An Emergency Response Plan Requires Preparation Plus Information

No one wants to experience an emergency but everyone should be prepared for one by creating an emergency response plan. Making sure you have the proper supplies and information needed to survive a serious event means routinely updating your supplies as well as your field guides.

While food and medical supplies seem to be rotated regularly, emergency guides tend to fall out of date a bit more often. Take a bit of time to check your field guide and make sure you have the latest version. The subjects addressed in the guide also make a profound difference, so take a look at the following notes and make sure you have a guide that addresses all aspects of an emergency.

A section of your guide should address home walk-throughs and checklists. Obvious things like turning off gas to the house as well as not so apparent details like filling the tub with water are important to keep in mind.

Critical first aid is a crucial part of your guide and should be reviewed regularly. Your emergency response plan will address what to do to stay safe and secure your location, but medical care for the injured is without a doubt the most important aspect of handling the immediate time after an event.

Something that is not often thought of is decontamination and exposure control procedures. Part of a disaster is the possible loss of security or containment of hazardous materials. Knowing how to decontaminate if exposed is important, as is limiting the chances of exposure to dangerous materials to begin with.

Disasters are usually classified as natural or terrorist based. Your emergency response plan should take both into account. Homeland Security as well as other agencies has developed natural disaster response information as well as citizen terrorism response details. Make sure your field guide includes both.

There are also a wide range of national resources to assist you after a disaster. Contact information for federal agencies should be a part of your guide, and updating your copy regularly will keep the information current. Try and get a guide that fits in your pocket and has easy to read tabs specifying the sections.

Keeping a current plan for emergencies can make a big difference in unexpected disasters. Make sure your food and supplies are fresh and keep your field guides current and you’ll be prepared.