Relationships make the (emergency management) world go round

Relationships are one of the most important elements in every aspect of my life— my family, my friends, my boxing instructor, and my work at the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs (DEMA).  

Relationships developed with people in emergency management, from the local level (city and county) up to other state and federal agencies, are important to build before an emergency occurs. Knowing who works at the county level emergency management offices makes it easier to call and ask for help when it is needed.  

In order to truly serve one’s community, relationships must extend beyond  emergency management  to include public health, transportation, schools, fire, voluntary groups, as well as businesses. Most emergency events involve response efforts from a variety of agencies . Engaging agencies from a variety of areas strengthens the emergency response and encompasses a Whole Community approach to keeping the public safe.

DEMA’s Public Information Office works to develop and strengthen relationships across the state, knowing that it is imperative to have a relationship in place before an incident (emergency) occurs. One way we do this is by maintaining a contact list of all the Pubic Information Officers from agencies and organizations throughout Arizona.

One of the best relationships I have developed is with the wonderful people (Beca, Carmen and Vicki) at the Arizona Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ACDHH). A few years ago, we were brainstorming outreach ideas for the Whole Community and decided to create videos highlighting emergency preparedness.

While disasters don’t occur often in Arizona, they do happen. Wildfires rage through parts of the state every summer. Floods can inundate streets and homes north, south, east, and west. Extreme heat affects us each summer, and even earthquakes can shake our ground. With the threat of these diverse hazards present each year, everyone needs to be prepared.

I reached out to Beca and Carmen at ACDHH and we worked to develop scripts and then record preparedness videos about wildfire, flood, earthquake, and nuclear incident, with videos on extreme heat and dust storms in the works. Beca interpreted the video using American Sign Language (ASL). Along with audio (provided by Vicki), we added text to the screen to ensure every person that has access to the videos will receive the information they may need to prepare themselves and their families.

DEMA wants all Arizonans to be prepared for any potential disaster. Including the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community is integral to this goal. Without our relationship with ACDHH, we would have not been able to produce videos.