Sunday, May 25, 2008

Two weeks after Sept. 11, 2001, I remember traveling to France and talking to Europeans who first expressed sympathy -- and then certainty that Americans would soon forget the terrorist attacks and return to life as they had always known it. I felt insulted and insisted that this was a life-changing event that no American would ever forget or feel any less intensely about.

Unfortunately, it often seems that the Europeans were right. People constantly complain that their rights are violated by, among other things, airport searches. We might be our own worst enemy -- fighting and challenging anyone and anything trying to protect our safety. It's a whole new world out there -- certainly not one that anyone could have imagined -- and there will be mistakes. Me? I'd rather err on the side of safety and experience a little inconvenience until we get it right.

That's why, as a member of the Fairfax Medical Reserve Corps, I was disappointed to read John D. Solomon's May 18 Outlook article, "It's an Emergency. We're Not Prepared." Solomon made good suggestions about educating the public and urging it to get involved in emergency preparedness. But he was wrong to suggest that "we are not prepared."

As a registered nurse with an emergency room background who has participated in numerous disaster drills in the District and Virginia over a 26-year career in health care, I believe that our regional officials are hard at work to ensure our safety in the event of an emergency. Their shortfall may be that they have not done a good enough job of advertising their emergency preparedness plans; instead, they've been focused on the priority of caring for and protecting citizens in a disaster -- which is no small task.

Recently I participated in a drill in response to an "anthrax dusting" of the Washington area; it was one of several such drills that Fairfax County has conducted over the past two years. Of course, it cannot anticipate every possible threat -- but officials in the county's health and emergency services departments, in cooperation with other government agencies, have made educated guesses and have put plans in place to protect residents. Of course, more can be done.

The general public needs to take a more active role in emergency preparedness, as Solomon suggested. We need more volunteers to work in the event of a disaster. Next year, instead of "Take Your Child to Work Day," we should have kids participate in preparing home disaster kits for their households. We are a society of "What have you done for me lately?"

It's time for us to step up and get involved in emergency preparedness, before it's too late. Our local officials and agencies are prepared for the next emergency. Are you?

-- Gina Baxter

Fairfax