x
Breaking News
More () »

City of Madison hosts third annual ‘ReadyFest’ preparedness fair

You never know when an emergency situation could arise, and the city of Madison wants to help their folks be prepared for emergencies of all kinds. On Saturday,...

You never know when an emergency situation could arise, and the city of Madison wants to help their folks be prepared for emergencies of all kinds.

On Saturday, more than forty organizations teamed up to host the city’s annual ‘ReadyFest’.

What started out as an event at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has expanded to the Discovery Middle School gym and beyond.

‘ReadyFest’ Chairperson, Rebecca Brown, says it’s not just storm preparedness that the public should be aware of.

“We cover eight different areas of preparedness – normal natural disaster concerns, but then also career, financial, health & wellness, family, community,” said Brown.

One new booth is the ‘Be The Match’ organization that’s a bone marrow registry.

“People who have cancers, sickle-cell – they need, they can use your bone marrow to save your life, you know,” said ‘Be The Match’ Volunteer, Ginny Gaspar.

Their goal is to get as many donors and recipients as possible, and ‘ReadyFest’ helps. “Drives like these – trying to get more people in the community involved,” said Gaspar.

Another new booth, is an active shooter training organization called ALICE. Representatives are teaching people how to respond. “The worse thing we could do is nothing. And I think if you’ve got some information it’ll give you a better opportunity to do something,” said ALICE certified instructor, Philip Cook.

The Madison Police Department who’s been a part of ‘ReadyFest’ from the very start has told people about gun safety and more.

“It’s general preparedness for anything that could happen – weather, if it’s encountering the police, if it is simply problems that you have in your neighborhood,” said Madison Police Dept. Community Relations Officer, Teresa Taylor-Duncan.

“It’s really and truly a community event,” added Brown.

Organizers plan to have this event around the same time every year on Severe Weather Preparedness Tax Holiday weekend.

For more information, visit www.MadisonReadyFest.com

Before You Leave, Check This Out