ESBOCES Student Recognized by Suffolk County Legislator Ricardo Montano

November 16, 2010

Central Islip's Brittany Hahnan deserves all the credit that she received from Suffolk County Legislator Ricardo Montano (9th Leg. District) for exhibiting good citizenship by creating an emergency-preparedness plan for her family including their pet.  As a student in Lori Beckmann's Eastern Suffolk BOCES Animal Science class, Ms. Hahnan put together a plan which sets down in precise detail the steps her family can take to evacuate from their home in a disaster as well as steps to help them stay safe in their home if evacuation is not required or recommended.  The plan was entered in the Pet Safe Families(c) contest, a program of Pet Safe Coalition, Inc.  Pet Safe Coalition is a not-for-profit organization whose main mission is to educate pet owners about steps they can take to improve the chances of their and their pets' survival in disasters.

"By helping families stay safe, we keep neighborhoods safe, and the whole fabric of our communities can weather any storm," said Nancy Lynch, Founder and President of Pet Safe Coalition.  "We commend Legislator Montano and his staff for recognizing how important this mission is and for honoring Brittany, her mother Donna Hahnan, and Lori Beckmann, Brittany's Animal Science instructor."

Brittany Hahnan, a student in the Central Islip UFSD, and Lori Beckmann’s animal science program at the Brookhaven Technical Center (BTC) in Bellport, was the winning contestant in the Pet Safe Families contest.

Legislator Ricardo Montano of Central Islip presented Brittany with the Pet Safe Coalition, Inc. Proclamation for her award-winning disaster preparedness plan at its regular meeting on Tuesday, November 16, 2010 at the W.H. Rogers Legislative Office Building in Hauppauge. Beverly Poppell, executive director of the Pet Safe Coalition said, “I am so impressed with the ESBOCES programs - they are so practical. The students are so motivated, and the teachers are so professional.” 

Pet Safe Coalition, Inc. is located in Nassau County. Representatives from the organization visited Lori Beckmann’s Animal Science class and advised the students of the contest. Ms. Beckmann incorporated the contest into a class project for a grade. The Pet Safe Families was a contest for people with pets. The purpose was for contestants to create their own disaster preparedness plan that included how to keep pets safe in emergencies. Brittany submitted a plan that was remarkable. She had maps, routes to exit Long Island, a budget analysis, and a list of storage items. Brittany said, “This makes me very happy. I wasn’t out to win a contest, I just wanted an “A” in the class.” Her mom, Donna, was beaming with pride at her daughter’s accomplishment.

Legislator Montano said, “We are going to post Brittany’s disaster preparedness plan on the county website. I applaud Brittany for her good work and hard effort.”

Pet Safe Coalition, Inc. promotes good citizenship, responsibility, respect, and encourages families to have a plan.

Runners up: Natalia Cousins; Jaclyn Gordon; Sordaly Hernandez

(Courtesy of Eastern Suffolk BOCES)