One of the most unpredictable and frightening aspects of life is the fact that disasters can strike. These disasters can be accidental, such as a fire, or natural, like an earthquake or tornado. Although it\’s unpleasant to contemplate, having a clear and precise plan of action should be a priority. Those who find themselves unprepared during a time like this will typically end up overwhelmed, afraid, and unsure of what to do. It\’s best to think carefully on this topic and develop a plan during a time of normalcy. Think about things like evacuation routes, specific precautionary steps, and what supplies and tools will be relevant to a wide variety of situation.
Those who are ready to discuss a plan of action with their coworkers and family should look to set up a few guidelines. An early step should be appointing a designated meeting place for people to meet up. Make sure that everyone is aware of all the exits and evacuation points in the building. Remember that different plans will be better for specific scenarios. A fire, for instance, has the potential to cut off certain escape routes, so make sure that everyone understands the alternate exits.
Smoke alarms are a very important safety precaution that must not be ignored. Make sure that they are good quality alarms that are functional. Be sure to check the battery power often.
Another helpful alarm system to factor into your emergency evacuation supplies and plans is a carbon monoxide alarm. This silent and scentless gas can be very harmful, and even cause death. An alarm system in your home or office would alert you to the presence of an unhealthy level of carbon monoxide. Other essential emergency evacuation supplies include fire extinguishers, fire escape ladders and fire blankets. Think of it this way, if a fire is literally knocking at your bedroom door, wouldn\’t having a fire escape ladder to put outside your window give you a lot of peace of mind? Every home and office should contain multiple fire extinguishers to aid in putting out fires as they start and preventing them from turning into large scale emergencies.
To summarize this topic, it is absolutely vital that every home and office building have an emergency evacuation plan and survival supplies on hand. This means implementing and constantly checking the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms at regular intervals. It should also include multiple escape route plans, fire extinguishers and blankets, and an ideal meeting place. Be sure to take a look at this plan of action every now and then, revising and editing it as needed.
It is always important to have an Emergency Plan to prepare you for events out of your control. Prepare for an event such as a search and rescue with a specific inventory of supplies.