This document provides information about personal, family, workplace, neighborhood, and community preparedness for emergencies or disasters. It emphasizes the importance of planning, procuring emergency supplies, and practicing plans. The key steps outlined are to assess risks, create a plan to be self-sufficient for 72 hours, assemble emergency kits for home and vehicles, and practice and update plans annually. Neighborhood and community preparedness involves organizing response teams, identifying resources, and networking with other groups. Workplace preparedness includes being aware of hazards, emergency plans, alarms, muster points, and emergency contacts. The overall message is to inquire about relevant plans and take responsibility to be prepared.

1. Personal & Family PreparednessThe first 72 hours What can you do to be prepared? Plan – Procure – Practice

2. 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

3. 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.

5. Personal & Family PreparednessThe first 72 hours Step 1 – Plan 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

6. Personal & Family PreparednessThe first 72 hours Step 2 – Procure (Get a Kit: home) Basic home 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

7. Personal & Family PreparednessThe first 72 hours Basic home emergency kits: Each household has different food, medical, comfort and safety needs and your emergency kit needs to be built by you to meet the specific needs of your house hold. Below are linked examples of emergency kits: http://www.getprepared.gc.ca/_fl/pub/shp-lst-eng.pdf http://www.redcross.ca/article.asp?id=003714&tid=079 http://www.getprepared.gc.ca/knw/kt/bas-eng.aspx http://www.pep.bc.ca/hazard_preparedness/Personal_Safety.html

8. Personal & Family PreparednessThe first 72 hours Step 2 – Procure (Get a Kit: family vehicle) Basic vehicle emergency kits 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 about car emergency kits clink on the link below: http://www.getprepared.gc.ca/knw/kt/auto-eng.aspx

9. 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

10. Emergency Neighbourhood Preparedness

11. What is Neighbourhood Emergency Preparedness? When disasters, earthquakes or floods occur neighbors naturally come together to help. Designing a plan before an event occurs ensures neighbours can respond safely and effectively during a disaster.

12. 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 neighbours to cope effectively during the event and ensures a quicker recovery. Your neighbourhood’s level of preparedness will reflect how effectively the next emergency or disaster is managed.

13. What does a plan include? Your plan should include the following: The size of the neighbourhood, its 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.

14. 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.

15. How do you set up a plan? The first step in setting up an Emergency Preparedness Plan is to get together with your neighbours. Many neighbourhoods 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 neighbours to attend.

16. How do you organize your Emergency Preparedness Team? Meet with your neighbours 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 aid, 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.

17. Research your Neighbourhood 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 neighbourhood, 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.

18. Identify Your Neighbourhood’s Hazards Each neighbourhood 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 neighbourhood allows you to anticipate what may happen and be better prepared.

19. Networking Establishing links with other groups to coordinate their efforts is an import aspect of a Neighbourhood 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.

20. 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 Neighbourhood Emergency Plan. Local websites, Welcome Wagon, and Neighbourhood houses or Community Centers are all good Resources.

21. Community Preparedness What is your community doing to prepare for disasters?

23. 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 a disaster or an 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.

24. Community Preparedness What does an emergency plan deal with? 3. Preparation for disaster or emergency Your 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.

25. Community Preparedness: What does an emergency plan deal with? 4. Response to disaster or emergency Your 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 emergency Your 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.

26. 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

27. Community PreparednessWho 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.

28. Work Place Preparedness Are you prepared for disasters and emergencies at work?

29. Awareness Are you aware of the hazards that are present on your worksite? 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.

30. Awareness Most work site have Emergency Plans in place that include building evacuations, fire plans, earthquake plans and power outages. Make yourself aware of the location of fire fighting equipment and the procedures your company has in place for fighting fire.

31. Alarms Some job sites have multiple alarms Including: Fire Alarms Gas Alarms Area Evacuations Site Evacuations Confined Space Evacuation 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?

32. Muster Points Certain alarms require employees to evacuate buildings and proceed to muster points. Do you know where your muster points are?

33. Escape Routes In an emergency it is important to know all of the escape routes. Some large work sites may have designated escape routes because of hazards that are present on their site. 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.

34. Emergency Contacts Make yourself aware of emergency contact numbers. Some worksites have on site fire departments, first aid, and emergency responders that handle all emergencies.

35. Why Preparedness?Conclusion Being prepared is the most important element of increasing your chance of staying safe and comfortable during an emergency or disaster. Enquire about your workplace, neighbourhood and community emergency management plans. Ask the questions you need to be as safe as possible in a disaster or emergency. It is YOUR responsibility to be able to care for yourself and your family for a minimum of 3-5 days in the event of a disaster or emergency. BE PREPARED!

36. Find out more about emergency preparedness 1. http://www.getprepared.gc.ca/index-eng.aspx Great general link by Public Safety Canada with videos, pamphlets and examples about emergency preparedness. 2. http://www.getprepared.gc.ca/_fl/pub/ep-gd-prprtn-eng.pdf Link to a very comprehensive family preparedness guide. 3. http://www.getprepared.gc.ca/sm/index-eng.aspx Link to emergency management video resources, children’s resources and emergency kit building resources . 4. http://www.pep.bc.ca/index.html Great link that provides information about the various hazards found in British Columbia and ideas for preparedness.