Emergency Prepardness in the District

On September 30, the Washington, DC Marketing Center held its quarterly Business Initiative Breakfast, focusing on security and emergency preparedness for DC businesses.

A panel of experts and leaders from both the Department of Homeland Security and the DC government provided valuable information on the measures that the city has taken to ensure public safety and security, and advised businesses on planning for and managing emergencies.

Nearly 200 business representatives were in attendance, “It was a good event that focused on the actual application of security issues,” commented Paul Lawler, CFO of the International Economic Development Council, “I received information on how to make our staff and office more safe and secure.”

Panelists advised the businesses to develop a plan and communicate that plan to their employees. In addition, businesses and the public should be aware of two important websites for regular updates. http://www.ready.gov/ is the federal government’s outreach page to the private sector and http://www.alert.dc.gov/ , a service from the District government allows anyone who signs up to receive information via cell phone, fax, pager, email, or text message.

To learn more about emergency preparedness in the District, go to the DC Emergency Information Center.