The Red Cross celebrates National Preparedness Month every September – and every month of the year. Also referred to as September Safety Month, this national campaign is dedicated to empowering individuals, families, businesses, and communities with the knowledge and resources they need to respond to and recover from emergencies.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) launched National Preparedness Month in 2004, following the tragic events of September 11, 2001, to respond to the growing need for emergency readiness. FEMA partnered with the Ad Council to develop their “Ready” campaign, a campaign that garnered attention through its messaging and widespread reach. The campaign was significant in motivating Americans to prepare for emergencies and contributed to the overall success of National Preparedness Month.

Since its creation, National Preparedness Month has evolved into a nationwide collaboration among government agencies, nonprofits, schools, businesses, and communities. The American Red Cross supports this mission across the country and in Southeastern Pennsylvania. This year, the Red Cross highlights its partnership with the Upper Darby School District through the Preparedness Initiative.

Upper Darby preparedness initiative

The Upper Darby Preparedness Initiative was spearheaded by Volunteer John Gebhardt, Regional Volunteer Preparedness Lead Kathy Mullen, and Regional Disaster Preparedness Manager Ryan Gaul. The idea was sparked when Red Cross volunteer and Upper Darby firefighter Justin Abraham identified a need for fire safety education and recognized the Red Cross’ ability to address it. From there, the team connected with key leaders in the Upper Darby School District to turn the vision into reality.

The initiative is typically introduced in school districts with higher volumes of home fires. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Red Cross has worked with relevant districts across Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties. However, Upper Darby presented its own challenge as the largest school district in Delaware County with a diverse population representing over 80 birth countries and more than 100 different home languages. Gaul and Gebhardt reported this was a challenge they were aware of and the program was able to overcome. The initiative exercised its stores of certified volunteers and was well received across its continuum regardless of the large and diverse district population

The Preparedness Initiative included three core programs:

• Prepare with Pedro – A 30–45-minute interactive program for K-2 students on preparedness and appropriate responses during an emergency.
• Be Red Cross Ready – A 45-60-minute presentation for middle and high school students covering local hazards and family preparedness through a “Learn, Practice, Share” framework.
• Hands-Only CPR – A 30-minute training for students in grades 5-12, teaching recognition of emergencies, calling 911, and preforming continuous chest compressions.

To deliver the initiative, certified volunteers visited all nine elementary schools for in-person instruction. To reach the broader middle and high school audiences, PowerPoint presentations were sent to school Principals and disseminated to each classroom. Volunteers utilized Zoom to interact and engage with the students for each presentation.

As all programs tied back to the Sound the Alarm campaign, which installs free smoke alarms in at-risk homes, a key measure of success was the increase in smoke alarm requests from Upper Darby families. “The kids do go home and tell their parents,” said Gebhardt. “I’ll go install a smoke alarm in the house and the parent will say, ‘Hey, my kid learned this and this.’ It really does come full circle, which is satisfying.”

Both Gebhardt and Gaul referenced instances in which classrooms and teachers wrote a collection of ‘thank you’ cards to volunteers for taking the time to prepare instruction and speak with their classrooms. Gebhardt cites his experience with the initiative as his most fulfilling, he finds the most satisfaction in teaching to populations where it will do the most good.

Gebhardt and Gaul’s advice for organizations thinking of a similar rollout? Take the time to foster community relationships, be aware of your audience, don’t over teach, and be prepared for any questions that might come up in the classrooms. Another major piece of advice? Patience. Both Gaul and Gebhardt emphasized the importance of patience in establishing relationships and in the roll out.

The success of the 2024 Spring Preparedness Initiative was built upon this past spring and will continue in 2026 as the Red Cross and Upper Darby School District grow their partnership to strengthen community preparedness.

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Written by Grayson Uckele