What is Be Ready Utah? Of course, it's a program of the Utah Division of Emergency Management!



Be Ready Utah is the emergency preparedness outreach campaign of the State of Utah Division of Emergency Management (DEM), and it has been around since April 6th, 2006. Be Ready Utah is not a stand-alone organization but is a program housed completely within DEM. Be Ready Utah is a section of the Preparedness and Outreach Bureau.

Purpose: The purpose of the Be Ready Utah campaign is to help individuals and families, schools, businesses, and communities become better prepared to respond to and recover from disasters. Be Ready Utah seeks to help Utah’s residents become more aware of the importance of emergency preparedness and to take some action towards achieving emergency preparedness.

We do this by educating people about the four main tenets of emergency preparedness: Make a Plan, Get a Kit, Be Informed, and Get Involved. Those four areas of preparedness are promoted within the four pillars of Be Ready Utah: Be Ready Family, Be Ready Schools, Be Ready Business, and Be Ready Community.

  • Be Ready Families is the focus of the bulk of our outreach efforts. Families are the main recipients of our emergency preparedness materials on our website.
  • Be Ready Schools partners with the American Red Cross to help educators implement emergency preparedness lessons in the classroom.
  • Be Ready Business provides businesses with the 15 Points of Business Continuity Planning. It also brings together the public and private sectors with the Private Sector Preparedness Councils (PSPC) which provide training, information, and networking.
  • Be Ready Communities is the culmination of all of the Be Ready Utah efforts. Prepared families, schools, and businesses equate to prepared communities. We also promote the volunteer opportunities including Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT), Community Animal Response Teams (CART), Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS), Neighborhood Watch, and Fire Corps.

Outreach: Our outreach and education efforts include:

  • Preparedness presentations for groups of all types;
  • Staffing booths at safety, health, and preparedness fairs;
  • Printed or electronic materials for groups whose events we can't attend;
  • Website: BeReadyUtah.gov
  • Messaging through social media;
    • @BeReadyUtah on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at Be Ready Utah,
    • Be Ready Utah YouTube Channel,
    • Be Ready Utah Pinterest Board.

Events: There are two major outreach efforts each year:

  • The Great Utah ShakeOut encourages participants to Drop, Cover and Hold on in the largest earthquake drill in the state. For several years we have exceeded one million participants. The third Thursday of each April is designated as ShakeOut.
  • Be Ready Utah Presentations: The Be Ready Utah team can provide emergency preparedness presentations for your groups. Submit a request.

If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or concerns about our Be Ready Utah program feel free to contact the Be Ready Utah Manager, Anna Boynton, at (801) 538-3400.