Emergencies might be unexpected, but that doesn’t mean you have to be unprepared. Make sure to talk to your family about ways that you can be ready in case something should happen. People often think that talking to their kids about emergencies will scare them, but it’s important that kids know what to do, too. The Red Cross suggests a few things that can help you get started so your family can be prepared Continue reading Preparing Kids For Emergencies »

During a time of crisis, emergency or disaster, we rely heavily on first responders to move quickly and react as necessary. Paramedics, police, firefighters, and volunteers make up a force of over 2.5 million first responders in the US who risk their lives in order to protect those in the communities they are a part of. This summer, a resolution was introduced in Congress to declare September 25th as National First Responder Appreciation Day. The Senate has approved this resolution, but is still awaiting a vote from the House in order to make it official. The First Response Coalition is leading the campaign to help acknowledge our community heroes.

We here at AMW, in recognizing the great sacrifices these individuals make for our communities, and with the help of our partners, we sponsor the annual AMW All Star competition. Continue reading National First Responder Day »

A recent study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project has shown that roughly 3/4 of American mobile phone users have utilized their phones in an emergency situation. With over 200 million mobile phones in the US, this means that in the event of an emergency, a majority of people from teens to adults are equipped with a means to get through to someone that might be able to help—a friend, loved one or emergency responders. Usually, you know who you would call if you needed help. But if you are involved in a situation where you become incapacitated or unconscious, how could emergency responders or hospital workers know how to get in touch with your loved ones to let them know where you are, or even possibly to help identify you. Safety experts have been suggesting a simple tactic that you can use to help emergency responders get in touch with those close to you. Create a new entry in your phone contact list called, “ICE”, for “In Case of Emergency”, and enter the name and phone number for your emergency contact. Additionally, a good idea is to enter more than one contact—ranked as ICE1, ICE2, ICE3, and so on. Continue reading “In Case Of Emergency” Contacts »

For kids and teens today, the internet is fully integrated into their lives. Whether using it to do homework, gaming or for keeping up with friends, there are so many ways in which we interact with large amount of information that the internet puts at our fingertips. This interaction involves us creating more and more of the content online, but unfortunately, this also means that those who would use the web for devious purposes have more access to our personal information as well. Especially personal info posted by kids and teens who think they are only sharing this information with their friends, but in fact are leaving a door wide open for any one to learn private their details, and potentially putting themselves and their families at risk. Continue reading Think Before You Post »