Disaster preparedness described broad-level emergency response efforts that anticipate potential concerns and develop procedures that keep the public safe or guide them to safety. Hazards range from chemical exposures to bioterrorism and disease outbreaks to fires.
Yet, while local-level disaster preparedness involves sending hazard notifications and telling residents where to go, you’re advised to create your own family-level plan. Here’s how to get started.
The Foundation of Your Personal Disaster Preparedness Plan
Think about what you’ll need, what you’ll need to do and where you’ll need to go based on the following:
- The types of emergencies you’re likely to face where you live and work: Understand what’s common and what’s unpredictable. Identify when it’s better to shelter in place and when it’s better to leave the area.
- The roles of all family or household members, including gathering supplies, their individual response and how you’ll work together. Get all members, including children and older adults, involved in some capacity.
- Practicing your plan, so that everyone feels comfortable with all steps and will know what to do when faced with a fire or another emergency. You’re recommended to practice your evacuation routes at least twice per year.
- Your emergency kit and the items you’ll need to pack, from first aid to food to clothing and documents.
Creating Your Disaster Preparedness Plan
Once you’ve thought about these general principles:
- Begin to designate meeting spots: This could be across the street for a housefire and at home during wildfires before coordinating your evacuation efforts. If you plan to take along a pet, make sure your locations are pet friendly.
- Assign an emergency contact person who lives out of the area, and provide everyone in your household with their contact information.
- Also create an emergency contact card listing all household members and your emergency contact person.
- Think about family members who spend part of the year away from home or visitors, the role they’ll play in your disaster preparedness plan and how you’ll get them up to speed.
- Plan out your evacuation, including routes and where you’ll go. Alert any relatives or friends that they’re now part of your disaster preparedness plan. Use a paper map to outline directions ahead of time, instead of relying on GPS.
Fire-Specific Considerations
To respond to fire risks in a timely manner:
- Ensure that your home has the correct number of smoke alarms installed: This is one for every floor, with one in front of every bedroom. Test them once a month, and replace the batteries once a year.
- Instruct children in how to respond to a fire alarm: Along with their role in your household disaster preparedness plan, show them how to perform stop, drop and roll and call 9-1-1.
- For house fires, have two escape routes for every room mapped out to your meeting spot. Those on the second floor may require a safety ladder.
- Minimize fire risks in your home: Avoid placing flammable and combustible materials near appliances, heat sources and electrical systems, direct family members who smoke outside, and turn off space heaters whenever you leave a room. Other common sources involve candles, chimneys with creosote buildup, a poorly maintained furnace and your electrical system.
- Stay alert while you’re in the kitchen: Never leave frying, grilling or broiling food unattended, and periodically check on simmering, baking or roasting dishes. Additionally, keep children and pets away from cooking sources, and regularly clean debris from the oven and similar appliances. Should a fire start in a pan, place a lid on it and turn off the heat.
- Consider having an at-home fire extinguisher to respond to small fires.
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