Fire Department

Creating A Family Emergency Plan Part 2

This month we will continue with the theme of being able to leave home quickly in an emergency. A good list of items for your 72-hour kit can be found at www.ready.gov. Besides your 72-hour kit, you may also want some bedding, a laptop computer, some cash money, and your important documents. Include medications, some toys for the kids ,and your favorite comfort snacks. Take note now of how far each vehicle can go on a full tank of gas. (Try to keep your fuel tank above half in case you don’t have time to top off before leaving town.) Having a list of possible places to go written in your emergency plan will be reassuring. Start with a list of friends or relatives that can accommodate your family for a few days, and the distance from your home. Staying in a hotel or with relatives will be much easier than an unplanned camping trip. Once you have left your house and are on the highway, then start calling the people on the list and determine your destination. If time is of the essence, your main focus should be getting out of the neighborhood and onto the highway. If you have made the decision to leave, there is a good possibility that many other people will also be doing the same thing, and traffic will be heavy. Be patient and be flexible. Having a written plan in your hands will get you going in the right direction and help you make better, faster decisions. This summer, we’ve experienced record high temperatures, floods in Zion and wildfires across the West. Stay hydrated and be careful out there. Fall, and cooler weather, will be here soon!

–Ward Symes

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