Editorial: Bert the Turtle, post-9/11

Monday, Jan. 23, 2006 | 9:06 a.m.

Adults who were schoolchildren in the 1950s will remember "duck and cover" drills at their schools. A fire alarm or air-raid siren would go off, and an orderly procession to the cloak room would begin. Children would grab their coats, or blankets in fair weather, and kneel either under their desks or along the wall of a hallway, placing their wrap over their heads and shoulders. The purpose was to protect children from flying glass and other debris should there be an atomic attack.

Before 9/11 such scenes were recalled with amused nostalgia. Today, however, with terrorism a continuing threat, it is a serious matter to prepare children as well as adults for sudden emergencies. The Department of Homeland Security recognizes this and is getting ready to launch a program called "Ready Kids."

The program, scheduled for kickoff on Feb. 2 in Chicago, will offer tips on preparing for disasters in a way children can understand. In 1950, children learned the duck-and-cover basics from a film and radio show starring Bert the Turtle, whose likeness was also used in pamphlets. Today's disaster preparedness lessons for children will follow the same idea, using such characters as a hermit crab named Herman.

The national PTA is cooperating on the project, which is aimed at children aged 8 to 12. A spokesman for the organization said the program will be a little more elaborate than having children duck under desks, but he offered assurances to parents who might be concerned that it would frighten children. He said the program is not too much different from the safety drills children learn in tornado-prone areas of the country.

Parents and schools should preview the program, of course, but we hope they find it worthy of support. Preparedness these days is for all of us, including children.