PRESIDENT’S
MESSAGE
By Fariba Kalantari, DDS
Help is on the
Way!
That’s all I could remember from
that day.
It was a beautiful sunny day in Cliffside
Park, NJ. I had just dropped off my son
to school and arrived in the office.
Music was playing and I was enjoying
my morning coffee and waiting to greet
a new patient. As the door opened, the
frantic look on the young lady who
walked into my office got me thinking,
she must be really scared of dentists or
in pain, and I've got to help her calm
down.
“I just heard a plane crashed into one of
the Towers at the World Trade Center.”
I thought she must have misunderstood.
I turned on the TV in the reception
area and to my horror, she was right.
How could this be possible? I just
waved at the buildings this morning
from my apartment window.
The recent events in California and
around the nation have brought me
right back to the events of that
September day and the importance of
having an emergency plan before
disaster strikes.
Do you and your dental team have a
plan to safeguard yourselves and your
patients in case of an emergency?
Los Angeles Dental Society Explorer
It’s important to know what types of
emergencies could arise in your
community and how to respond. We
have had our share of disasters caused
by wildfires, mudslides and floods this
“Do you and your
dental team have a
plan to safeguard
yourselves and your
patients in case of an
emergency?”
year in California. In addition, every
year, there are reports of natural
disasters – from earthquakes, tornadoes,
hurricanes to non-natural incidents
caused by gas leaks, structural collapse,
power failure, chemical spills, and more.
Every workplace and household should
have an emergency plan in place and
practice it regularly. It’s also important
to know what you will do if you’re not
together when disaster strikes, planning
how you’re going to contact each other
and where you’re going to meet in the
event of an emergency.
OSHA specifically requires employers
with 11 or more employees to have a
written Emergency Action Plan for
individuals involved in providing fire
prevention, emergency medical or
evaluation assistance. In an emergency,
all personnel should know their role and
where to go if shelter must be sought, as
well as escape routes and shutdown
procedures. The government
recommends being prepared to be on
your own for a minimum of 72 hours.
This is not a call to be afraid. This is a
call to be prepared. Emergency
management is the process of preparing,
responding and recovering from an
emergency. Take the time to keep your
patients, team, family and yourself safe
in the event of an emergency.
Free disaster preparedness resources are
available to our members. To find out
more about emergency preparedness
and/or if affected by a natural or non-
natural disaster, contact the LADS
office for information or assistance. 䡲