Fairfax County's Health and Safety podcast for April 21, 2010, that includes getting tips for calling 9-1-1, learning how to become involved in your community and ways to stay informed from the Police Department.

1. Health and Safety Podcast April 21, 2010

2. Topics Tips for calling 9-1-1. Become involved in community emergency preparedness / response. Stay informed from the Police Department. www.fairfaxcounty.gov

3. 9-1-1

4. 9-1-1 Don’t waste precious seconds. Dial 9-1-1 from the nearest telephone. 9-1-1 is only for emergencies. Non-emergencies, 703-691-2131.

5. 9-1-1 Stay calm Dispatchers can't help you if they can't understand you. Take a deep breath. Think before you talk. Speak slowlyand clearly.

6. 9-1-1 State the nature of the emergency and the exact address where helpis needed. Stay on the lineto answer furtherquestions fromthe dispatcher.

7. 9-1-1 Send someone to meet the emergency equipment. It's hard to find an address on a dimly lit street in the middle of the night. www.fairfaxcounty.gov/911

8. National Volunteer Week Fairfax County Citizen Corps programs offer many volunteer opportunities. Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) volunteers participated in recent responses to H1N1 and the Winter Storm of 2010.

9. Citizen Corps Programs Volunteers are needed for outreach and training efforts. Interested? www.fairfaxcounty.gov/oem/citizencorps Call the Office of Emergency Management 571-350-1000.

10. Police Facebook Fan Page No cost to join. Become a police department fan at www.facebook.com/fairfaxcountypolice.

11. Police CEAN Group Geographically targeted alerts: Timely information. Significant criminal incidents. Important announcements. Register several addresses. www.fairfaxcounty.gov/cean

12. Additional Information www.fairfaxcounty.gov www.fairfaxcounty.gov/emergency 9-1-1 – Emergency police, fire, medical. 703-691-2131 – Non-emergency.