Category: Resources

Prevent a disaster!

Some serious driver training represented in this photo!

You may not know that I drive a 1985 Porsche 944. I’m the original owner; the car is a “daily driver” and and I’ve had such fun with it, on race tracks, autocross courses, and hill climbs. The first week I had it, though, I almost killed myself. Fortunately, I didn’t, and after 28 years of excitement I can truly say it has been repeated drivers’ training that has kept me safe.

This message is for “above average drivers like me.”

You may be like 80% of all drivers, who think they are “above average.” (There have been many studies, both in the U.S. and in Europe, that have resulted in similar findings. Check out Wikipedia: “Illusory Superiority.”) All that confidence disappears, however, when you find yourself hydroplaning in the rain, or sliding sideways downhill on an icy shoulder.

And what about your “above average” children? Are they truly prepared for emergency driving? Would you trust them to drive in severe weather conditions? Do they know what to do when they’re suddenly in a skid?

Of course, we avoid driving when conditions are dangerous.

Sure, that makes sense. But in a real emergency, you may be required to drive – and that’s when training will be invaluable.

But when it’s necessary . . . ?

Nearly every Drivers’ School has a special course as a refresher for teens or for experienced drivers who want to sharpen their driving skills. It may take you a while to find the right one in your local area. Start by going online to your favorite browser and typing in combinations of the following words, followed by the name of your city:

• Bad weather or wet weather driving course
• Hazardous weather driving training
• Slick road survival
• Skid school
• Emergency driving course

First, you’ll just find advice.  But what you’re looking for is the opportunity to get actual experience – a class that gives you extended time behind the wheel on a skid pad or directly on wet pavement, ice or snow. Taking such a course is intense, exciting, and FUN! I’ve done ‘em all, with the exception of snow; most recently, I took a course right here in Southern California that featured emergency stops plus throwing the car into a 360 degree spin. I loved every minute!

Just like any other emergency preparedness skill, once you have practiced, you have a much better chance of reacting rightly instead of wrongly when necessary.

Consider giving an emergency driving skills course as a gift — to yourself and other family drivers. You’ll never regret it!

We often get discouraged trying to get people to take preparedness seriously. “It’ll never happen to me,” they say with a smirk. “Too much trouble; I don’t have time!” say others, shaking their heads. “Don’t know how to start,” they complain.

I was glad to hear of some young people who DO have the time and energy to Get Prepared! Here are five youth programs going on right around us!  Do you know about them?

FEMA for Kids

In Middlesex county, New Jersey, FEMA is implementing FEMA for Kids. While it’s designed to come into a community after a disaster, it is directed to children, using them as conduits to their parents with tips and advice on disaster preparedness for the future.

BSA Merit Badge in Emergency Preparedness

Boy Scouts of America

The merit badge in Disaster Preparedness (required for Eagle Scout) helps a Scout learn what is “helpful and needed before, during and after an emergency.” Over 50,000 scouts earn this badge every year. Official materials say that Scouts are “are often called upon to help because they know first aid and they know about the discipline and planning needed to react to an emergency situation.”

Girl Scouts of the USA

In 2009, then Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Girls Scouts of the USA unveiled a Girl Scout preparedness patch, aimed at advancing community preparedness nationwide. Napolitano is a former Girl Scout who says she knows what it means to “Be Prepared!”

Camp Fire USA

Prepare Today – Lead Tomorrow is a teen program developed by Camp Fire USA. Its goals are to engage teens in intensive community preparedness learning experiences, and create opportunities for them to participate in community preparedness efforts.

FEMA Corps

In 2012, the White House announced FEMA Corps, part of the AmeriCorps program. Some 1,600 people ages 18-24 will join teams to learn skills and get community experience in the field of emergency management.

We all know what an impact kids can have on families and communities. It is thanks in large part to kids that parents stop smoking, start using seat belts, recycle … the list goes on. Find out what your kids are learning at school or elsewhere about Emergency Preparedness. Enjoy their enthusiasm as you conduct your own preparedness efforts. Figure out ways to include the local Boy Scout or Girls Scout troop as a resource in your CERT expo, you neighborhood block party, or your family garage sale.

They will probably be able to teach you something valuable!

Without being paranoid about it, you need to be aware when danger is heading your way. Some things, of course, can’t be anticipated. But tornados, storms, floods, ice – these you can be ready for! Here’s how to find out what’s coming:

Local weather channel on T.V.

Watching the local weather news is the easy option, of course. But most of us don’t have the “luxury” of having a T.V. available whenever we want.

Regional weather map on Weather.com

Severe Weather Alerts on your tablet or computer

Head to www.weather.com , find your regional map and read about what’s coming. You can bookmark this page so you can find it readily. Typing in your zip code will give you even more local detail.

iAlert

This is a message service managed by your local law enforcement or emergency management service that alerts you by text message, automated phone call or email whenever there is an emergency.  (weather related, traffic emergency or crime related) You can find out if your city has the service and sign up for alerts here: http://ialert.com

Mobile Phone Hurricane App

The American Red Cross offers an app that will help you monitor conditions in your own area or where family members live, find help, and let others know you’re safe with one click of a button. It can warn you with a siren sound, and even turns your phone into a flashlight with strobe if you’re trapped. From your mobile phone, call “**REDCROSS” (**73327677) and you’ll be sent a link for downloading to your phone.

Other severe weather apps

A few minutes online and you will discover many other apps. Some of them might be sponsored by an organization right in your town, like the local news channel. Others may be offered by insurance companies or other organizations.

As you surf, you’ll see that some apps work only on specific phones. Some are free, others may cost a couple of dollars.

Action Item: If you carry a smart phone, invest a few minutes in checking out “severe weather apps” either online or right on your phone through the iTunes Store. Try a couple of the apps that make sense for your locality and your circumstances. (Get your kids to help if you haven’t downloaded an app yet.)

This is one emergency preparation action that is easy and fun!

Guidebook to home defense

We’ve said this before and no doubt we’ll repeat it more than once in the future. But the recent school shooting in Newtown has given new life to the continuing controversy about firearms – especially assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, etc. – for self-protection. If you’ve watched any of the “Doomsday Preppers” TV shows on the NatGeo Channel, you may have been shocked by the extent that some people go to for their imagined need for survival in a major catastrophe. Their arsenals look more like preparation for war.

Here are three things to think about if you are truly worried about having to protect yourself and your property in the event of a major disaster event. The first two are, in our opinion, negative approaches to life.  The third is in keeping with our philosophy of taking positive action.

Assault weapons are a terrible choice.

First, as any combat veteran will tell you, few people have the natural ability to calmly shoot people with a handgun, much less a rapid-firing assault weapon. Such weapons require training and discipline if you ONLY plan to hit a specific target while the adrenalin is flowing fast and heavy. The chances of hitting innocent people or things around and beyond the target are usually very high. There’s a reason mass murders use these weapons . . . they kill and destroy indiscriminately.

Shotguns aren’t a whole lot better.

Second, the best firearm in a self-defense circumstance is usually a shotgun. It has a limited range but a “spread” in the shot pattern that makes it more likely to hit the intended target on the first shot. You don’t have to be a marksman or highly-trained soldier to be effective with it. The bottom line, however, is if you find yourself having to use it, it’s still likely to take someone’s life. And, regardless of the situation, even if there is no legal consequence, that’s something you will have to live with.

Trusted Friends — Absolutely Your Best Protection.

Third, and most important of all in our opinion, your best protection in an emergency will be good neighbors – people you know and can trust immediately, instead of mistrust. We have seen over and over again the natural tendency of people to help one another following a catastrophic event. And, the more your neighbors are trained and prepared to survive themselves, the better equipped they will be to help you and vice versa. Unlike the first two means of self-protection, you can count on having enough friends if you have allowed for them.  And unlike the first two means of self-protection, this is one that saves lives instead of taking them.

Programs like the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training are excellent examples of the best way to prepare yourself and to work along the side your neighbors as an effective team. CERT neighborhoods will not only have a better chance of surviving, but will emerge as a true community with pride in having known what to do in advance . . . and possibly having saved lives and property because of their training.

It ain’t easy!

Our local CERT group is having another recruiting drive. It’s an ongoing effort, of course, since people come and go in the neighborhood.

This month we are having a real “recruiting meeting.” Here are some ideas that seem to work to get people there and give them a valuable experience.

Timing – Plan around a disaster.

Frankly, a newsworthy disaster can improve attendance at your meeting. Here in California we say, “Just give me a 3.7 earthquake and we’ll find some more CERT members.”

Even when you have to plan in advance, you will be able to find some recent disasters to feature as part of your recruiting material. (The United States Geological Survey maintains http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/. As I write this, it lists 198 earthquakes as having happened over the past seven days!)

Invite an “expert” speaker.

Yes, having trained and knowledgeable neighbors is appealing. But sometimes a recognized “expert” can be a better draw. We have had good success inviting the local Police Chief, Fire Chief, and particularly people who have actually participated in disaster recovery (in New Orleans, Fukushima, Christchurch) to be the featured speaker for the evening.

Maps, photos, radios — all good recruiting tools.

Give attendees something to do.

Emergency response is all about – response! It’s about being ready to take action, and not hesitating. We find that our meetings are more interesting and more successful if we have an activity that all people in the room can take part in, whether or not they are familiar with CERT. For example:

• Survey the crowd for their ideas of the threats the neighborhood is facing. Record those threats on an easel in the front of the room.
• Pass out maps of the neighborhood (or use an overhead projection). Have people identify where they live and work in relation to high-threat areas like a chemical plant, a railroad track, flood zone, or a high-pressure gas line.
• Have extra emergency radios available for people to hold and try out. Your team members can share with visitors. Go through a drill to replace the batteries, change channels, etc. It will result in pandemonium if not well managed, but people always enjoy it!
• Provide people with resources to take home: a sticker with emergency numbers, an abbreviated emergency supplies list, notice of an upcoming training.
• A raffle is fun if you can organize it.
• And, of course, refreshments are always appreciated. Set them up on a side table and give people a chance to mingle.

Invite people at least twice.

People need to be exposed to your marketing message more than once. (You’ve heard the classic “seven times before people buy” story.) We find that an invitation flyer (sent via email or actually printed and delivered to the doorstep) followed by a shorter reminder just the day before works pretty well. Best is if a neighbor actually says, “Let’s go together. I’ll pick you up.”

What’s the Call to Action?

At the end of the meeting, attendees need to be directed to “take the next step.” There is no fixed rule about what that next step should be; that will depend on your individual group. But a call to action is essential. Without it, you have just wasted your recruiting opportunity!

Joe and I have developed, and continue to develop, tools to make all these recruiting tasks easier and more efficient.  Best way to get them is to subscribe to our Advisories.

Virginia Nicols

Emergency Plan Guide

Timing is everything. Where will you be when the disaster hits?

You can almost assume that when an emergency hits, your family will not be together. Depending on the circumstances, you may not be able to get back together for some time. And whether you get together at home is yet another question.

• Students and teachers may be held in school, perhaps in a locked-down situation.
• Employees may be required to stand by to help protect co-workers as well as the business itself.
• City employees and First Responders are likely to be called into action and kept away from home for hours or days at a time.
• Any family member could be away from the home on travel, shopping, or vacation.

Immediately following the disaster, your concern will be to find out where everyone is, their condition, and the condition of your home. This is natural and normal . . . and without a plan, this difficult period may be far longer and more painful than necessary.

A Plan Speeds Communication

Your plan could contain a number of important steps.

1. Sign up to receive emergency communications from your local police department via email or phone. This could give you an important head start.
2. Set up an Out-of-Town Contact , someone who:
   • Lives out of the immediate area. If local phones are out, getting through to someone via a long-distance connection may be easier.
   • Owns a smart phone that can receive a text or SMS message. (SMS = Short Message Service). Of course, any phone is better than no phone.
   • Is able to keep track of calls that come in and share info with others. Not all family members are able to do this.
3. Create Emergency Contact Cards for every member of the family.

Everyone needs a wallet card that can be carried for identification and that will have the Out-of-Town Contact’s number.

Below is a sample Emergency Contact Card.  Include a similar card in backpacks, briefcases and purses.

Sample Front of Card

 Special for Families with Children

Being separated from parents during an emergency will be an emergency itself for many children. If you have small children, your family plan needs to be more extensive than simply an Out-of-Town Contact name and number.

We recommend that you:

1. Review the list of “approved people” that is on file at your child’s school. Should it be expanded?
2. Confirm with neighbors or relatives that they are on the “approved list” and be sure they agree to be there.
3. Go over the list with your children so they know what to expect in an emergency.

Update your information

Like all contact information, your emergency contact information needs to be regularly updated. Reaching an old, disconnected number may be more upsetting than not having one at all!

NOTE:  This Advisory is only an overview. You can find more on what happens to phones in an emergency, which ones are best to have, where to look for missing family members in a wide-spread U.S. disaster, and a suggested agenda for a family meeting about emergency communications on our website.  Click here to jump to the three-page Family Communications Plan.

Developing your Business Continuity Plan In-House

If you are the person who has been placed in charge of developing a Business Continuation or Disaster Recovery Plan from in-house, take a deep breath — and then relax.  You won’t be responsible for finding all the things that need to go into your Plan — your co-workers will be providing most of it!

Step One:  Identify a core group of co-workers.

Your first task will be to identify a core group of co-workers – people who are interested in planning, know something about responding to disasters, etc. The members of your core group could come from anywhere within the organization, and may not be from the ranks of management. For example, your team might have someone with medical training, someone with military experience, or someone who is a retired First Responder.  You can work with HR to identify some of these people, or maybe send out a brief email questionnaire, or simply talk it up in the coffee room.  The key is to get people who are interested in the topic, not people who are “assigned” it!

Step Two: Provide your core group with training.

Training may be available locally, in person, as classes offered by the Red Cross or CERT training offered by your City. Training is also available online. Check out the American Red Cross’s Ready Rating program for business, and Citizen Corps Online CERT training. These programs also offer suggestions for procedures and sample forms you may find useful. Dig deeper and review from FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) the National Incident Management System and Incident Command System, so your core group will be comfortable communicating with other professional organizations.

People who are genuinely interested will value this training, particularly if the company provides them some time to get it, and recognizes their progress.

Step Three: Now, involve the rest of your co-workers.

With your core group in place, now you can involve others. After all, if you want your co-workers to understand the risks faced by the business, they need to be involved in identifying them.

And if you want to find the best ways to prevent emergencies from turning into disasters, again, just ask your co-workers! They will know more than any outsider about the equipment and materials they use, the state of the building, the potential for fires or floods, and the challenges associated with an evacuation.

The missing piece in most Plans.

We have seen a lot of plans and nearly all of them are missing one key component that dooms them to failure! It is a consideration for the peace of mind of employees regarding their own families. Until that is assured, you cannot count on employees paying attention to their responsibilities at the business! Be sure to include a family communications plan and invest in whatever it takes to make it functional.

Step Four:  Develop the content of the plan.

1. Lay out a schedule for “building the plan,” starting with a series of brainstorming sessions. (Remember the definition of brainstorming: coming up with as many ideas as possible, without any attempt to judge them!)

2. Hold these brainstorming sessions and their logical follow-up sessions. Here are some of the topics you would want to cover. Each could be covered at a different meeting. Some input might even be assessed via email or questionnaires.

a. Identify threats to the business

 b. Rate threats based on likelihood of risks

 c. Rate threats based on impact on the business (hours, days, weeks or longer to recover?)

 d. What can we do to avoid these threats altogether?

 e. What can we do to mitigate/lessen the impact of these threats?

f. What response procedures work best for our business?

 g. Special procedure: How will we manage communications with families of employees?

 3. Document the threats, the avoidance or mitigation measures, and the response procedures that have been suggested.

4. Set out a list of recommendations that result from the brainstorming session.

5. Draft the first version of the Plan.

Step Five: Now, ask for input from outside experts.

Having put together the guts of your Plan, you can be confident that it is meaningful for your co-workers and for your business.  Still, it is important that the Plan pass whatever “official standards” it may be held to.

The next installment of this series will discuss who should be invited to take a look at your Plan before you consider it finished.

Here’s the link to Installment 3 – Validation

If you’re in a hurry to get all this information in one convenient package, check out our free, 6-page Report: Simple Business Continuation Plan. 

Who’s in charge?

The person put in charge of coming up with a business Disaster Recovery or Continuity Plan is often not an expert in the field. In fact, most often in a small business the job is simply “assigned” to someone in the company – someone in IT, or human relations, or facilities management. But “Business Continuation” means a whole lot more than simply saving data, or meeting OSHA requirements. It means keeping the whole organization functioning so you will all be employed six months or a year from now!

Unfortunately, statistics on going out of business as the result of a disaster are not reliable – but it appears that even in the best of cases, your business’ chance of survival after a disaster without a plan are only about 60%. (“Business Continuity Statistics: Where Myth Meets Facts” documents often-quoted reports.)

Typical first step: Hire an expert — but with what result?

Comprehensive Business Continuity Plan — How useful?

The logical first step for the newly-assigned person is to hire a consultant, who IS a specialist. That individual or group submits its proposal, wins the contract, and then gets down to the research necessary to draft “The Plan.” Some weeks or even months later, “The Plan” is submitted.  It may be approved and accepted.

In our experience, this method handicaps the consultant, who faces a dual challenge.  He or she doesn’t know all the subleties of your business operations.  And he or she may be forced to bid on putting a plan together that covers a number of bases without having access to all the factors that will impact the veracity of the plan.  As a result, the needs analysis task is underestimated and the final plan misses some of the subtle but important factors that make the plan meaningful and credible.

If you go the route of seeking bids from consultants, you can help avoid this pitfall by doing some of the homework in advance.  That way when (and if) you bring an expert planner into the organization they start with enough facts to bid realistically on pulling the plan together and are more likely to produce a real working plan that will save both lives and property.

Nevertheless, the result of these challenges is that most outside-developed plans we have seen (and we have seen many of them) are:

√ Very thick and intimidating (to justify the fee?)

√ Complex (to cover all the bases or the rear of the consultant)

√ Filled with jargon and therefore unreadable by the very people the plan is meant to protect!

Result: Plan goes onto the shelf.

Isn’t there a better process? Of course, and particularly for small businesses. Our recommendation is as follows.

Alternative method: Create the plan in-house.

Creating the Plan in-house requires more time and more dedication from the person in charge than simply hiring an outside expert to put it together for you.  And it requires that employees at all levels be involved.

Over the years, we have found some good ways to encourage participation from within the organization — ideas which we’ll be sharing in the next Advisory, and also in a more complete form on our website.

If you’re in a hurry to learn more about the In-House Planning Method, here are links to the next two installments in this series:

• Installment Two – Development
• Installment Three – Validation

And if you know you need to get started right now, find out more about our free 6-page report: How to Build A Simple Business Continuation Plan.

Getting press coverage has a dual purpose.

Of course, it’s always gratifying to find yourself in the news – as long as the story is a positive one, of course. But when it comes to pulling together a neighborhood team, there’s a lot more to getting an article than simply a “feel-good” moment.

Article about fire rescue

Your main objective is to inspire others to form their own neighborhood CERT program. Why is this so important? Simple. The more people in your community are prepared and organized for survival, the less pressure on your community’s First Responders and the less danger to you personally.

Remember the fire?

I wrote about the fire that happened here in our own neighborhood several months ago. The older woman living in the home was pulled to safety by the mail carrier, but the house burned to the ground. It was dramatic and scary for all concerned. We got a photo in the news that time, too . . .

Four months later, more news

Last week I was invited to attend a special breakfast held at the local post office. It was to recognize the mail carrier’s quick action in saving our neighbor’s life. Once again, an article appeared in the newspaper. Definitely a “feel good” article that was a change from the negative news that seems to proliferate.

But there was a lot more to the event. Before the presentation, I had the occasion to talk to the local fire authority, in the person of the Division Chief. Here are some highlights of that conversation:

• I talked to him about the fast action of his people, but more importantly, he and I had the chance to confirm a number of fire safety issues that apply specifically to the people who live in older homes.
• The Chief reiterated that the 5-minute response time to the fire was in part possible because of the actions of our local Emergency Response Team. (We have just under 100 Members.) Not only did several of them call 911, but team members jumped into action at the site of the fire, pushing curious by-standers away from the home and clearing the streets so the fire engines could access the fire without delay. The real key is that, because of our training, everyone knew what to do without dithering around! One team member’s nearby home became not only a refuge for the lady whose home burned, but also a headquarters of sorts for the incident.
• The Chief had heard about our Emergency Response Team before, but was very interested when I mentioned that we were holding a training meeting in February to discuss the high-pressure gas line that runs near our community. In fact, he immediately invited himself to attend.

What’s the value of all this to our organizing efforts?

First, our entire team and their work have been validated! They were mentioned in the Chief’s remarks to a large gathering of community leaders, and briefly mentioned in the newspaper article. (We have heard from readers across the state who saw the article!)

Second, having the Chief attend our upcoming meeting will reinforce the sense of cooperation and coordination with authorities that we work so hard to build. Not only will the fire department be represented, but our invited “experts” are from the local police department and the city’s emergency preparedness division. We will all become more knowledgeable about the risks posed by this particular pipeline.

Our future requests for resources – whether for guest speakers, or exhibits, or for invitations to local or county-wide Red Cross and/or FEMA trainings – are much more likely to be welcomed by these official First Responder organizations.

Finally, are we serving as a role model for other neighborhoods?  YES!  That is the real bottom line.

Our local neighborhood is adding a distinct layer of safety and security to our wider community. It is gratifying and encouraging that this effort be acknowledged and appreciated.

Virginia
Your Emergency Plan Guide Team

P.S. What press coverage has your group received? Any suggestions for the rest of us?

High pressure lines are closely monitored by a number of agencies.  Your local utility or city will be the most familiar with the state of high pressure lines in your area, and with the monitoring guidelines and records.

Gas fire erupting through LA street after Northridge earthquake. (photo by M. Rymer)

No matter how carefully lines are monitored, however, leaks and breaks can happen.  Most often, they happen when construction equipment accidentally punctures a line.  They can result from a natural event like a storm, earthquake, tornado, or ice storm.  Sometimes an over-loaded, aged infrastructure is to blame.

Leaks could happen at any time.

How do your local gas lines stack up?

An online search using the National Pipeline Mapping system is a good place to start. Dig deep on that site to find the names of the various operators of the different lines in your area. Contact them to get more details about the age and condition of their lines, their monitoring and safety policies and plans, etc.

If you think you have an emergency…

If you see or hear any of these near a pipeline right-of-way, it could signal a leak:

• A hissing, roaring sound
• Dirt or dust blowing
• Water bubbling or spraying
• Dead or brown vegetation
• Flames coming from the ground
• “Rotten egg” smell

(Typically the “rotten egg” smell is added only to smaller distribution lines. It won’t appear in major transmission lines.)

What’s the right response to a potential gas leak?

Get out! But do it intelligently.

• Turn off any machinery or motors.
• Don’t turn on or use any electrical equipment that could create a spark. This includes turning lights on or off, making a cell phone call, closing a garage door, or using a battery-operated radio!
• Do not allow any open flames, including matches, cigarette lighters, welding equipment, etc.
• Evacuate the immediate area. If exiting a building, leave the doors open.
• Keep bystanders away.
• Do not try to find the source of the leak.
• Do not operate any valves or other shut-offs.
• Do not attempt any repairs.
• Do not attempt to put out any fires.
• From a safe distance, call 911.

Emergency Preparedness Training

Action Items: Train your Emergency Response Team to recognize this hazard and to respond accordingly. Invite an expert as guest speaker to one of your neighborhood meetings. Prepare a flyer (taken from this Advisory?) and include it in your “Welcome Wagon” handouts for new neighbors.

We consider gas line leaks and the potential for fire resulting from them as the number one threat to our neighborhood! Where do they fit in your list of top threats?