Why Preparedness?

Preparedness Definition: the state of being ready or willing to do something.

Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary

Any negative event can happen at any time, including:

• Fire• Flood• Automobile Accident• Hazardous spill• Severe weather• Seismic event• Pandemic• Plane crash• Train derailment• And many others

Reasons to be Prepared• So you can be ready for an unexpected event or catastrophe in order to

reduce loss of life and property.

• So you and your family can survive an emergency.

• So you can help others during an emergency.

• So you can be self-reliant and not cause an unnecessary drain on available disaster resources.

• To increase your confidence that you can take care of yourself and others during an emergency.

Personal & Family PreparednessThe first 72 hours

What can you do to be prepared?Plan – Procure – Practice

Personal & Family PreparednessThe first 72 hours

• Step 1 – Plan– Look at the area you live

• What are the hazards – natural and/or man-made – in your neighbourhood?

– Assess the potential risks• What are the risks to you and your family?• Do the risks pose a threat to you and your family?

– Create a plan based on those risks• Prepare a plan based on a minimum of 72 hours before local

emergency workers can arrive• If at home, determine an emergency route and a place to meet• If not at home, determine a safe house(s) and a contact plan

for each location• Prepare a contact list of out-of-area family/friends

Personal & Family PreparednessThe first 72 hours

• Step 2 – Procure (Get a Kit)– Basic emergency kits

• Buy or assemble an emergency kit for the home• For example:

– Canned food– Two (2) litres of water per person for three days– Manual can opener– Matches– Out-of Area contact information

• Buy or assemble an emergency kit for the family vehicle(s)• For example:

– Food (energy bars)– Blanket– Flashlight– Road maps– Out-of-Area contact information

• For more information visit GetPrepared.ca at: www.getprepared.gc.ca/knw/kt/kt-eng.aspx

Personal & Family PreparednessThe first 72 hours

• Step 3 – Practice– Check the emergency kits

• Every six (6) months check the contents of the emergency kits• Replace any item deemed to be faulty (e.g., batteries)

– Revisit the plan• Review the family emergency plan• Review, confirm and update all out-of-area contact information

– Rehearse the plan• Test the plan on an annual basis• Discuss the results of the test• Make changes as necessary

Work Place Preparedness

Are you prepared for disasters and emergencies at work?

Awareness• Are you aware of the hazards that are present on

your worksite?

Awareness• Its important to make yourself aware of the hazards, emergency plans,

and other procedures in place on your site.

• Emergencies often create unsafe conditions. These conditions can be magnified by hazards that are present on your site.

Awareness

• Some hazards include:

• Chemicals

• Elevated work places

• Limited entry/exit points

• Pressurized containers

Awareness

• Most work site have Emergency Plans in place that include building evacuations, fire plans, earthquake plans and power outages.

Awareness

• Make yourself aware of the location of fire fighting equipment and the procedures your company has in place for fighting fire.

Personal Protective Equipment

• Some work site require personal protective equipment

• Do you know what personal protective equipment is required on your job site?

Personal Protective Equipment

Hard Hats

Safety Glasses

Safety Goggles

Escape Respirator

Safety Toe Footwear

High Visibility Vests

Alarms

Some job sites have multiple alarms including: • Fire Alarms• Gas Alarms• Area Evacuations• Site Evacuations• Confined Space Evacuation Alarms

Alarms

• If you are unsure of what the alarms are on your work site be sure to ask your site contact person.

• Do you know what to do in the event of an alarm?

Muster Points

• Certain alarms require employees to evacuate buildings and proceed to muster points.

• Do you know where your muster points are?

Escape Routes

• In an emergency it is important to know all of the escape routes.

Escape Routes

• Some large work sites may have designated escape routes because of hazards that are present on their site.

Escape Routes

• Make yourself aware of the building exits and escape routes if you are unsure ask your supervisor or site contact person to point them out for you.

Emergency Contacts

• Make yourself aware of emergency contact numbers.

Emergency Contacts

• Some worksites have on site fire departments, first aid, and emergency responders that handle all emergencies.

Work Place Preparedness:Conclusion

• Its important to make yourself aware of your worksite’s hazards, emergency plans, and procedures.

• Remember disaster can strike anywhere so be prepared!

Emergency Neighborhood Preparedness

What is Neighborhood Emergency Preparedness?

• When disasters, earthquakes or floods occur neighbors naturally come together to help.

• Designing a plan before an event occurs ensures neighbors can respond safely and effectively during a disaster.

Why Have a Plan?• You can not prevent an

earthquake or flood from happening, but being prepared with a plan before a disaster strikes helps you and your neighbors to cope effectively during the event and ensures a quicker recovery.

• Your neighborhoods level of preparedness will reflect how effectively the next emergency or disaster is managed.

What does a plan include?• Your plan should include the

following:• The size of the neighborhood it’s

demographics and special concerns.

• Identified hazards and their potential impacts to the neighborhood.

• Suggestions for neighborhood residents to become personally prepared and learn what to expect and how to cope.

What does a plan include?• Neighborhood Response Teams

that can specialize in different area of the response plan.

• Identified Neighborhood resources.

• Training and exercise plans to practice your Neighborhood Response Plan.

• Networking plans with adjacent neighbors and other community resources. This will inform them of your plans and provide your team with additional resources.

How do you set up a plan?• The first step in setting up an

Emergency Preparedness Plan is to get together with your neighbors.

• Many neighborhoods have established groups such as Block Watch, you may be able to present this information at their next meeting.

• If not establish a meeting place and send out notices inviting neighbors to attend.

How do you organize your Emergency Preparedness Team?

• Meet with your neighbors and enlist them to join the team.

• Define as a group the area your team will cover. This will be determined by the number of people involved and your ability to respond.

• Decide what response teams are required to effectively respond to a disaster or emergency. i.e.: damage assessment, food and shelter, first aide, communication etc.

• Ask for volunteers to head each group and develop a task force to implement your plan.

• Establish regular meeting times to continue your work.

Research your Neighborhood• Find out your local resources. This

can include human skills as well as physical material.

• Make a list of these resources to include in your plan.

• Knowing who lives in your neighborhood, who needs assistance, where to go, what materials are available and who skills you can rely on will ensure the safety of your neighbors and ensure you have the best qualified and equipped individuals assigned to the tasks in the event of an emergency.

Identify Your Neighborhoods Hazards

• Each neighborhood has different hazards that require customized response plans.

• For communities in British Columbia the greatest threat may come from earthquakes or tsunamis for other communities it may be floods, fires or chemical spills.

• Customize your plan. Knowing what the threats are to your neighborhood allows you to anticipate what may happen and be better prepared.

Networking• Establishing links with other

groups to coordinate their efforts is an import aspect of a Neighborhood Emergency Response Plan.

• Ensuring that your Emergency Program integrates with other community emergency plans such as those of the municipal and school district is essential to your success.

What’s Next?• Once your Neighborhood

Response Plan is complete keep the momentum going.

• Establish regular ongoing meetings.

• Engage the neighborhood by planning practice exercises and distributing information.

• Ensure everyone knows about the Neighborhood Emergency Plan. Local websites, Welcome Wagon, and Neighborhood houses or Community Centers are all good Resources.

Community Preparedness

What is your community doing to prepare for disasters?

Community Preparedness: Helping community members during emergencies and disasters

Communities are responsible for emergency preparedness.

Local governments work very hard to ensure that emergency plans, emergency organization and emergency services are prepared to assist communities when faced with an emergency or disaster.

Communities have comprehensive emergency plans that address:

• Community hazard and risk analysis

• Community preparation for emergencies and disasters

• Community response and recovery plans

Community Preparedness: What does an emergency plan deal with?

1. Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment:

Your community works with a team of experts to understand the natural and man made risks to your community. By understanding the risks, the community can plan to mitigate, respond and recover from the risks.

2. Mitigation of disaster or emergency:Your community develops building plans, land use

plans, infrastructure plans and emergency service plans to reduce or limit the effects of disasters and emergencies in your community.

3. Preparation for disaster or emergencyYour community has an emergency manager and an

emergency management committee that meets regularly to ensure that your community is as best prepared as possible for emergency or disaster.

Community Preparedness: What does an emergency plan deal with?

4. Response to disaster or emergencyYour community has a detailed plan to assist citizens

in case of an emergency or disaster that is larger than a first response call. Your community will contact regional or provincial help if necessary. Community involvement in a disaster or emergency is not immediate; it often takes several hours or days!

5. Recovery from disaster or emergencyYour community has a plan and has the ability to

work with regional and provincial partners to assist the community to get back to normal after a disaster or emergency.

Community Preparedness: Where do I go if I need help during a disaster?

Your community will have an Emergency Reception Center (ERC) to go to if you need assistance of any kind. ERC’s are staffed with trained Emergency Social Service volunteers that can assist you with:

• Food and shelter

• Crisis counselling

• Communicating with family members

• Medical Aid

• Recovery information

Community Preparedness: Who organizes the disaster or emergency response in the community?

Your community will have an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) that will be the heart of the disaster or emergency response and recovery for the community. EOC’s are staffed with trained individuals knowledgeable in disaster and emergency response. The EOC will coordinate the entire response whether it is just community based or the disaster or emergency calls for groups and agencies from outside of your community.