Safety Plan

It is important for all families to have a home safety plan in place and to train themselves, other household members, including children and understand what to do in case of an emergency, such as a house fire, carbon monoxide poisoning, or gas leak.  To get professional assistance with home and disaster planning, you can contact the websites listed at the bottom of this page.

Keep your critical family documents including insurance policies, passports, wills, deeds, social security cards and birth, marriage and death certificates in a safe deposit box at the bank and keep at least one copy of all documents in a single location at your home.  Develop a written safety and disaster plan and place a copy in your safety deposit box Every person in your household should also have a copy of it. Here are additional steps your family should take to stay safe:

1. Train your family members about your safety and disaster plans every year.

2 .Conduct training for fire and carbon monoxide emergency evacuations every year.

3 .Store an emergency supply of food and water and update annually.

4. Test your carbon monoxide alarm and smoke alarm weekly and change the battery when daylight savings time ends in the fall every year.

5. Have a meeting place outside the home where everyone can get to after a home evacuation. A neighbor’s house is easy for all to remember.

6. Prepare or buy a first-aid kit. (it should contain sterile water, bandages and gauze pads, Band-Aids, soaps, gloves, pain relief medicine, upset stomach medicine, Imodium, tincture of iodine, iodine tablets, bleach and Polysporin, alcohol wipes and other disinfectants).

7. Prepare and store a disaster kit. Make sure you include a battery powered radio and at least two flashlights with at least one set of extra batteries, at least two compasses of professional quality, and a map of your area.

Other useful items include blankets, raincoats and warm clothes, and well as tools such as pliers, screwdrivers, an adjustable wrench, a Swiss Army knife, a can opener, a waterproof box with matches and a lighter inside, duct tape and a coat hanger.

These three websites contain valuable information to help you create your own family safety plan and be ready for any emergencies:

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) A great resource to find more information about family disaster planning.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the American Red Cross have suggestions for what to include in an emergency disaster kit.