Citizens Preparedness Training Classes will be offered in Clarendon and Albion

‘A prepared community is a strong and resilient community’

Press Release, Orleans County Emergency Management Office

Provided photo: Those who attend the class will receive a free disaster preparedness kit.

ALBION – Registration is now open for the NY Citizen Preparedness Training program classes that will be hosted by the Orleans County Emergency Management Office.

Residents are welcome to register for either class and there is no cost to participate.  The first will be held on Thursday, August 14 at 6 p.m. at the Clarendon Recreation Hall, 16169 East Lee Road in Holley.

The second will be on Thursday, September 25 at 6 p.m. at the Cornell Cooperative Extension Trolley Building, 12690 NY-31 in Albion. While the classes are free, registration is required.

“When we hosted this class in 2023, the demand was overwhelming and we had to limit participation,” said Justin Niederhofer, Orleans County EMO Director.  “In 2024, we moved to the Carlton Rec Hall for greater capacity and still filled it up. Given this tremendous response, the state has allotted two training classes to our community to ensure all those interested can sign up.”

The mission of these training classes is to give residents the tools and resources to prepare for any type of disaster, respond accordingly and recover as quickly as possible.  The course provides an introduction to responding to natural or man-made disasters.  Participants are advised on how to properly develop family emergency plans and stock up on emergency supplies. Those who attend a class will be given a free NYS Disaster Preparedness Kit (one per family) containing key items to assist in the aftermath of a disaster.

“For our community, these classes are extremely beneficial in helping the everyday resident to prepare for the different weather events that impact us,” Niederhofer said.  “The classes are taught by the Army National Guard and offer a quick synopsis of various events experienced regionally, the impact they had and how individuals and families can take steps to minimize the impacts of similar events in the future.”

To register for the event, visit www.prepare.ny.gov and click on the training calendar to find the event you would like to attend.

 “Emergency Management has 5 emergency preparedness goals – prepare, protect, mitigate, response, and recovery,” said Niederhofer.  “The preparedness class gives the individual the information necessary to meet these goals. And as we always say, a prepared community is a strong and resilient community.”