Emergency
Preparedness Award
Emergency
Preparedness Plan
Emergency
Preparedness Kit
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Emergency Preparedness BSA:
Emergency Preparedness Plan
Planning ahead is the first step to a calmer and
more assured disaster response. Determine what kinds of natural and
man-made disasters and emergencies could occur in your community.
Make a list of them, then discuss each one and what you should do as
a group in each situation. For each type of emergency, establish
responsibilities for each member of your household and plan to work
together as a team. Because some family members might not be at home
at the time of an emergency, designate alternates in case someone is
absent.
Be sure everyone in the family can recognize the
different sounds made by smoke, heat, and motion detectors, burglar
alarms, fire alarms, and community sirens and warning signals, and
know what to do when they hear them.
Discuss what to do if evacuation from your house
is necessary. Be sure everyone in the family knows that in that
case, they must not hesitate, but must get out as soon as possible
and after they are outside someone should call for help. Agree on an
outdoor meeting place for the family, such as a particular
neighbor's front porch.
Be sure everyone in the family knows how to call
911 (if your community has that service) and other local emergency
numbers; and how to call on different kinds of phones, such as cell
phones. Gather and post other emergency numbers, such poison
control, the family doctor, a neighbor and an out-of-town person who
are your family's emergency contacts, a parent's work number and
cell number, etc. Post all emergency numbers near every telephone in
the house and make copies for everyone to carry with them.
Because emergency responders will need an address
or directions on where to send help, be sure all family members know
how to describe where they can be found. Post your address near each
telephone in the house. When dealing with the stress of an
emergency, even adult family members could fail to recall details
correctly.
Plan an out-of-town evacuation route and an
out-of-town meeting point, in the event all family members aren't
together at the same time to evacuate. The meeting point might be
the home of a family member in another city or a hotel or landmark
known to all family members.
Practice evacuating your home twice a year. Drive
your planned evacuation route and plot alternate routes on a map in
case the chosen roads are impassable or grid-locked.
Practice earthquake, tornado, and fire drills at
home, work, and school periodically.
Be sure all family adults and older children know
that in case of emergency, it is their responsibility to keep the
family together, to remain calm, and explain to younger family
members what has happened and what is likely to happen next.
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