National Preparedness Month

Maine Township recognizes September 2025 as National Preparedness Month.

In Maine Township, we’ve taken steps in recent years to stand up a part-Time OEM Director, Jack Wisniewski. Under Director Wisniewski’s leadership the OEM has taken an active role in our Township by organizing and collaborating with various surrounding municipalities to address potential emergency events.

The OEM has a comprehensive Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) in place that addresses the Township’s response to a variety of disaster scenarios. The Township OEM assigns responsibilities to each Township department as well as to private and government agencies that might respond. While the OEM’s primary area of concern is the unincorporated area, it has cooperative agreements in place with several surrounding municipalities and can aid with any area in Illinois.

Although the Township remains well-equipped, Preparedness truly starts at home and this year’s theme from Ready.gov shines a light on getting back to the essentials of preparedness. There are four key actions you can take to prepare for any disaster you may face:

  • Know your risk
    • Know what could happen where you and your family live. This helps you figure out what you need to do to stay safe. You can explore various disasters and emergencies on Ready.gov.  
  • Make a family emergency plan
    • Planning early helps you reduce stress and save time and money. Follow four easy steps and create a free Family Emergency Plan quickly and easily with our fillable form.
    • Disasters are costly but preparing for them doesn’t have to be. Taking time to prepare now can help save you thousands of dollars and give you peace of mind when the next disaster or emergency occurs. Visit Ready.gov’s low and no-cost tip page to see how you can be better prepared without spending a lot of money.
  • Build an emergency supply kit
    • Having enough food, water and medicine can help you stay safe and comfortable until help arrives. Having what you need can also prevent injury and damage to your home.
    • Build a go-bag with all the essentials you might need, so you don’t need to scramble in an evacuation situation. Find a list of supplies at Build A Kit.
  • Get involved in your community by taking action to prepare for emergencies
    • Emergencies can happen fast, and emergency responders aren’t always nearby. You may be able to save a life by taking simple actions immediately. You can learn these steps when you take a first aid class through many organizations in your community.
    • Join a Community Emergency Response Team program and get trained on basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization and disaster medical operations.
    • Take a free online independent study course through FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute or a CPR course through the American Red Cross to learn more about how to help your community become more prepared.

Visit Ready.gov to explore more about how to prepare!