Preparedness for Communities | Vermont Department of Health
Source: http://healthvermont.gov/emergency/public-health-preparedness/preparedness-communities
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:18
Preparedness for Communities | Vermont Department of Health
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Translations for you
Preparedness for Communities
Public Health Preparedness
Preparedness for Individuals & Families
Preparedness for Communities
Stay Safe in a Flood
The Health Department works closely with community partners, government agencies, health care sectors and first responders to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies that threaten the health and safety of Vermonters.
Learn how we help communities prepare for and respond to emergencies in the sections below.
Support for local emergency preparedness & response
Our Emergency Preparedness staff at
Local Health Offices
across the state work closely with local organizations and health care providers to assist them in preparing for and responding to disasters and public health emergencies.
Local Health Staff participates in local hospital preparedness, serves on local emergency preparedness committees, maintains agreements with community partners for mass clinic space in times of disaster or public health emergencies, provides presentations, works with local Medical Reserve Corps volunteers, and more.
Contact your Local Health Office Emergency Preparedness Specialist to learn how your community organization can get prepared.
Barre
Bennington
Brattleboro
Burlington
Middlebury
Morrisville
Newport
Rutland
St. Albans
St. Johnsbury
Springfield
White River Junction
Sign-up for Vermont Alert (VT-Alert)
VT-ALERT is used by the state and local responders to notify the public of emergency situations. These include, but are not limited to, evacuation information; chemical spills; shelter-in-place alerts; severe weather advisories; boil water advisories, roadway interruptions, and some public health emergencies. Residents or community organizations can tailor the alerts to specific locations, types of alerts and on which devices they will be notified.
Learn more and sign up to receive alerts from Vermont Emergency Management.
Volunteer in your community
From trained medical professionals who respond daily, to citizen volunteers who step up during natural disasters, Vermonters like you make all the difference in our communities health, safety, and preparedness.
Consider joining an EMS agency in your community or the Medical Reserve Corps. You can help even if you’re not a trained medical professional. Vermonters from all walks of life can join Medical Reserve Corps (MRCs) to lend a hand when a disaster or emergency strikes in your community. Go to our
OnCall for Vermont website
for more information.
Vaccine and medicine distribution sites (Point of Distribution - PODS)
During some public health emergencies, the Health Department may set up a site where medications or vaccines can be quickly distributed to the community. The site – called a “Point of Distribution” or POD site – helps the Health Department get medicine and vaccines to people who need it as quickly as possible. We have used PODs throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Watch the video to learn more.
See Vaccine and Medicine Distribution Sites (Point of Distribution - PODS) video in many languages:
العربية (Arabic)
|
မြန်မာစာ (Burmese)
|
English
|
Français (French)
|
Kirundi
|
नेपाली (Nepali)
|
Soomaali (Somali)
|
Español (Spanish)
|
Kiswahili (Swahili)
|
Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
Medical Go Bag Project
A medical go bag is an essential tool for anyone looking to be prepared for unexpected health emergencies that require a trip to the hospital. Having a well-stocked bag ensures that you have all the necessary information and supplies at your fingertips, reducing stress and saving valuable time when every second counts. Important items to include are personal identification, a list of current medications and allergies, medical history, insurance information, and essential supplies like medications, a phone charger, and basic toiletries. By preparing a medical go bag in advance, you can ensure that you and your loved ones are ready to respond swiftly and effectively, providing peace of mind and potentially improving outcomes during critical situations.
Watch this short video explaining more!
Download
a sample checklist for the medical go bag
.
Responding to disasters and public health hazards
The Health Department actively prepares to respond to infectious disease outbreaks, natural or man-made disasters, environmental hazards and contamination, extreme weather and other health crisis.
Ready or Not 2024: Protecting the Public's Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism by the Trust for America’s Health
provides an annual assessment of states’ level of readiness to support the public's health in an emergency. The report assesses states against 10 top-performing emergency preparedness indicators ranging from accreditation status and workforce resilience and infection control to patient safety and countermeasure utilization. With over 16 states, slipping in their ranking from last year, Vermont remains in the highest tier.
The Health Department has responded to disasters and public health hazards such as:
COVID-19
Tritium Contamination at Vermont Yankee (2010-2012)
Opioid Addiction Health Crisis
Learn more about all of our response efforts.
Be Bright at Night & Watch For Me VT
In the winter of 2022, the Watch for Me Program worked with six of the nine
Medical Reserve Corps (MRC)
units and community partners to launch the Be Bright at Night Reflector Pilot Program. The program's goals were to hand out free reflectors, raise awareness of road safety issues, promote driver, pedestrian, and cyclist safety messaging, and collect data to potentially expand the program statewide.
The
MRC STTRONG Year One Report
details the successes of the program over the course of its first year.
For information about Be Bright at Night, or Watch For Me VT, please visit the links below.
Be Bright At Night
in
العربية (Arabic)
|
မြန်မာစာ (Burmese)
|
دری (Dari)
|
English
|
Français (French)
|
Kirundi
|
简体字 (Chinese - Simplified)
|
नेपाली (Nepali)
|
پښتو (Pashto)
|
Soomaali (Somali
)
|
Español (Spanish)
|
Kiswahili (Swahili)
|
Tingrinya
|
українська (Ukrainian)
|
Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
Watch For Me VT
in
العربية (Arabic)
|
မြန်မာစာ (Burmese)
|
دری (Dari)
|
English
|
Français (French)
|
Kirundi
|
简体字 (Chinese - Simplified)
|
नेपाली (Nepali)
|
پښتو (Pashto)
|
Soomaali (Somali
)
|
Español (Spanish)
|
Kiswahili (Swahili)
|
Tingrinya
|
українська (Ukrainian)
|
Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
Stop The Bleed
Resources
Video in Other Languages
Arabic: أوقف النزيف
|
American Sign Language
|
Bosnian: Zaustavi Krvarenje
|
Burmese: သွေးထွက်ခြင်းကို ရပ်တန့်ခြင်း
|
Dari: خونریزی را متوقف (کنترول) کنیدد
|
French: Comment arrêter un saignement
|
Haitian Kreyòl: Kanpe San
|
Kirundi: Hagarika Ukuvirirana
|
Maay Maay: “Dhiig bahgu Rooji”
|
Mandarin: 止血
|
Nepali: रक्तस्राव रोक्नुहोस्
|
Pashto: وینه بنده (کنترول) کړئ
|
Somali: Jooji Dhiig Baxa
|
Spanish: Deteniendo el sangrado
|
Swahili: Komesha Kutokwa na Damu
|
Tigrinya: ደው ምባል ምድማይ ደም
|
Ukrainian: Зупинка кровотечі
|
Vietnamese: Cầm máu
Poster in Other Languages
Arabic: أوقف النزيف
|
Burmese: သွေးထွက်ခြင်းကို ရပ်တန့်ခြင်း
|
中国人 (Chinese)
|
Dari: خونریزی را متوقف (کنترول) کنیدد
|
Kirundi: Hagarika Ukuvirirana
|
Nepali: रक्तस्राव रोक्नुहोस्
|
Pashto: وینه بنده (کنترول) کړئ
|
Somali: Jooji Dhiig Baxa
|
Swahili: Komesha Kutokwa na Damu
|
Tigrinya: ደው ምባል ምድማይ ደም
|
Ukrainian: Зупинка кровотечі
|
Vietnamese: Cầm máu
Save a Life Flowchart
(Arabic)
|
မြန်မာစာ (Burmese)
|
中国人 (Chinese)
|
دری (Dari)
|
English
|
Français (French Canadian)
|
Kirundi
|
नेपाली (Nepali)
|
پښتو (Pashto)
|
Soomaali (Somali)
|
Kiswahili (Swahili)
|
Tingrinya
|
українська (Ukrainian)
|
Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
Resources
CDC Public Health Preparedness and Response Website
CDC Emergency Page
Vermont 2-1-1
- Check Vermont 2-1-1 for information on cooling shelters, cold weather information and many other community resources.
Vermont Emergency Management
- Community Preparedness
Ready.gov
- Organizations Preparing for Emergency Needs
FEMA
- Individuals and Communities
Vermont Department of Health
- Preparedness for Individuals & Families
Topics:
Emergency Preparedness
|
Emergency Response
Last Updated:
April 21, 2026
Skip to main content
MENU
x
CLOSE
Translations for you
Preparedness for Communities
Public Health Preparedness
Preparedness for Individuals & Families
Preparedness for Communities
Stay Safe in a Flood
The Health Department works closely with community partners, government agencies, health care sectors and first responders to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies that threaten the health and safety of Vermonters.
Learn how we help communities prepare for and respond to emergencies in the sections below.
Support for local emergency preparedness & response
Our Emergency Preparedness staff at
Local Health Offices
across the state work closely with local organizations and health care providers to assist them in preparing for and responding to disasters and public health emergencies.
Local Health Staff participates in local hospital preparedness, serves on local emergency preparedness committees, maintains agreements with community partners for mass clinic space in times of disaster or public health emergencies, provides presentations, works with local Medical Reserve Corps volunteers, and more.
Contact your Local Health Office Emergency Preparedness Specialist to learn how your community organization can get prepared.
Barre
Bennington
Brattleboro
Burlington
Middlebury
Morrisville
Newport
Rutland
St. Albans
St. Johnsbury
Springfield
White River Junction
Sign-up for Vermont Alert (VT-Alert)
VT-ALERT is used by the state and local responders to notify the public of emergency situations. These include, but are not limited to, evacuation information; chemical spills; shelter-in-place alerts; severe weather advisories; boil water advisories, roadway interruptions, and some public health emergencies. Residents or community organizations can tailor the alerts to specific locations, types of alerts and on which devices they will be notified.
Learn more and sign up to receive alerts from Vermont Emergency Management.
Volunteer in your community
From trained medical professionals who respond daily, to citizen volunteers who step up during natural disasters, Vermonters like you make all the difference in our communities health, safety, and preparedness.
Consider joining an EMS agency in your community or the Medical Reserve Corps. You can help even if you’re not a trained medical professional. Vermonters from all walks of life can join Medical Reserve Corps (MRCs) to lend a hand when a disaster or emergency strikes in your community. Go to our
OnCall for Vermont website
for more information.
Vaccine and medicine distribution sites (Point of Distribution - PODS)
During some public health emergencies, the Health Department may set up a site where medications or vaccines can be quickly distributed to the community. The site – called a “Point of Distribution” or POD site – helps the Health Department get medicine and vaccines to people who need it as quickly as possible. We have used PODs throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Watch the video to learn more.
See Vaccine and Medicine Distribution Sites (Point of Distribution - PODS) video in many languages:
العربية (Arabic)
|
မြန်မာစာ (Burmese)
|
English
|
Français (French)
|
Kirundi
|
नेपाली (Nepali)
|
Soomaali (Somali)
|
Español (Spanish)
|
Kiswahili (Swahili)
|
Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
Medical Go Bag Project
A medical go bag is an essential tool for anyone looking to be prepared for unexpected health emergencies that require a trip to the hospital. Having a well-stocked bag ensures that you have all the necessary information and supplies at your fingertips, reducing stress and saving valuable time when every second counts. Important items to include are personal identification, a list of current medications and allergies, medical history, insurance information, and essential supplies like medications, a phone charger, and basic toiletries. By preparing a medical go bag in advance, you can ensure that you and your loved ones are ready to respond swiftly and effectively, providing peace of mind and potentially improving outcomes during critical situations.
Watch this short video explaining more!
Download
a sample checklist for the medical go bag
.
Responding to disasters and public health hazards
The Health Department actively prepares to respond to infectious disease outbreaks, natural or man-made disasters, environmental hazards and contamination, extreme weather and other health crisis.
Ready or Not 2024: Protecting the Public's Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism by the Trust for America’s Health
provides an annual assessment of states’ level of readiness to support the public's health in an emergency. The report assesses states against 10 top-performing emergency preparedness indicators ranging from accreditation status and workforce resilience and infection control to patient safety and countermeasure utilization. With over 16 states, slipping in their ranking from last year, Vermont remains in the highest tier.
The Health Department has responded to disasters and public health hazards such as:
COVID-19
Tritium Contamination at Vermont Yankee (2010-2012)
Opioid Addiction Health Crisis
Learn more about all of our response efforts.
Be Bright at Night & Watch For Me VT
In the winter of 2022, the Watch for Me Program worked with six of the nine
Medical Reserve Corps (MRC)
units and community partners to launch the Be Bright at Night Reflector Pilot Program. The program's goals were to hand out free reflectors, raise awareness of road safety issues, promote driver, pedestrian, and cyclist safety messaging, and collect data to potentially expand the program statewide.
The
MRC STTRONG Year One Report
details the successes of the program over the course of its first year.
For information about Be Bright at Night, or Watch For Me VT, please visit the links below.
Be Bright At Night
in
العربية (Arabic)
|
မြန်မာစာ (Burmese)
|
دری (Dari)
|
English
|
Français (French)
|
Kirundi
|
简体字 (Chinese - Simplified)
|
नेपाली (Nepali)
|
پښتو (Pashto)
|
Soomaali (Somali
)
|
Español (Spanish)
|
Kiswahili (Swahili)
|
Tingrinya
|
українська (Ukrainian)
|
Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
Watch For Me VT
in
العربية (Arabic)
|
မြန်မာစာ (Burmese)
|
دری (Dari)
|
English
|
Français (French)
|
Kirundi
|
简体字 (Chinese - Simplified)
|
नेपाली (Nepali)
|
پښتو (Pashto)
|
Soomaali (Somali
)
|
Español (Spanish)
|
Kiswahili (Swahili)
|
Tingrinya
|
українська (Ukrainian)
|
Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
Stop The Bleed
Resources
Video in Other Languages
Arabic: أوقف النزيف
|
American Sign Language
|
Bosnian: Zaustavi Krvarenje
|
Burmese: သွေးထွက်ခြင်းကို ရပ်တန့်ခြင်း
|
Dari: خونریزی را متوقف (کنترول) کنیدد
|
French: Comment arrêter un saignement
|
Haitian Kreyòl: Kanpe San
|
Kirundi: Hagarika Ukuvirirana
|
Maay Maay: “Dhiig bahgu Rooji”
|
Mandarin: 止血
|
Nepali: रक्तस्राव रोक्नुहोस्
|
Pashto: وینه بنده (کنترول) کړئ
|
Somali: Jooji Dhiig Baxa
|
Spanish: Deteniendo el sangrado
|
Swahili: Komesha Kutokwa na Damu
|
Tigrinya: ደው ምባል ምድማይ ደም
|
Ukrainian: Зупинка кровотечі
|
Vietnamese: Cầm máu
Poster in Other Languages
Arabic: أوقف النزيف
|
Burmese: သွေးထွက်ခြင်းကို ရပ်တန့်ခြင်း
|
中国人 (Chinese)
|
Dari: خونریزی را متوقف (کنترول) کنیدد
|
Kirundi: Hagarika Ukuvirirana
|
Nepali: रक्तस्राव रोक्नुहोस्
|
Pashto: وینه بنده (کنترول) کړئ
|
Somali: Jooji Dhiig Baxa
|
Swahili: Komesha Kutokwa na Damu
|
Tigrinya: ደው ምባል ምድማይ ደም
|
Ukrainian: Зупинка кровотечі
|
Vietnamese: Cầm máu
Save a Life Flowchart
(Arabic)
|
မြန်မာစာ (Burmese)
|
中国人 (Chinese)
|
دری (Dari)
|
English
|
Français (French Canadian)
|
Kirundi
|
नेपाली (Nepali)
|
پښتو (Pashto)
|
Soomaali (Somali)
|
Kiswahili (Swahili)
|
Tingrinya
|
українська (Ukrainian)
|
Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
Resources
CDC Public Health Preparedness and Response Website
CDC Emergency Page
Vermont 2-1-1
- Check Vermont 2-1-1 for information on cooling shelters, cold weather information and many other community resources.
Vermont Emergency Management
- Community Preparedness
Ready.gov
- Organizations Preparing for Emergency Needs
FEMA
- Individuals and Communities
Vermont Department of Health
- Preparedness for Individuals & Families
Topics:
Emergency Preparedness
|
Emergency Response
Last Updated:
April 21, 2026