Civil unpreparedness sparks Home Front awareness campaign

The Home Front Command is launching a public relations blitz aimed at making sure that Israelis know what to do in the event of a rocket attack. The measures, which include the distribution to every household in the country of an instructional booklet, come after a survey found that Israelis have low to middling awareness of what to do in such an emergency.

The Home Front Command will also run television and radio spots telling people how to protect themselves from rocket fire, as part of a campaign whose slogan is "Being protected means being prepared."

The survey, conducted by the Home Front Command, also found that more than 80 percent of the public wants a higher level of war preparedness.

"The goal of the campaign is to generate awareness of personal responsibility, and the job of the Home Front Command is to convey the necessary information," a Home Front Command official said. "In a war or time of emergency, it is difficult to reach each and every person with the required information. We know from experience that the more the population is routinely prepared for various scenarios, the better it copes with the challenges in an emergency."

The campaign was originally scheduled to begin last summer but was postponed out of fear that, combined with the Israel Air Force strike in Syria, it would send the message that Israel was preparing for war with Syria, a Home Front Command official said.

Security officials said yesterday the campaign is not a sign of an impending war and is being conducted in response to the lack of preparedness during the Second Lebanon War.

The booklet will include information on how to choose a sheltered space, how to seal a room in case of a chemical attack and what to stock in the house in case of an emergency, such as sheets of plastic for sealing a room, tape, batteries, water bottles and flashlights.

The Home Front Command says most of the civilians who were killed or wounded in the Second Lebanon War were outside at the time.

Two-thirds of Israeli homes do not have reinforced rooms, according to the Home Front Command. The reinforced rooms are built into all new homes, as a result of a decision made following the 1991 Gulf War.

As part of the readiness campaign, teachers will brief the first through sixth grades on what to do in the event of a rocket attack. The Home Front Command will send representatives to instruct fifth-graders.