Creating an emergency plan for your home
Introduction
Emergencies can happen at any time, in any place, and to any person. Although homes are supposed to be safe havens for families, any number of hazards could threaten the safety of the people living inside. Such hazards could be natural (i.e. thunderstorms), technological (i.e. fire), or human-caused (i.e. burglary).Creating a basic plan for all types of hazards that could affect your home can save your life. This lens will use the basic principles of emergency management to help you create an emergency plan for your home.
Understanding the phases of emergency management
The field of emergency management identifies four phases: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. These phases each refer to activities that are performed at different points of time to address emergencies before, during, and after they occur.Mitigation activities aim to reduce the impact of emergencies. Preparedness activities aim to increase response capabilities before an incident. Response activities aim to save lives and properties as the emergency occurs. Recovery activities aim to return a community to normal conditions after an emergency.A strong emergency plan for your home should address your family actions for each phase listed above. In the same way that government entities and businesses can plan for each phase, families can also create their own plan and use it to approach hazards in a broad manner.
Risk assessment for the home
Before you can reduce the impact of hazards in your home, you have to determine what hazards threaten it. Make a list of potential hazards that could affect your home. Make sure this list is comprehensive. Use local resources to assist you in making your list as complete as possible.Hazards that should be mandatory in every household emergency plan include, but are not limited to, the following: fires, thunderstorms, flooding, medical emergencies, criminal activity (i.e. burglary), extreme temperature changes, carbon monoxide posioning, motor vehicle accidents, and power outages.Your plan should include sections on what the family should do to evacuate from the home, shelter-in-place for long periods of time, and lockdown access to the home. It should also determine what priority you will give to planning for the hazards identified. The priority you give to various hazards should be based upon how likely it is the hazard will affect the home and how severe the effects would be if the hazard strikes.
Mitigation activities and risk reduction
As explained above, mitigation activities reduce the impact of hazards or eliminate them altogether. Below are some potential hazards and mitigation efforts that may reduce the impact of those hazards in your home.For example, mitigation activities for fire hazards might include the following: having your chimney and fireplaces inspected and cleaned, covering the chimney with a mesh screen spark arrester, and installing smoke alarms on every level of your home. [1]
Activities focused on reducing or eliminating the risk of criminal activity are increasingly being referred to as prevention activities (instead of mitigation). Examples of prevention activities that reduce the risk becoming a crime victim include: installing alarm systems, locking doors and windows when gone, and installing deadbolt locks. [2]
Emergencies can happen at any time, in any place, and to any person. Although homes are supposed to be safe havens for families, any number of hazards could threaten the safety of the people living inside. Such hazards could be natural (i.e. thunderstorms), technological (i.e. fire), or human-caused (i.e. burglary).Creating a basic plan for all types of hazards that could affect your home can save your life. This lens will use the basic principles of emergency management to help you create an emergency plan for your home.
Understanding the phases of emergency management
The field of emergency management identifies four phases: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. These phases each refer to activities that are performed at different points of time to address emergencies before, during, and after they occur.Mitigation activities aim to reduce the impact of emergencies. Preparedness activities aim to increase response capabilities before an incident. Response activities aim to save lives and properties as the emergency occurs. Recovery activities aim to return a community to normal conditions after an emergency.A strong emergency plan for your home should address your family actions for each phase listed above. In the same way that government entities and businesses can plan for each phase, families can also create their own plan and use it to approach hazards in a broad manner.
Risk assessment for the home
Before you can reduce the impact of hazards in your home, you have to determine what hazards threaten it. Make a list of potential hazards that could affect your home. Make sure this list is comprehensive. Use local resources to assist you in making your list as complete as possible.Hazards that should be mandatory in every household emergency plan include, but are not limited to, the following: fires, thunderstorms, flooding, medical emergencies, criminal activity (i.e. burglary), extreme temperature changes, carbon monoxide posioning, motor vehicle accidents, and power outages.Your plan should include sections on what the family should do to evacuate from the home, shelter-in-place for long periods of time, and lockdown access to the home. It should also determine what priority you will give to planning for the hazards identified. The priority you give to various hazards should be based upon how likely it is the hazard will affect the home and how severe the effects would be if the hazard strikes.
Mitigation activities and risk reduction
As explained above, mitigation activities reduce the impact of hazards or eliminate them altogether. Below are some potential hazards and mitigation efforts that may reduce the impact of those hazards in your home.For example, mitigation activities for fire hazards might include the following: having your chimney and fireplaces inspected and cleaned, covering the chimney with a mesh screen spark arrester, and installing smoke alarms on every level of your home. [1]
Activities focused on reducing or eliminating the risk of criminal activity are increasingly being referred to as prevention activities (instead of mitigation). Examples of prevention activities that reduce the risk becoming a crime victim include: installing alarm systems, locking doors and windows when gone, and installing deadbolt locks. [2]
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