Fire Department

Creating A Family Emergency Plan Part 3

Last month, I described the first part of your emergency preparedness binder, which is your “GO” plan to leave home for three days. The second page of your Family Emergency Plan is your “STAY” page. List the reasons why you would stay in your home, but be flexible. Don’t lock yourself into something and feel like you can’t make a change if needed. Make a list of tasks you would do if you had to shelter-in-place. You can divide your “STAY” page into “the first hour,” “the first day,” and “the second day.” This way, you can prioritize the tasks that need to be done immediately, things that can wait a few hours, or until the next day. Some things you might do in the first hour would be to determine the extent of the crisis, secure your home, gather family members and check on your neighbors. After that, contact out-of-town family members and make plans for the next few days. Lists abound on the internet, so find one that works best for your family and tailor it to your needs. Lastly, having a library of printed information in the back of your emergency preparedness binder is very helpful. In our electronic age, it’s very easy to think, “If I need that article, I’ll look it up later.” If the power is out, or the internet is down, all you have is what you’ve printed and saved. Be sure to involve your entire family in your plans. We’ve enjoyed a pretty mild summer so far, and I am looking forward to the fall. Be safe out there!

–Ward Symes

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