Lauren Ohl-Trlica, deputy coordinator of training and education at OEM, reviews key points from the morning emergency preparedness workshops with the students. Photo by Louise Krafft.
More than 100 Arlington County students participated in the first Operation Ready Rescue workshop on Thursday, June 26, at the Thomas Jefferson Community Center in South Arlington. The all-day emergency preparedness training camp was organized and coordinated by Grelia Solez of the Arlington Office of Emergency Management (OEM) in cooperation with the American Red Cross; Arlington Public Schools; The Arlington Department of Parks and Recreation; the Arlington Partnership for Children, Youths and Families, and the Arlington County Fire Department. Morning workshops included: Disaster Day: the Importance of Social Media and Technology in Emergencies, Disaster Movies, fundamentals of an Emergency Operations Center 101, CPR training and Fire Safety Skills and Debunking Disaster Myths and more.
During lunch Lauren Ohl-Trlica, deputy coordinator of training and education at OEM, reviewed key points from the morning workshops to the students. American Red Cross staff and volunteers provided box lunches and CPR training for the students. During the afternoon the students in teams worked out solutions to a simulated emergency — the aftermath of a hurricane.