Creating a Family Emergency Plan
June 26, 2022 Boston Schneider
Having a plan in place is one of the only ways to ensure you and your family are all on the same page, because when disaster knocks at your door, rational thoughts become the first casualty. Here are some tips you can implement so you can create an effective family emergency plan, that ensures you and your family never end up in harms way.
Gather Information to Prepare for What May Be Ahead
There are so many types of disaster scenarios that can take place, that’s why it’s important to know what the most likely situation in your area will be. Does it flood in your area consistently? Is there a threat of a dangerous foreign power where you live? These are the types of questions you can ask yourself as well as your family so you have talked through all the likely scenarios and can be ready for whatever is to come. Knowing specifically what may be ahead, will only help you prepare better.
Know the Warning Signs You Should Look For
Being involved in your local community’s emergency response team can give you a better idea of what to look for to ensure your family’s safety. If you and your loved ones know what emergency stations to listen to and know what signs in the environment you can be aware, it will prepare you that much better for what’s next.
Get Your Family on the Same Page
Sit down with your family to ensure everyone is on the same page when it comes to being prepared. Does everyone know where to meet when disaster strikes? Do you know what to do when your kids are at school, your wife is at work, and you are out of town? These are all scenarios that need to be talked through so you all know the proper course of action to take. These actions will vary depending on the situation you are in, so be sure to talk through as many as you can think of so you can walk through your emergency best practices.
Establish a Family Communication Plan
So now that you all know the secure location you will meet at.. What’s happens when that location has been compromised? That’s exactly why a family communication plan is established beforehand, so you can all be on the same page. You should be able to contact your loved ones in more ways than one. Cellphones, instant messaging apps, and radio communication should all be used to keep a line-of-communication between all members of your family. Radios provide a type of communication that is less utilized than cellphones, but more effective in this kind of scenario. Cellphones will struggle when the cell tower grid is down, or it may be a case where using a cell tower to communicate could be dangerous. This is where radio communication shines. Radio communication is reliable, and can also transmit long distances through digital comms. If you need a great prepping radio, equipping the entire family with the AnyTone 878UVII Plus is a great way to be sure that more than one form of communication is possible. With GPS, APRS RX/TX, and well as a long-lasting 3100mAh battery, your families communication needs will be covered.
Ensure Everyone is Equipped with an Emergency Essentials Kit
Every member of your family should have a survival kit packed and ready to go at all times. This kit may vary slightly depending on the member of your family, but, it should include all the things you need to survive days at a time, and should only include survival specific essentials. This kit can contain everything from water, to tools, to medicine. If you need some help constructing this kit, you can find exactly what you need to get started right here.
Equip Your Family Members With Basic Survival Skills
Your family should have a good idea of some basic survival skills they can utilize if needed. Hopefully, worse does not come to worst, but if it does, your loved ones should be able to use some basic techniques to keep them afloat. Knowing how to start a fire, how to build a basic shelter, and how to use radio communication should all be ingrained in your mind beforehand, so you never panic about the basics. Many think they are be self-sufficient, but lack the training and understanding of survival techniques that need to be utilized in order to actually be effective in a survival situation. Skills listening to NOAA weather and emergency stations, knowing what types of vegetation to eat, as well as avoid, and first aid skills are all good things to know, and things you will wish you knew if you are unexpectedly caught in this type of dangerous scenario.
Plan, Prepare, and Practice
One of the points of emphasis in this blog post is to make sure you PREPARE. Preparation starting with yourself, and then trickling down to your entire family is the key when creating your emergency plan. A lot of what your plan consists of will depend on your preparation beforehand. Be sure to talk through every scenario so you all know what to do no matter where you are, no matter what you’re doing.
Practicing your emergency can also help you know what could go wrong, and will also let you know what you can improve on. Repeating your emergency plan routine multiple times will help you perfect it, and will also help you define what roles each member of your family should take in making your plan efficient and effective. After all, when lives could be on the line, a minute or two could make all the difference.
Create your Emergency Plan through planning, preparation, and plenty of practice, and you and your family will never go through a disaster without knowing exactly how to make it through.
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