October 30, 2015
Hometown guy Benjamin Franklin is remembered in history books as many things; scientist, writer, politician, inventor, diplomat, etc.
He is also known for many things as well, two of which are his proverbs and aphorisms, many of those filled the pages of “Poor Richard’s Almanac”.
One of Franklin’s sayings, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail“, intersects with one of his concepts on time. The term “Daylight Saving Time” did not come from Ben Franklin although it’s sometimes errantly attributed to him. The concept of maximizing daylight is traced to him however.
Daylight Saving Time ends this Sunday, November 1, at 2 a.m. when we turn our clocks back an hour.
This cross-pollination of Franklin thoughts, preparedness and time, are of interest to Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management. It is common to hear reminders this time of year to “check your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors twice a year when you set your clocks”. Philadelphia OEM wants you to also check your emergency plan and supplies at least twice a year as well as part of being prepared.
This includes having and practicing a plan, packing a Go Bag, being prepared with a house kit if asked to Shelter-in-Place, having a plan if evacuated, and most important, something dear to Poor Richard himself: communication.
Getting information prior to, during, and after an emergency is key. Something that our office has available that helps connect and inform the public is our ReadyPhiladelphia alert system.
So, keeping in line with the Ben Franklin’s theme, you can sign up for ReadyPhiladelphia alerts here, because “Well done is better than well said”.
Sign up for Office of Emergency Management’s “ReadyPhiladelphia” notification system to receive alerts on weather or emergency situations.