Category: Preparedness Planning

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General Preparedness Personal Preparedness Preparedness Planning Preparedness tips

How well do you know where you live or work

How long have you lived in the same house or worked in the same office? If you are like me…the answer to both of those is…a long time. I have been in every room in my house and my office too many times to count. So…on the surface…it would seem I could get around those places blindfolded…but could I? And could you do it where you live or work?

In an emergency or disaster you may find yourself without the ability to see. This could be caused by blackout, smoke conditions or possibly debris or injury to your eyes. If you couldn’t see…would you know where the nearest exit is? Would you be able to get to a fire extinguisher? A first aid kit? Or your loved one in another room calling out for help?

Every once in awhile…try moving through your home or office blindfolded. This can be a fun activity to do with your family while discussing disaster preparedness planning. Take turns so you can watch out for each other and make sure you are safe. Have someone lead you into one room and then give you another room or closet to get to.

Some tips:

*Stay low…it might be useful to crawl. This will help prevent falls and possible head injuries. In a fire…this will mostly likely be your only option.

*Keep one hand on a wall. This will help you stay oriented.

*Trying to recognize familiar things: A carpeted or tile floor, a table or couch. This will help give you reference.

*Keep one hand out in front. This will protect you from banging into things

This is just one activity that you can do as part of an overall preparedness plan. Make it fun. Engage the whole family. Taking a few minutes now to prepare for later can make all the difference.

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General Preparedness Personal Preparedness Preparedness Planning Preparedness tips

Situational Awareness

On our site we sell many different types of preparedness kits, survival gear and other disaster related items. However…there is more much to better preparedness than just items you can buy. One area is becoming more aware of your surroundings and situations you find yourself in.

Almost everyday we read in the papers about a shooting, a sexual assault, an armed robbery or some other type of terrible incident. Often in interviews after the event with people involved…they will tell you that they “sensed something was wrong” or that a particular person made them nervous. These are signs you need to at least pay more attention to. If you sense something is wrong, take a moment to try to understand why you are sensing it. If it just doesn’t feel right…if you can….remove yourself from the area. If you can’t leave…tell someone, move to another area, etc. I am not suggesting that you walk around being paranoid all the time. Just learn to listen to the clues your body gives you that something is wrong.

One other thing you can probably get better at is being aware of your environment. What I mean by that is simply knowing where you are. If you are at a mall, restaurant, movie theater, stadium, etc….take a moment to know where the exits are. Understand what is between you and those exits. This could come in handy if there was a sudden disaster, a fire, an armed robbery or other situation that forces you to evacuate your location. What if the exit closest to you is blocked or crowded…what is your second option? When I check into a hotel…I take a couple minute after checking into my room to look at the emergency escape routes. Often I will even walk them once. I don’t want to have to do this for the first time if I am suddenly awakened at 4:00 a.m. to the sound of a fire alarm.

These suggestions don’t really take up much time. Once you start being more aware of your surrounding you will find yourself doing it more and more naturally. These are skills that could come in handy and one day….might save your life.

All the best…be safe.

1800prepare.com

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Fire Preparedness/Safety General Preparedness Personal Stories Preparedness Planning Preparedness tips

Help your local fire department and make yourself safer

As the winter storms hit the east coast and the snow piles up…I wanted to share a quick idea/tip related to fire safety and preparedness that can make your home and neighborhood safer and also help out your local fire department.

When the fire department responds to an actual fire…seconds count. The quicker they can get water on the fire the better chance they have of putting it out and saving your home and quite possibly your life. In addition…there is limited water on the fire engine. Getting water from the hydrant is not only critical in putting the fire out…but it is also critical to protect the lives of the firefighters fighting the fire.

When you go outside to shovel your walk and/or driveway….take a few extra minutes to shovel out the nearest fire hydrant. This will make it both visible and accessible for the fire department should they need it to hook up to it. Precious seconds could be wasted while they look for the nearest hydrant and then have to get off the engine with a shovel to uncover it.

I started doing this myself shortly after I joined the fire department. I think I was in the department a couple weeks when we had a fire call. This was in the middle of the winter and it had been snowing. I was on the first engine that rolled out the door. Being the “new guy” I was responsible for “hitting the hydrant”. Meaning…it was my job to get off and get the main hose hooked up so we could supply water to the fire fighters going in to fight the fire. As we got closer to the house I could see it was fully involved (on fire). I jumped off, grab the hose and the hydrant bag and went to hook up to the hydrant. Well…as you can guess it was completely covered in snow. I had to race to get a shovel to dig it out to clear enough room to work and get my job done. Thankfully another fire fighter came over to help. This little event gave me the idea that I should take care of this near my home every time in snows.

This is something you can share or rotate with your neighbors. Preparedness and safety begins with you. These are small little steps we can all take that will make it much better for everyone in the long run. As I have said before…one of the greatest asset we have in being better prepared is time. If we take the time to prepare now…the chance of a good outcome in a future emergency/disaster is increased.

Please visit our site at www.1800prepare.com to learn more and get the preparedness kits and supplies you need.

Thank you and stay safe.

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General Preparedness Preparedness Planning

The Number One Goal of Disaster Preparedness

Sometimes, when I’m doing an on-site presentation to a group I’ll start by saying something like, “There is ONE secret to true disaster readiness that I’ll tell you at the end of my presentation.”

For my readers here today, I’ll be more direct and to the point.

The number one goal of disaster preparedness is confidence.

It’s confidence in knowing that whatever comes your way you’ve done what you can to keep your family safe.

Now granted, there’s no such thing as absolute serenity or peace, because we all know the worries we have about things that might go wrong, things other people might do, bad stuff that could happen to the ones we love and so on.

But, if you can sit and watch the evening news and see different disasters that befall others and you can sit there and say 1) “Yes, we’ve covered this in our family planning,” and 2) “Yes, we have the supplies we would need in that kind of situation,” then you should have a fair degree of confidence that you and yours are much better off that the millions who think family preparedness is not their responsibility.

Anyone who’s made it all the way through high school will still have the occasional flashback of going to class and having that pop-quiz that sent your heart straight to your throat. Many of us still have dreams where we show up to class and learn it’s final exam day and we didn’t study! Still have those? How much did you wish you had studied? Well for family emergencies, multiply that stress level times a thousand. You’ll wish you had covered the emergency in your plan and had the supplies you needed.

Remember the two key elements though: Planning and Supplies. Both go hand in hand, with a slightly greater emphasis on planning. The balance is there though. Knowledge without the ability to act is useless, and sitting on a pile of gear you have no idea what to do with is pointless. So focus on both.

Here’s a quick acronym to help. We usually give a more detailed explanation, but you’ll understand: The word is C.A.R.E. If you CARE about your family, you’ll give them:

Confidence by helping with their
Awareness (of what might happen, what you’ll do to react, and communication methods for getting early warning something’s about to happen),
Resources or supplies to make sure they have enough goods and gear on hand to weather the storm, and
Education or training to make sure everyone understands the family plan and has actually practiced the steps.

Practice is study and study is what gets you ready and gives you the confidence to face the “pop-quizzes” that mother nature or mankind might throw at us.

Paul Purcell – “Disaster Prep 101”

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Charities/Groups we support Earthquake Preparedness Preparedness Planning Preparedness tips

Today is The Great California Shakeout

At 10:21 a.m. today….millions of Californians will participate in the world’s largest earthquake preparedness drill. Its not too late to register. Just visit www.shakeout.org and sign yourself and/or your organization up.

Preparing for possible emergencies is one of the best things you can do. By participating in drills like these and discussing with your family and friends you with be better prepared should a real event occur. You should also consider getting supplies or survival kits so you have some of the items you may need.

The drill will only take a few minutes out of your day, will be fun and will be something that could save your life down the road. At 1-800-PREPARE.com we strongly encourage you to sign and and participate.

GREAT JOB….SHAKEOUT TEAM!!!

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Earthquake Preparedness General Preparedness Personal Preparedness Preparedness Planning

The SHAKEOUT

At this year FLASH conference I had the pleasure of meeting one of the leaders behind The Great California Shakeout. This is an unbelievable event that continues to grow and build momentum. It main goal is to help residents of California be better prepared for a potential earthquake. The life saving information that the SHAKEOUT shares and the massive participation event scheduled for Oct. 21st is something every Californian should be aware of…and participate in. One of the greatest keys to better preparedness is to learn about what to do and practice how to do it. It will make you much more ready should the unthinkable happen.

Here is some more information on the Shakeout.

On October 21 at 10:21 a.m., businesses, non-profits, schools, cities, individuals, and many others will hold Drop, Cover and Hold On drills throughout the state. Many will also practice other aspects of their disaster plans. More than 6.9 million Californians participated in 2009, practicing Drop, Cover, and Hold On and other aspects of family, school, and organizational emergency plans. For more information and to register please visit http://www.shakeout.org.

If you do register to participate we encourage you to also consider getting a survival kit or other earthquake preparedness items. Having the right survival gear or kit on hand is one very important aspect of better preparedness. You can visit us at 1-800-PREPARE begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              1-800-PREPARE      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.com to find a large selection of kits to meet your needs. If you do decide to make a purchase…please use coupon code “shakeout” for 10% off your order.

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General Preparedness Preparedness Planning Preparedness tips

Major Storms in NY

Many parts of NY have been hit with severe wind and rain today. There have been numerous reports of blackouts. While it is too late for those already experiencing a blackout….if you have time…now is a good time to prepare.

Some quick tips:

*Charge all items like cell phones and computers now while you still have power

*Make sure you have batteries for all of your flashlights

*Take in or tie down outside furniture

*Fill empty water bottles with water and fill in empty spaces in your freezer. This will keep it cold longer if you do lose power.

*Have candles and matches on hand but use cautiously

*Talk to your children now so they won’t be as scared if the power does go out

*Lower your A/C a little now so they house stays cooler longer

*Set your freezer and refrigerator to their lowest settings so they stay cooler longer

As we ride out this storm…consider purchasing the survival items you may need for the nest time a storm hits. You can build your own survival or blackout kit or purchase a ready made one like the ones we have on 1-800-PREPARE.com

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General Preparedness Preparedness Planning

Time is one of the best preparedness assets you have

When you think about all the things you could  be better prepared for you will see that while some happen unexpectedly…there are many things that we have advanced information about. For instance….we are often informed of a possible hurricane that could affect our neighborhood or a severe storm that could cause blackouts or other disruptions. We are often given severe heat or cold advisories, threats of dangerous fire conditions or hazardous road conditions.

In these cases time is a great asset that we have on our side. If we use it properly we can make the necessary plans, buy the items we may need or even evacuate if we have to. The closer we get to the actual event the less time we have to get all this done. If we wait until the last minute we find ourselves completely unprepared. This is when panic can set in and increases the likelihood that we will have to scramble to insure our safety.

Afterwords we often hear people say things like…”I knew I should have, but….”, or “I told myself last time I would…..”

If we know this…why do we keep procrastinating? Why do we keep wasting this great asset we have?

Use some time now to think about and plan for what could happen. You won’t spend much time and will certainly feel better when you are done.

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General Preparedness Preparedness Planning

Tornado’s in New York?

If we have learned anything from the recent tornado in New York it is that potential disasters can happen anywhere and at anytime. We spent almost a week in the Northeast preparing for Hurricane Earl. There were dozens of news stories and warnings yet the storm produced little serious weather in the NY area. Then…a little more than a week later….a tornado rips through our area unexpectedly causing severe damage.

Hopefully these types of events make people stop and think about their own personal level of preparedness and how they can improve it. Ask yourself if you have the right emergencies supplies in place to ride out or evacuate from a serious storm. Could you shelter in place for a few days? Could you get by without power for a night or two? Do you have a plan in place that you have discussed with your family?

Take some time now to assess your own situation and take at least one step towards improving it. If you do…please share with others what you have done. It may encourage them to do the same.

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General Preparedness Personal Stories Preparedness Planning

Design Your Own Survival Kit

There are many types of survival kits on the market. Some are larger than others and come with different types of survival gear. If you ask experts in the field of preparedness you will get different answers as to what should go into your kit. There isn’t one right answer. A disaster kit is really a personal thing. While there are some basic “mus have’s”…it is also important that you customize any kit you buy to meet your individual needs.

If you had to build a 72 hour kit and could only put 1o items in it….what would you put. Below is a small list of items you might want to consider…but please post your 10 items list here.

Emergency Food and Water

Multitool

Survival Blanket

Water Proof Matches

First Aid Kit

Emergency Whistle

Flashlight

Radio

Signal Mirror

Emergency Hygiene Products

Rope

Water Purification Tablets

Gloves

I look forward to seeing your lists posted here.