The "Doomsday Preppers" of the North Country can now meet like minded citizens from around St. Lawrence County.
The St. Lawrence County Department of Emergency Services is planning its first annual Community Preparedness Expo this Spring. The expo is tentatively scheduled from 17-19 May at the Lcokwood Memorial Arena in Ogdensburg.
The 2013 Emergency Preparedness Expo is hosted by St. Lawrence County Emergency Services. The Expo showcases a variety of emergency response and safety services and information that are offered to the residents of St. Lawrence County.
The motto of the event is "Be Ready" and emphasizes the importance of community readiness for any emergeency.
The event will bring vendors who specialize in emergency and survival products for both homes and businesses. Alternative energy, food preparation and other sustainability products and services will also be on display. There will be exhibits and instructional discussions on all aspects of being ready for local disasters and emergencies.
The expo is sponsored by the St. Lawrence County Firefighters' Training Facility. "Holding this expo has a number of benefits for the community" the Emergency Services Director stated. The intent of the expo is to be a fund raiser for the Firefighters' Training Facility as they try to raise funds for their live burn simulator.
St. Lawrence County hasn't had a facility in which to train their firefighters in putting out live fires for a number of years. Their previous facility was condemned as unsafe and torn down. Now they are trying to raise the funds to purchase a new one. The cost of a new burn facility is $450,000. The Firefighters' Training Facility is a non-profit organization and their facilities are not primarily funded by the county.
The expo will also provide a venue to community volunteer fire departments and rescue squads to highlight their skills and recruit new volunteers. All but one of the county's 41 fire and rescue departments are volunteers.
This three day event will also be an opportunity for the community's other volunteer organizations like the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army to conduct demonstrations and exhibits and also recruit for volunteers.
Tenative events include police and military working dog demonstrations, fire department demonstrations, discussions on emergency preparedness in the home, and Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT).
Vendor and exhibit space is still available. Vendors interested in reserving a space and organizations interested in participating can call the St. Lawrence County Department of Emergency Services at 315-379-2240.
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