Transcript: Health and Safety Podcast

Sept. 16, 2026

Hello, and welcome to the Fairfax County Health and Safety Podcast. Coming up, learn about the File of Life, National Preparedness Month, and who to contact when your power goes out. Links to topics mentioned in this podcast can be found online at fairfaxcounty.gov.

The File of Life contains identification and medical information, including date of birth, languages spoken, emergency contact information, allergies, surgeries, and medications. The File of Life comes in two formats:

• The first can be kept in a pouch with a magnet on the back and kept on your refrigerator for easy access.
• The second is the Pocket File of Life that folds to fit into a wallet. 

If you experience a medical emergency and require on-scene treatment and ambulance transport by the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, the File of Life can help communicate important medical information to the first responders. Call or stop by a Fairfax County fire station to pick up a File of Life. If you would like a training for a group about the File of Life, please contact the fire and rescue Community Risk Reduction Life Safety Education by phone at 703-246-3801 or email fire.ESW@fairfaxcounty.gov. One of our Education Specialists can visit any location in Fairfax County to deliver a FREE 30–60-minute training and bring Files of Life for all attendees!

September is National Preparedness Month. Fairfax County and Northern Virginia see a range of hazards throughout the year to prepare for, including:

• Severe thunderstorms with damaging wind, hail and lightning
• Flash flooding, especially near streams and low-lying roads
• Extreme heat, which strains health and power systems during summer months
• Hurricanes and tropical storms, which can bring heavy rain and wind even this far inland
• Winter storms, including ice and heavy snow that can down trees and power lines
• Power outages, which can result from storms or equipment failure
• Winter weather-related road hazards, common on the county’s hills and bridges

Some of these hazards are seasonal. Others, like power outages, can happen any time of year. You cannot plan for every emergency at once. But you can learn which ones are most likely to affect you and start there. A good emergency plan begins with understanding local risk, not with buying supplies or downloading apps. Our emergency information blog has more in our weekly “Prep Tip” Tuesday articles.

Each month, our Department of Emergency Management and Security produces the “Emergency Preparedness” newsletter and a monthly preparedness webinar. Learn more at fairfaxcounty.gov/emergencymanagement.

Severe weather often causes downed trees and power outages. If your power is out, report it directly to your utility provider.

• Dominion Energy: Call 1-866-366-4357, pr use the online report.
• NOVEC: Call 703-335-0500 or their online outage center.

Unplug sensitive electronics while the power is out. Surges can happen when service comes back on and may damage equipment left plugged in. If you see a downed tree or power line, never touch it. Treat every downed wire as if it is live, even if it looks dead. For any immediate danger to life or safety, call or text 9-1-1. For downed trees and wires that are not an emergency, who you contact depends on where the tree fell. Find the right contact on the county’s downed trees and wires webpage; search “downed trees and wires” on fairfaxcounty.gov. For more information on this, visit our emergency information blog at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/emergency/blog.

The fastest way to know about severe weather headed toward Fairfax County is Fairfax Alerts, the county’s free emergency notification system. Fairfax Alerts sends warnings straight to your phone or email for severe weather, road closures, and other emergencies that affect your area. Sign up in a few minutes at fairfaxcounty.gov/alerts. You can choose which types of alerts you get and set them to reach you by text, email or phone call. And for the latest storm updates, watches, and warnings for Fairfax County, visit the Fairfax County Storm Center, fairfaxcounty.gov/emergency/stormcenter.

That’s it for this edition of the Fairfax County Health and Safety Podcast, produced by the Fairfax County, Virginia, Government. Thanks for listening. Follow the Health and Safety podcast on soundcloud.com/fairfaxcounty and our podcasts webpage, fairfaxcounty.gov/podcasts. And remember, if you have a police, fire, or medical emergency, call 9-1-1. For non-emergency needs, call 703-691-2131.