency.”

The exercise is fully sanctioned and follows the protocols for exercises as developed by the Department of Homeland Security through Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). It will be evaluated and critiqued by FEMA and GEMA. City businesses and community members are encouraged to participate by testing their own disaster plans when the weather alert siren is sounded on March 21.

Residents and businesses are encouraged to participate in the upcoming community tornado drill on Friday. Learn how to prepare at www.ReadySmyrna.com. 

Schedule for March 21:

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Cobb County schools located within the Smyrna City limits will conduct a tornado drill.

11:00 AM
Ready Smyrna PrepareAthon Press Conference to announce details of 12 noon drill and afternoon hospital exercise.

12:00 PM
City of Smyrna Tornado Drill and Siren Test - for the local business community and residents who wish to practice.

1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Full-scale training exercise in cooperation with Emory-Adventist Hospital at Smyrna. (Closed exercise)

Then on Saturday there will be a Family Preparedness Event from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Smyrna Elementary School.

Listed below are some of the activities planned for you and your family.

Seminars
Food Safety - First Aid - Disaster Kit Preparedness - Tru Prep - Red Cross Resources - Pet Care

Demos
Boy Scouts Personal Safety - K-9 - SWAT Team - Chainsaw Safety - Generator Operation

Family Fun
Bounce Houses - Games - Fire Truck Chair Lift - Food Trucks and More!