Senior
Earthquake Preparedness Program
One goal of the San Jose Fire Department's Office of Public Education
is to reduce deaths and make seniors more prepared for protecting themselves
in an earthquake. Seniors are considered a high-risk population and
we know that emergencies occur occasionally and disasters may strike
at any time. We want seniors to become more self-supporting and self-sustaining
through earthquake preparedness training.
In San
Jose, there are over 200,000 people over the age of fifty and 120,000
of these people are over fifty-five years of age. The number of people
over fifty-five years old is growing two times faster than any other
segment of the population.
Some seniors
need to take additional steps to further prepare themselves for earthquakes.
Many seniors may not be as agile or mobile as they once were, making
it difficult or impossible to quickly get under a heavy piece of furniture
such as a table or a desk for protection. Therefore, it is very important
to eliminate hazards in the home that could fall and cause injury.
By focusing
attention on earthquake preparedness, we believe we can make a measurable
improvement in the health and well being of older adults. The approach
and content of the program is centered on making seniors aware of ways
to prepare themselves and their homes to be earthquake safe.
We look
forward to presenting this information to your program attendees. Please
download, complete and fax or mail a Public
Education Request form (.pdf 638kb) to the Office of Public Education.
Please
feel free to contact our office with any questions or concerns.
Thank you,
Office of Public Education
San Jose Fire Department
408-277-2878 phone
408-286-0295 fax
e-mail:
pubed@ci.sj.ca.us
