An Emergency Preparedness Night will be held on Thursday, January 26 from 7 - 8:30 p.m. at Independent Fire Company in Ranson, West Virginia, sponsored by the Jefferson County Commission.  Barbara Miller of the Jefferson County Office of Homeland Security said Jefferson County will host the event  “In an effort to be proactive and to let our residents know what local agencies have done and are doing to prepare for any kind of disaster or emergency”.

Jefferson County, West Virginia has a population of nearly 50,000 and growing.  Located nearly 70 miles outside of the Nation's capitol, preparedness is something that has been on the forefront of many county responders post 911.  "The proactive approach to preparedness will be to provide residents with information that help them be better prepared for disasters", Miller said.

Several county response agencies will be involved in the Emergency Preparedness Night:  the Jefferson County Commission, Jefferson County Office of Emergency Management; Jefferson-Morgan Chapter of the American Red Cross; Jefferson County Schools; Law Enforcement (will include information on evacuations); Fire & EMS; Jefferson County Health Department, Jefferson Memorial Hospital; Jefferson County Emergency Communications (9-1-1) and the Jefferson County Office of Homeland Security.

“There will also be information about what individuals and families can do to prepare for disasters and what businesses should be doing to prepare”, said Miller.  The Jefferson County CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) Members will be on hand and the public are encouraged to participate in a question and answer session.  For more information, contact the Jefferson County Office of Homeland Security at (304) 728-3329.

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