Media, Obligation, and Necessity - America' Emergency Response Teams By Budda Oliver

Recent events in Manhattan have caused many Americans to rethink the necessity and the nature of the United States' emergency response teams. The truth of the matter is that without the quick thinking and highly trained members of New York City's elite emergency response team, it is extremely likely that the passengers aboard the commuter jet that landed in the Hudson Bay would not be as healthy and safe as they are today.

The first thing that must be said about this event is that it truly speaks to the brave and heroic nature of the individuals who serve on these teams. While firemen, policemen, and military personnel are only given media attention every once in a while (and more often than not, negative media attention at that) the realities of their jobs are such that they are forced to deal with this type of life or death pressure situation on a near daily basis. In the instance of the police officer, one often thinks that the severity and seriousness of the position is related solely to the number of times the officer is forced to fire his or her weapon.

This misconception can lead us to a telling metaphor about the nature of emergency response teams in general. While the police officer only fires his or her weapon only so many times in their career (if they are safe and lucky, they will fire it no times) they must leave the police station every morning and every night with the knowledge that they have to be completely prepared in the event that they should need to fire their weapon. This is to say that, while a police officer may not actually discharge their firearm every day, psychologically, this individual must be in the mental state to be able to fire their weapon.

This type of heroism is not easily notable in newspapers and television reports. Because these media sources are most interested in the sensational stories that will receive attention and earn a profit for their company, it is too difficult for them to profile every service man or woman who puts their own psychological well being on the line in order to serve their country. Instead, one should recognize the fact that even outside of the dramatic events such as the recent plane crash in the Hudson Bay in New York City, or an apartment fire next door, individuals on emergency response teams serve their country and are heroes every day of the year.

The second thing that should be noted about this event is that there has been relatively little attention paid to the fact that emergency response teams are still in dire need of service men and women to fill their ranks. A whole generation of Americans is coming to age in a time when they feel without duty, without obligation, and with little understanding of the responsibility that they have to their community.

While it is unfortunate that the individuals aboard the plane that went down in the Hudson Bay had to experience what is, doubtless, an extremely traumatic situation, we should use this event as an opportunity to acknowledge how necessary and essential are the emergency personnel that serve our country, and hopefully, spur a new generation to take the baton and continue moving forward in the safeguarding of our nation.

Mr. Oliver is a marketing agent of The Charis Group. The executive recruiting agency provides executive recruiting in the areas of health, safety, fire, and more, throughout the nation. For more information on their Executive Recruiting Agency please visit their website.

Surviving a Disaster Away From Home By Alex Sandoval

In light of the devastating aftermath of several natural disasters in the last few years, and add to that the looming threat of terrorist attacks we live with today, emergency survival kits have been tremendously popular.

An emergency survival kit, sometime also referred to as a 72 hour survival kit, contains all the necessities and several creature comforts to sustain you for 72 hours or more. These kits are worth their weight in gold during an emergency.

There are also several other situations in which these kits are valuable. You should keep an emergency kit in your car alongside you road hazard kit. Many countries in Europe require drivers to have a roadside hazard kit, (consisting of a warning triangle, flares and a first aid kit). A small emergency kit containing some other essentials such as a blanket, water, food and other items you might need in case you are ever stranded due to weather events or just breakdown in the middle of nowhere.

You may consider having an emergency kit at your office. You spend a large part of your day there and many disasters strike without much warning. Having emergency supplies at the office can sustain you until you can reach your home. Parents with children in college may wish to give them a 72 hour survival kit, preferably one that comes in a high quality backpack they can just grab and go.

In short you should have at at least a first aid kit and a few essential survival items anywhere you spend a good deal of time, perhaps a boat, RV, mountain cabin, beach house and so on.

A 72 hour survival kits are worth their weight in gold during a disaster, I have over 20 years Military experience and have provided emergency relief several times, and I know that having a survival kit is indispensable. I would never go into a disaster relief situation without the proper survival supplies. I strongly advise everyone to have a emergency survival kit for every member of the family.