BE Safe America


BE Safe America is a campaign designed to increase public grassroots readiness and help every American “practice” dealing with a major disaster.

An enhancement from the original Drill Down for Safety campaign, BE Safe America was established by the Safe America Foundation in 2011 as a five-year initiative that invites organizations large and small to “plug-and-play” their own preparedness programming into the BE Safe America drill season, which extends from September 1 to October 30.

Be Safe America’s ultimate goal…to create an America that is prepared, not scaredTM when it comes to dealing with natural and man-made disasters.

The components of the program include March to 2 Million/Pledge to Drill, Text First. Talk Second.™’ and the Safest Kid in America contest.

Key Objectives

Safe America’s program is designed to achieve five principal objectives:

  1. Train Americans to be better prepared for living through and surviving a disaster
  2. Focus on keeping communications ‘flowing’ via tools such as cell phones and texting messages
  3. Encourage drills (such as a family texting exercise)
  4. Involve ALL demographics: seniors, youth, disadvantaged and veterans
  5. Honor firms/communities/individuals (who is doing most, measuring results)

BE Safe America Year III (2013)

Objectives Meeting in early 2013, Safe America’s national Task Force developed a comprehensive plan to achieve the following:

  1. Involve as many as 5 million Americans in drills during September – early November
  2. Conduct survey of Fortune 500 preparedness leaders assess private sector emergency preparedness
  3. Hold a series of pre-drill season briefings in key regional cities
  4. Conduct ‘Training Camps’ in partnership with the Medical Reserve Corps, Points of Light and other partners
  5. Plan for a national kick-off in Washington, D.C. at the United States Chamber of Commerce
  6. Engage First Spouses in the United States in promoting the Text First. Talk Second.TM message
  7. Working with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in spreading hurricane safety preparedness messaging – including asking for cash donations in the event of a disaster (rather than used clothing and other ‘leftover’ supplies that may be out-of-date)
  8. Developing a Pan American ‘Safety Summit’ (to be scheduled with PAHO and other partners)
  9. Conducting texting drills at widely attended sporting and other events in various states/regions
  10. Encourage wireless carriers to promote a emergency “textiquette,” i.e. the proper behavior one should use when texting in an emergency or a disaster
  11. Promote Veteran involvement in local exercises and a national drill with Guardian Centers (potentially staged in Perry, Georgia)
  12. Consider involving youth via partners such as the Boys and Girls Clubs of America
  13. Engage women legislators through the National Foundation for Women Legislators

Year II (2012)accomplishments:

    • Involved over 2 million people in September and October drills
    • Engaged more than 8 First Spouses and filmed TV spots that were distributed in key states
    • Met with the National Foundation for Women Legislators (NFWL) and recorded new broadcast spots that were distributed prior to hurricane season
    • Conducted a multi-city ‘tour’ to mobilize Americans to ‘pledge to drill’
    • Discussed with the FCC, Motorola Mobility, Motorola Solutions, Federal Signal and national wireless   carriers the advantage of using text messages for 911 to assist hearing-impaired Americans (who number over 35 million)
    • Meeting with Boys and Girls Clubs to promote ‘texting shorthand’ (via Text First. Talk Second.™)
    • Naming Amanda Mason as Safe America’s 2013 Youth Spokesperson and engaging the newly-crowned Miss Manhattan for development of an enhanced SAFE Tomorrows curriculum for middle school youth
    • Discussing scheduling of practice exercises with First Ladies such as Dianne Bentley of Alabama
    • Re-launching the Safest Kid in America contest and teaching over 1,000 youth in a test pilot launch in Cobb County, Georgia

Year I (2011) accomplishments:

    • Involved 1 million people in September and October drills
    • Held multi-city ‘tour’ to mobilize Americans to ‘pledge to drill’
    • Promote ‘texting shorthand’ (via Text First. Talk Second.™)
    • Use this in practice drills (mass events, families, communities)
    • Taught youth… & recognize their leadership (Safest Kid in America contest)