Teaching Kids about Preparedness

9/21/2020 (Permalink)

We have reached the final week of National Preparedness Month! This week we are focusing on teaching the younger generation about preparedness.

One of the toughest jobs as parents is talking to your kids about difficult topics. There’s so much nonsense in the world that you want to keep from your kids and ensure that their innocence is protected. However, we know that the world doesn’t stop for anyone, and the best way to protect them is through proper education.

Addressing difficult topics, such as emergency preparedness, can empower your kids, and strengthen the family bond. Also, there are many opportunities to turn an educational lesson to fun and engaging exercises that your kids can enjoy.

FUN WAYS TO TEACH KIDS ABOUT PREPAREDNESS

• Practice your emergency plan: role-playing will ensure that your kids understand what do to in times of emergency. You can take turns being the emergency plan leader and see who remembers your family plan best.

• Treasure hunt: Hide some emergency supplies around the house and for every tool they find and correctly describe the purpose of the supply, they get a special treat!

• Make a Song: Bring out your best rhyming skills and create a step by step jingle of do’s and don’t. It can put your child at ease and could help them remember during a time of a crisis 

• Get Creative: You know your family best! Create a game the whole family can play that you know your child will love and learn from.

Children face particular vulnerabilities during a disaster, however, they do have unique abilities to prepare themselves as well as their families, schools, and communities. Educating the youth about preparedness helps them become a positive influencer, become leaders, and help them become future prepared adults.

Back To School Home Safety

8/16/2017 (Permalink)

As we are nearing the end of August, and parents are enjoying their last few days before school we can only think of the many safety tips that parents should consider around the house.

In the Kitchen:

 -Are knives, forks, scissors, and other sharp tools in a drawer with a childproof latch?

-Are glass objects and appliances with sharp blades stored out of reach?

-Are matches and lighters stored in a locked cabinet

In Bedrooms:

-Are window blind and curtain cords tied with clothespins or specially designed cord clips?

-Is there a smoke alarm outside the bedroom?

In Bathrooms:

- Are razor blades, nail scissors, and other sharp tools stored in a locked cabinet?

-Are all medication bottles, loose pills, coins, scissors, and any other small or sharp objects out of reach?

- Are all bleaches, detergents, and any other cleaning products out of reach?

Electrical:

 -Have you checked for and removed other potential electrical fire hazards, such as overloaded electrical sockets and electrical wires running under carpets?

- Are all unused outlets covered with safety plugs?

SERVPRO Named to Entrepreneur's Top 10 Franchise List for 7th Consecutive Year

8/23/2016 (Permalink)

 SERVPRO, a cleanup and restoration franchise company, maintains its hold on the top ranking in the Restoration Services industry for the 13th consecutive year and moves up to the number four spot overall in the 2016 Franchise 500 rankings from Entrepreneur magazine. This is the seventh consecutive year SERVPRO has been included in the magazine's Top 10 list, standing out in a group of more than 951 franchises that qualified for inclusion in the list.

Entrepreneur magazine's Franchise 500 selection process uses "objective, quantifiable measures of a franchise operation" to help would-be entrepreneurs identify franchise investment opportunities. Some of the most important factors considered by Entrepreneur in developing the list each year are "financial strength and stability, growth rate and size of the system."

"This recognition affirms that SERVPRO is a dynamic organization that continues to grow and strives to always provide superior support for its franchisees, and by extension its customers," said Sue Steen, SERVPRO Industries, Inc., chief executive officer. "The recognition that the company earns year after year in this prestigious list is confirmation of a commitment to excellence that starts at the top and is evident in the service that each franchisee provides to each and every customer."

According to Steen, a number of differentiators set SERVPRO apart from the competition and fuel the attractiveness of the company to both existing franchisees and would-be entrepreneurs looking for a strong business opportunity. Key among these are:

• SERVPRO's strength as a brand with a national footprint, wide-spread market penetration, laser-focused brand messaging, and the ability to create national partnerships with organizations such as the PGA TOUR and the American Red Cross.
• SERVPRO's commitment to being a learning organization, which keeps training and support at the forefront of the company's culture and philosophy of success and helps franchisees plan, track, and deliver best-in-class services to consumers.
• SERVPRO's focus on continued development and support for proprietary software and systems to allow the company's operational capacity to keep pace with an aggressive growth strategy.

Steen adds, "One of the potential pitfalls of growing too quickly is outpacing your capacity to train and support the franchisees. SERVPRO is a conservative company, and early on we took the time to build a strong system and put the building blocks in place to support growth without sacrificing support to our franchisees." "Today," Steen continues, "as a mature franchise organization with more than 1,700 locations under a single brand, recognition like this makes it clear we are reaping the rewards of having laid a solid foundation and a framework to handle quick growth. As our brand continues to grow, we will continue our winning strategy of supporting and improving upon our infrastructure and investing resources in training and support."

SERVPRO specializes in fire and water cleanup and restoration services, helping both commercial and residential customers recover from property damage emergencies "Like it never even happened." For more fire prevention tips and information about fire and water damage restoration services, please visit www.SERVPRO.com/.