News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The annual Emergency Preparedness Expo is returning to educate citizens in the Upper Cumberland about how to handle various kinds of crises.
Department of Health Assessment and Planning Coordinator Rachael Nichols said the free event will teach people what they can do to keep themselves and their families safe in an emergency. Nichols said it will feature sixty-four different agencies for the community to get interact with ranging from local first responders to the FBI and Homeland Security.
“We’ll have trailers there that the fire department can demonstrate extinguishing fires,” Nichols said. “We’re going to have a crash car where the fire departments will be showing and demonstrating extrication from cars, like after car accidents.”
Nichols said people will also be able to learn about how to perform CPR and basic first aid from health professionals. Nichols said there will be various food and dessert trucks at the expo for families to enjoy as well.
The event takes place at the Cane Creek SportsPlex in Cookeville from 10:00am to 2:00pm on Saturday.
Nichols said it is an important subject to learn about because there are many different kinds of emergencies that happen in the community every day.
“Whether it’s a heart attack or a car accident, a fire or, you know, any kind of emergency situation that may come up, it just helps families and communities be more prepared,” Nichols said.
Nichols said this is the fourth year they have been hosting this event ever since they noticed a need for more emergency readiness in the community.
“Our agencies know what we do, and who we partner with, we know what they know what we do as well,” Nichols said. “But the communities don’t always know what resources are available to them, who they can reach out to in times of need. So this event was started just showcase all the agencies that are available to help when emergencies come up.”
Nichols said she hopes that those who participate in the event will share what they learn so even more people can get the information they need.
