 September can always be counted on for at least two things. A new football season and, of course, National Preparedness Month. This year the California Emergency Management Agency brought the two worlds together to kick off the disaster preparedness efforts of Bay Area football fans. Cali and May joined with the San Francisco 49ers, FEMA and other organizations at San Francisco's Candlestick Park to open the NFL season with a disaster preparedness event aimed to guide fans down the path to preparedness, providing useful tips, information and resources to help get them disaster ready. Later in the week Cali and May hosted our fourth annual Emergency Preparedness Day at the California State Capitol. Over 20 agencies and organizations joined in to raise awareness and hundreds of Sacramento area residents and workers took notice as they toured emergency vehicles, picked up emergency preparedness kits and even signed up for volunteer opportunities to help others in an emergency. Outreach events like these are an important tool in spreading the word and getting communities involved. If you or your organization are interested in producing a similar event in your area, Cali and May and the American Red Cross have put together a toolkit to help you along in your planning efforts. The Disaster Preparedness Event toolkit is a step-by-step guide in planning your own event and can be found along with many other helpful tips at www.caliandmay.ca.gov.