• Wash your hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds, and help young children do the same. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact, such as kissing, sharing cups, or sharing eating utensils, with sick people.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces, such as toys and doorknobs.

Thank you to Marc Nishimoto, Public Health Preparedness Planner from the Maui District Health Office for sharing the information and link to the website. 

Left to right: Yoko Kitami, Jonathan and Sarah Ahina, Landa Phelan

Hawaii's FSBS program is a community-based training that helps prepare individuals, their family members and neighbors to prepare for emergencies of all kinds. This training provides a guided step-by-step training ideal for individuals with disabilities and other access and functional needs (PAFN) such as people, who live alone, are aging, are transportation deprived or who may need additional assistance/support during in an emergency.  

The program uses the training approach of sharing personal preparedness information. Individuals are taught how to prepare a personalized emergency kit; how to meet their neighbors; and how to become informed using the "Think, Plan, Do"model when preparing themselves and family members for emergencies.

All trainers are people with disabilities and other access and functional needs (PAFN) who learned how to take a leadership role in the emergency management community by teaching other PAFN and their family members, first responders, volunteer organizations waiver service providers how to prepare using a set curriculum and videotape.

The four (4) steps below provide a basic means to become prepared for an emergency:

1. Worksheet: Provides individuals with a communication tool to tell others important personal information, such as their specific needs, medication and important contacts.
2. Magnet Worksheet: Provides individuals with a communication tool to inform others of important information to know when evacuating from their home, such as where to find their emergency kit and medication.
3. Personalized Kit: Individuals learn how to prepare and personalize an emergency kit to their own specific needs including medications, and devices that they may need.
4. Meet Neighbor: Individuals learn techniques to overcome barriers where they live, through learning the importance of knowing and collaborating with neighbors and friends to build stronger more resilient communities.

For additional information about the Feeling Safe, Being Safe program, results of the FEMA resilience grant or to obtain information about how many people attended trainings, contact Yoko Kitami at (808) 956-9797 or e-mail her at kitami@hawaii.edu. 

• Explain the importance of including people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs in disaster operations at the Joint Field Office (JFO) and field locations.
• Describe how JFO and field staff can support and include people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs in disaster operations.
• Describe principles and FEMA initiatives that provide a foundation for the integration of people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs in disaster operations.
• Describe the history of the treatment of and services for people with disabilities.
• Identify laws that provide the legal foundation for issues related to people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs.
• Describe the function of the Disability Integration Advisor.
• Describe personal actions to support the integration of people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs in the JFO and field disaster operations.

Primary Audience