Rohrbach district: Civil Defense Day: When the sirens sound again at the beginning of October

This year too, the sirens will sound in the Rohrbach district on the first Saturday to remind the population of the danger signals.

DISTRICT OF ROHRBACH. “Heavy rain, flooding, hail damage, snow pressure, blackouts – the emergency scenarios and catastrophic events are diverse.” In such situations, you will above all know that your family is safe. With the ‘Family Emergency Plan’ we want to provide a remedy and provide a guide for the best possible self-preparation. “If you invest in long-life food, water, an emergency radio, flashlight, medication and hygiene items today, you won’t be sitting in the dark tomorrow, hungry, unprepared and cut off from the outside world,” emphasizes disaster protection regional councilor Michaela Langer-Weninger.

Make your own four walls safe

For this year’s Civil Protection Day on October 5th, the Upper Austrian Civil Protection, together with Langer-Weninger, is presenting a brochure that makes it easier for citizens to create their own emergency plan. “The civil defense ‘family emergency plan’ is a helpful guide for crisis-proof households and encourages citizens to take a closer look at their own four walls and make them safer.” Another focus of the brochure is on the topic of evacuation – for example, what should not be missing from any evacuation backpack – with tips depending on the age group. The brochure also addresses the topic of ‘prevention for pets’. “In short – the family emergency plan of the Upper Austrian Civil Defense is a comprehensive reference work that should not be missing in any household,” says Upper Austrian Civil Defense President Michael Hammer.

“Especially the questions: Where does our child go from school if they can no longer go home?” Who will pick them up from there? Who takes care of grandma? “We have to think about it in advance and plan it together with everyone,” recommends civil protection district manager Valentin Pühringer.

The 40-page brochure can be ordered free of charge from the Upper Austrian Civil Protection on 0732/65 24 36 or at civilschutz-shop.at. On the one hand, it offers checklists in which, for example, accessibility and emergency meeting points outside the house or possible danger areas can be entered. The responsibilities of individual family members for various disaster scenarios are also recorded in the emergency plan.

Review of the crisis-proof budget

The emergency plan should always be checked on Civil Defense Day, the first Saturday in October – when civil defense generally calls for a review of the crisis-proof budget. “If I check my security devices, the emergency plan and the supplies on Civil Defense Day, then I have done all of that for a year – and the siren signals that sound on that day remind me,” explains Michael Hammer.

Verification checklist
• Food and beverage stocks (quantity, expiry date)
• Fire extinguisher (inspection date)
• Smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms (functional test, test button)
• Emergency radio and emergency lighting (functional test)
• Electrical FI circuit breaker in the fuse box (functional test, test button)
• Emergency cooking zone (functional test)
• Medicine cabinet and potassium iodide tablet (completeness, expiry date)
• Evacuation backpack with document folder (completeness)
• Car: first aid kit, fire extinguisher, warning triangle, warning vest, lifehammer (condition, completeness, expiry date)
• Family emergency plan (discuss with relatives)