Editor's note: This is part one of a two-part series on emergency preparedness. Part two will run in the April 18 edition.In an emergency like a fire, flood, earthquake, windstorm or a medical emergency, the number one thing not to do is panic.
Colin Spence, emergency preparedness volunteer with Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) told about 25 people attending an emergency preparedness workshop at Roberts Creek Hall on April 1, "Panic is contagious -so is staying calm."
Spence's presentation focused on some of the major types of emergencies people can face and how they can prepare for them. He said during an emergency and in its immediate aftermath, the people who are going to be the most readily available and accessible are our neighbours. Spence said it's a good idea for as many people in a household to have emergency first aid training or some form of first aid knowledge. The other thing each family needs to have, said Spence, are emergency supplies to last their family and their pets for at least a week.
A good first step, he said, in identifying what people will need to survive a week without access to help is to do an inventory of what they already have and another one of what they will need. Things like water, food, heat and light are necessities that are more obvious. However, he said, there is a lot more needed to survive up to a week without access to the larger community. He said each family's needs are different and determined by the number of people in a home, their ages, state of health and whether they have pets. People need to figure out such things as whether they have enough baby food, formula, diapers and feminine hygiene products in the home. Do family members using medication have enough to see them through if replacing them isn't a quick option. Is there enough pet food and water set aside? Alternative heating, cooking and lighting sources are also very important, said Spence. If a family's home is secure and safe, but it's the middle of winter and they have no way to stay warm, they can't stay in the home for very long.
If people have a fireplace or wood stove, they will probably be in good shape because then they have both a heat and cooking source. If not, people need to think about what else they can use, such as camping stoves and barbecues. For lighting, he said candles are good to have. "Don't get the long tapered candles, because they are a fire hazard," he said, adding it's better to have larger, flat-bottom candles in a metal or other non-flammable container. After talking about the different ways people need to think of how to prepare themselves for an emergency, Spence re-focused his information on the different types of emergencies people and communities are most likely to face. He divided these into two categories, home emergencies and natural disasters.
Spence said the three most common types of home emergencies are house fires and gas leaks.
In a house fire scenario, Spence said, "Get out, get all your family members out and call 911."
Once everyone is safely out of the home, he said, "Then and only then, if you are confident and think you can put the fire out, great, go back and put it out. But always get out first and call 911." With gas leaks, Spence said, again, evacuate the home and remember, "Don't switch things off as you go out, like switching off the lights." He said turning light switches off and on can cause a spark in the switch, and if there is a build up of gas from a leak, there is always the danger that spark can ignite. He said to evacuate and call 911 and the gas company right away. While it only takes a quick turn to cut off the gas, it needs a specialized technician to turn it back on. The third most common home emergency is a medical emergency and this is where emergency first aid training is valuable. "First aid isn't brain surgery," said Spence. In it's simplest form, it's about "plugging the leaks [stopping blood flow], don't move them and don't hurt them any more than they are if you have to move them, call 911 and wait for emergency responders," he said.
In situations where the medical emergency results from a natural disaster and getting outside help is difficult or non-existent, that's when first aid training, as well as a stocked first aid kit and getting help from neighbours comes into play, he said. He said the most important things to have in an emergency first aid kit are a mouth guard for mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, big six by eight inch drainage dressings (you can always cut a big dressing down) and tensor bandages. "You use the tensor bandage on top of a drainage dressing and now you have a pressure dressing," said Spence. He said it's also a good idea to have sterile water for flushing out eyes and wounds.
For more information, contact the Sunshine Coast Emergency program and pick up an emergency preparedness workbook by calling 604-885-6887. You can also get information from the Provincial Emergency program website at www.pep.bc.ca.
