Emergency Preparedness

Staying safe in winter weather is important for your family's health. To find warming stations available in Fairfield County, visit our Facebook page or call Fairfield County 211 (opens in a new window, leaves this site) at 211 or 740-687-0500.

Personal winter weather safety tips

• Dress properly: wear a warm coat and dress in layers to regulate body heat. Cover exposed skin, especially nose, ears, fingers, and toes, which are most vulnerable to frostbite. Hats and scarves help retain heat, and mittens keep hands warmer than gloves. Choose sturdy, non-slip soles to prevent falls on ice.
• Limit outdoor time: limit time outside in extreme cold. If you must be out, take breaks in warm, sheltered areas to avoid prolonged exposure.
• Stay dry: wet clothing increases heat loss. If clothing becomes wet, change into dry layers as soon as possible.

Frostbite is an injury caused by freezing. It leads to a loss of feeling and color in affected areas, usually extremities such as the nose, ears, cheeks, chin, fingers, and toes. Risk is greater with poor circulation and improper dress. Victims may be unaware because frozen tissue is numb.

Frostbite signs to look out for, if you notice redness or pain in any skin area, get out of the cold and protect exposed skin:

• A white or grayish-yellow skin area
• Skin that feels unusually firm or waxy
• Numbness

Hypothermia occurs when the body loses heat faster than it can produce it, causing core temperature to fall below 95°F (35°C). It can also occur in milder weather after prolonged exposure when wet or windy, in wet clothes, or while sweating.

Hypothermia signs to look out for:

• Shivering, then a lack of shivering
• Pale and cold to the touch
• Disorientation, indifference, or confusion
• Glassy stare
• Unresponsiveness
• Slow or no breathing or heart rate
• Stiff body with rigid muscles

Populations at higher risk:

• Older adults without proper food, clothing, or heating
• People who stay outdoors for long periods (people experiencing homelessness, hikers, hunters, etc.)
• People who drink alcohol in excess or use illicit drugs
• Babies sleeping in cold rooms

Learn more about hypothermia and frostbite (opens in a new window, leaves this site).

Alert-Fairfield County is an emergency notification system used by city and county public safety organizations throughout the United States to issue government-related messages to residents and businesses. The system can send thousands of messages via landline, cell phone, TTY, e-mail, text, and fax within minutes. Only authorized officials have access.

Activation depends on the emergency and the allowable warning time. Tornado warnings are sent automatically when the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning.

Our county always has the potential for emergencies related to floods, tornadoes, snowstorms, thunderstorms, and extended power outages. Your Fairfield County Health Department staff tries to anticipate what emergencies we could face and then develops plans to respond to threats to health and safety.

For weather-related emergencies, health department plans address things that could put public health at risk. For instance, if there is a flood and power goes out for an extended period, the health department might be called on to inspect temporary shelters for hygiene and health issues, or inspect restaurants and grocery stores to make sure food stays safe during and after the outage.

A health emergency for your family could be as simple as everyone getting the flu and having to stay home for several days. Think about what you would do, do you have everything you would need at home so you would not have to go out?

There are many good lists of what your family would need for an emergency kit (opens in a new window, leaves this site). Everyone should have at least a three-day supply of food and water stored at home, with at least one gallon of water per person per day. If you have the space, experts recommend a week's supply. Don't forget your pets or any livestock. Choose foods that don't require refrigeration and are not high in salt, such as ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits, and vegetables, and other non-perishable items.

Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain cold temperature, each time the door opens, a significant amount of refrigeration is lost. A refrigerator kept at 40°F or below will keep food safely cold for about four hours if unopened, according to the USDA. A full freezer holds temperature for about 48 hours (24 hours if half full) if the door stays closed.

Food may be safely refrozen if it still contains ice crystals or is at 40°F or below. If the power has been out for several days, check the freezer temperature with an appliance or food thermometer. Discard refrigerated perishable food, meat, poultry, fish, soft cheeses, milk, eggs, leftovers, and deli items, after four hours without power.

Across the country, local, state, and national government agencies have worked together for years to protect citizens from both manmade and natural disasters. Locally, the Fairfield County Health Department works with the Fairfield County Emergency Management Agency and other county agencies to be prepared for health emergencies and disasters.

To stay prepared, health department staff complete ongoing required emergency response training and participate in local and regional training exercises.

Individuals and families should be prepared too. If you live alone, getting the flu or a bad cold and having to stay in bed for a few days could be an emergency if you are not prepared. Plan ahead and make sure you have food and water easily available at home so you can rest and take care of yourself.

Being prepared also means understanding how diseases spread so you can take precautions. Maintain good health habits: cover your sneeze with a tissue and dispose of it promptly, wash your hands often, and cough into your elbow or sleeve, not your hands.

You can also prepare for a longer stay at home during a natural disaster such as a tornado, flood, or pandemic flu outbreak. Ready.gov (opens in a new window, leaves this site), created by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, is an easy way to learn more about being prepared. When preparing, think first about the basics of survival: fresh water, food, clean air, and warmth.