There’s a wise adage often spoken about planning. Fail to plan, plan to fail. That’s important to keep in mind when considering the need for an emergency plan for your home or business. So once you’ve decided that an emergency plan is a good idea, the work ahead need not be intimidating. Start by considering these six points:
- Think about emergencies that are possible for your area. Do you live near the coast line, near a large city, in a heavily forested area, or an area prone to earthquakes? Your threat potential for an emergency and therefore your planning will differ.
- Consider your living or working environment. City dwellers, suburbanites and people in rural areas require plans that take different variables into consideration. City dwellers should have a pedestrian route of escape. Suburbanites need a route that considers traffic congestion. And rural dwellers require a route that considers possible road closures and multiple routes to safety.
- What if your family or loved ones and friends get separated? Or co-workers work in a confined area or are scattered? Your planning should consider the possibilities and how best to gather safely.
- Should you hunker down or evacuate? The type of emergencies you face require different emergency plans. For a fire, evacuation plans are typically required. For a severe storm, plans that allow for safe-in-place situations are preferred.
- Are there children, elderly or disabled folks, pets and livestock? Planning should take into consideration each family member, their need for medicine and their ability to deal with an emergency situation.
- Consider communication needs. If separated, how will you let loved ones and friends know your situation?
Establishing your plan and then practicing what to do in various emergency situations may sound like a lot of work, but using the many available templates that are well thought through and available free on the Internet makes the work faster and easier. Plus, following the advice of emergency preparedness experts in this field is just plain smart. Paul Davis companies stand ready to assist wherever and whenever there is a need. For all your property damage services and restoration needs, this phone number - 1-800-661-5975 - can be added to your emergency numbers to call.
Here are our emergency plan source recommendations:
Public Safety Canada: http://bit.ly/2qdaOzW
Canadian Red Cross: http://bit.ly/2p8Y38k
The Family Handyman: http://bit.ly/2pEwxRk
NFPA (National Fire Prevention Association): http://bit.ly/2qkMJna