Preparing You and Your Family for an Emergency

by Tom Matthews,
Dunstable Volunteer Fire Fighters Association

Would you know what to do if there was a fire in your house? What about a natural disaster?  Does the rest of your family know?  Knowing the right things to do is the key to getting everyone out safely and alerting emergency officials in a timely manner.

Families should, at least once a year, sit down and discuss emergency situations and emergency evacuation plans from the house.  What should you do if the smoke detector goes off in the middle of the night?  Do you reset it and go back to bed or do you get everyone out of the house, call 911, and wait for the fire dept to come and investigate it for you?  I hope you chose the second one.  When discussing hearing the fire alarm, you should discuss what to do and what not to do.  Like, before opening a door, feel to see if the door is hot.  If it is hot, do not open it and go out another escape route.  Should there be a fire, stay low to the ground and get out as fast as you can using predetermined evacuation routes.  You should determine and practice using two different escape routes from each room.  

At least once a year do a walk through of your home and check:

• that there are no frayed cords
• no overloaded electrical sockets
• no carpets over cords
• smoke alarm batteries are in place and new
• that there are no towels too close to stoves or heaters
• assure that gas or propane is stored outside in a shed or in an unattached garage, but not next to fertilizers
• fire places should  have mesh screens over them and no combustibles too close  
• lighters and matches are out of reach of children

Should there be a fire, you want to get out of the house fast and have a predetermined central meeting point outside, a safe distance from the house, for everyone to go to.  Call 911 either from a cell phone or go to a neighbor's house and call.  You want to stay there and DO NOT go back into the house.  Wait for emergency personnel to arrive and inform them of what happened and if anyone is missing.  Also inform them if there are any animals in the building.  It is very important that you tell kids that they must never hide from a fire or try and gather up there toys, they must get out fast.

In preparing for other emergencies you should get a large storage bin and place the following items in it:

• Am/Fm radio with extra batteries
• Flashlights with extra batteries
• Candles
• Matches
• One gallon of water per person for a minimum of three days
• Three day supply of non perishable foods
• Can opener
• Duck tape
• Sanitation/ hygiene supplies
• First aid kit
• Whistle
• Blankets
• Small amount of cash
• Copies of identification and credit cards

This is just a small list of items to place in this emergency storage bin. You should decide what is best for your family's needs.  This bin should be stored in a cool, dry, accessible area so that you can get at it in the event of a disaster.

Should there ever be a natural disaster, if you have stayed in your home, after the disaster is over check to make sure everyone is ok and if they need medical attention.  Next, check to see if there is any damage.  When you do check, use a flash light -- not a candle -- and do not turn on any light switches, just in case a gas line is leaking. If you do find a damaged utility, turn it off.  If all is ok, then check on your neighbors.

If you would like more information in disaster preparation, check out http://www.fema.gov.