PrepFair.org

It’s not often that you have so many experts together in one place.  Fair attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a  panel discussion regarding emergency preparedness.  A wealth of knowledge was relayed to those in attendance last year.  This year we have new panelists as well as returning panelists.

The panel discussion begins immediately after the opening ceremony at 9 a.m. in the Epworth Center auditorium. John Jarrard will lead the discussion of panelists which will include the following:

Colin Ickes, Knoxville-Knox County Emergency Management Agency, Operations Officer

Rick Williams, Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, Area Coordinator

Mark Willbanks, City of Knoxville Fire Department, Captain

Roger Byrd, City of Knoxville Fire Department, Deputy Chief

John Brinkley, Rural/Metro Ambulance Service, Quality Improvement & Disaster Planning Supervisor         

Ken Marston, Karns Volunteer Fire Department, Chief             

JC Parrott, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, Captain Director of Homeland Security Operations

Bill Muhlfeld, Knoxville Police Department, Investigator

Jerry Harnish, Rural/Metro Fire Department, Chief

Mary Beth Birge, Red Cross, Regional Director, Emergency Services  

Chris Thomas, KUB, Safety & Technical Services

Boy Scouts looking to fulfill requirements for their emergency preparedness merit badge need to attend this discussion.   Admission to the fair is FREE!

Thanks to our vendors and sponsors who have donated the following items for giveaways all day at the fair.

• Emergency Preparedness Fair t-shirts (first 40 adults who register at the fair entrance)
• Midland Weather Radios, hundreds of Ready Kit Bags (KEMA)
• Shredder (UT Federal Credit Union)
• 10″ 4 quart outdoor oven, plastic scrapers, and coupons (Lodge)
• Case of Chef 5 Minute Meals; Apple Bar (Chef 5 Minute Meals)
• Rechargeable flashlights (Coleman)
• Rotations Shelf (Shelf Reliance)
• Flashlights and head lamps (O. G. Hughes & Sons)
• Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) golf umbrella
• MRC blanket with built in pillow
• MRC plastic tumbler with straw
• MRC backpack
• Mold Self Test Kits (donated by assured bio)
• 6 gallon food grade bucket (The Grain Loft)

Attendees must register at the door for the opportunity to win.  Admission to the fair is FREE!

Local Author, Allen Coggins, is a guest speaker at the fair this year and will sell his book, “Tennessee Tragedies:  Natural, Societal and Technological Disasters in the Volunteer State”  at a reduced price.  His book examines a wide variety of disasters that have occurred in the Volunteer State over the past several centuries.

Allen Coggins is a freelance writer and part-time subcontractor in the Environment, Safety, and Health Office of Oak Ridge Associated Universities, where he previously worked for twenty years.  Prior to that, he was a natural hazards planner with the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.

Kim Spargo, Culinary Arts Director for the Tennessee Valley Fair and Mary Ward will help you overcome your fears related to preserving foods.  Anyone can come learn the basics of preserving food by canning and dehydrating safe, high quality food using guidelines from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

See schedule for time.  Come a little bit early as this class was packed last year!  All classes are free as well as admission to the fair.

Bread baking, organic gardening, water purification, and storm safety are just some of the classes available at the fair this year.  We have classes being taught by local experts like Ken Weathers (WATE 6 News), Colin Ickes (KEMA), and Bob Crane (TEMA). You can check out the full schedule of classes and demonstrations for the fair by clicking the “schedule” tab above.

We hope you can plan your day around learning something new or of interest to you.  All classes are FREE!