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Monthly Newsletter
National Wildfire Awareness Month
Wildfires in Pennsylvania
A wildfire is an unplanned fire that burns in a natural area such as a forest, grassland or prairie. The greatest danger of wildfires in Pennsylvania occurs during the spring months of March, April, and May, and the autumn months of October and November. In Pennsylvania, 99 percent of all wildfires are caused by people. Over 1,000 wildfires were reported during the 2022 calendar year burning 2,700 acres of land.
Wildfire Prevention
You can reduce your risk of wildfire by creating a fire-resident zone. This is a zone free of leaves, debris or flammable materials for at least 30 feet from your home. A vital part of prevention is education. Whether it is properly extinguishing a campfire or keeping your vehicle maintained to prevent sparks, following just a few simple steps can help prevent wildfires. Learn how to properly use outdoor equipment; burn debris safely; start, maintain, and extinguish a campfire and maintain a vehicle and tow safely.
Wildfire Preparedness
There are several resources for wildfire preparedness including the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources posts daily Wildfire Danger Map. Other resources include the National Fire Prevention Association, the FEMA Ready Campaign and the Smokey the Bear Campaign.
National Hurricane Awareness Week
Hurricanes are dangerous and can cause major damage from storm surge, wind damage, rip currents and flooding. They can happen along any U.S. coast or in any territory in the Atlantic or Pacific oceans. Storm surge historically is the leading cause of hurricane-related deaths in the United States.
Pennsylvania falls within the Atlantic Hurricane Season: June 1st-November 30th.
May Training Opportunity
Our training calendar has a new look! We have moved over to lancastercountypa.gov. Here you can find training opportunities by selecting “Calendar” on the left-hand column then select Public Safety Training Calendar under the “Jump To” section.
Training Opportunities from Lancaster County Emergency Management and Lancaster County Public Safety Training Center can be found here.
May 2023:
April Highlights
Community Reception Center Exercise
On April 29th Lancaster County Emergency Management Agency, along side Pennsylvania Department of Health, conducted a Community Reception Center Exercise. What is a Community Reception Center or CRC? When it is safe to evacuate, following potential radiation exposure, emergency response officials may instruct you to go to a community reception center (CRC). At CRCs people, service animals, and sometimes pets will:
- Be screened for radioactive contamination.
- Receive first aid services, if needed.
- Be provided resources and instructions to decontaminate, if needed.
- Register information for follow up.
Volunteers were screened for radiation.
After being screened, volunteers went to registration.
Volunteers waiting to walk through the CRC.