Emergency Supplies Blog

In the circumstance of a of fire, the first and the foremost step to be taken by the occupants are to immediately evacuate the place. Every building should follow an evacuation plan that includes both primary and a secondary evacuation passage. Sometimes the life of the occupants is at stake and it completely depends on the rescue team on how to implement the entire operation while fire engulfs an area or building. But in the case of the initial absence of a rescue team, you need to be abreast with the basics of evacuating an entire building, establish a designated area to meet outside the building and maintain the primary safety procedures. Be sure the safe spot selected is familiar with everyone and is far away from the affected zone.

Moreover, your evacuation plan should incorporate a warning call announcing the initiation or completion of evacuation procedure. Following a proper evacuation plan and/or search and rescue plan and having a reliable fire extinguisher, some smoke marks, a couple fire blankets, flashlights, communication devices, trauma kits, an a few search and rescue items to back you up. These rescue emergency supplies do not cost a lot but can certainly save a priceless life.

Evacuation Tips: Immediately leave the building after the call or alarm is sounded. Do not take risk of an immediate investigation if you are not trained enough. While leaving close all doors preventing the smoke, flames or choking odor to spread out. Never run, but walk swiftly to the closest exit out of the building. Do not re-enter into the fire-affected area before it is subdued. Assemble at the designated area. Never use the elevator in a hurry to exit the building as that may prove even more disastrous. Once the all residents leave the place the entire responsibility turns over to the first responders.

Nevertheless, proper training on the part of your team is highly commendable. The training should include fire safety basics along with a detailed knowledge on the types of fire extinguishers and their proper use. The training should also include the discretionary use of extinguishers with a controlled fire. The building owners and managers should go through the emergency evacuation and safety measures making sure that a safe escape has been provided to all. It depends on individual discretion on how efficiently we meet a challenging situation. It is also true that only a smart thought out process cannot help every time unless there is adequate safety equipment available to you.
 

Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) are in charge of educating people about disaster preparedness for hazards that occur all of a sudden. They educate people about how to survive when disaster strikes. Basic skills like light search and rescue, fire safety, disaster medical operations and team organization are taught to the people. The instructions are formally given in classroom training schedules. Having acquired the necessary skills, the CERT members become efficient enough to offer a helping hand during any crisis or disaster, irrespective of its place or magnitude. Their important service helps when professional rescue takes time to reach.

In 1985, the Los Angeles City Fire Department (LAFD) had developed and implemented the CERT concept. It was in the year 1987 when a major earthquake hit the Whittier Narrows area in Los Angeles County, California, that the need for training civilians to meet their immediate needs was felt. As a result of which, the LAFD created a disaster preparedness bench with the intention of training citizens along with private and government employees. CERT plays a responsible role in preparing citizens against any kind of disaster. It also helps them in understanding how efficiently they can help their friends and family even in the absence of emergency supplies.

In case of emergency crises, professional CERT training and emergency CERT products can come in real handy. CERT products such a emergency response kit combined with the CERT Field Manual can help save lives when professional medical assistance or emergency help are not at hand. In order to have a global reach, CERT offers a number of allied non-technical products too, and these may include the famed CERT Logo Baseball Hat or the Bull Horn 10 Watt, each of which are as good as the core CERT products.

Community Emergency Response Teams need a large number of emergency products including a 3 day - 72 hour emergency kit.   CERT emergency supplies include first aid kits, first aid cabinets, medical emergency kits and supplies, and trauma kits and supplies. It is not that you can only buy CERT products if you belong to a local response team. You can have the products for your personal safety too and may be able to help your neighbor in times of crisis.

You can buy the CERT supplies and first aid kits by either visiting a store or from online retailers. Getting the CERT colors and logo’s on your teams gear is important and helps the public know your on a CERT team. CERT logo and colors can be found on products like survival kit backpacks, bull horns, C.E.R.T. embroidered patches, C.E.R.T. field manuals, C.E.R.T. form books, polo shirts, action response units, hard hats, emergency ponchos, EVAC (Emergency Volunteer Air Corps) roll stretchers, etc.  Its always best to have your emergency kits and emergency supplies ready to go and/or to help others that you may need help in a crisis situations.
 

People may be suprised to know that the most common disaster in the USA are house fires, as of today. 

This is one of the reasons why a fire escape plan, a fire extinguisher, a smoke and carbon dixoide detector, an emergency evacuation plan, and secure fire document storage on and/or off site is important for every home.   

With respect to weather related disasters, floods and flash floods are the number one disaster related killer of people, as of today, in the USA. 

Both natural and man-made disasters result in emotional and physical injury. Most of the survivors of natural disasters, war, and terror attacks suffer from acute trauma and emotional turbulence. They may have come out unscathed from a hurricane, earthquake or a bomb blast, but the traumatic experience often paralyses them and deters them from recuperating completely. Physical and emotional trauma, if not handled immediately with first aid kit and emergency supplies, can go horribly out-of-hand and wreak havoc in the life of the victim. This is why a trauma kit with a complete set of emergency preparedness supplies should be made available for employees in a workplace as well as in public domains.

Most of these trauma kit should be attached on walls or should be strung up in plain sight so that in case of emergency people do not have to exert themselves to reach, find,  or access the the first aid kit. Acquiring a trauma kit has become all the more simple as they can be purchased online. Whether you need a trauma kit as a personal safeguard, or need a large one that is part of medical first aid kits for 10-200 strong workforce, availing one today is as easy as buying a hat from a street vendor.

Building a trauma kit needs much more caution and homework than packing a simple medical emergency kit. You need to survey the kind of situations you may experience trauma from as well as the environs around. You may need a foldable stretcher or quick splint and bandage wraps or ointment for a spider bite – all of which, if untreated or unattended to, can cause the injuries to turn into more severe ones. A trauma kit may contain everything – from a simple burn ointment to complete rolls of bandages and foldable stretcher units

Trauma kits have helped hundreds save themselves – right from the scene of the London Subway bombings to Hurricane Katrina victims. And as far as buying such trauma kits or emergency supplies are concerned, right from small personal kits to deluxe emergency bulk-heads for a 1,000 strong crowd is easily available online. The importance of trauma kits are one of the most important first aid supplies to have in emergency situations, this cannot be stressed enough. Injuries may heal, but without trauma treatment with the help of medical first aid kits complete recuperation may take a long time!

A little pre-planning doesn’t make you a dooms-day-ist.  Being prepared could alleviate a whole lot of stress and agravation.  It could even save your life and/or a family members.  If you find you never have to use your emergency supplies its even better yet.  Its kind of like the seat belts in your car.  You put them on just in case, as putting them on after an accident is too late. 

The basic survival kit should be designed to get you through a 72 hour or 3 day period.  This is what the Red Cross and most others suggest.  I believe if you give people the information and knowledge you can put together a nice kit that is unique for each member of your family.

Every time there is a disaster, people are unprepared and they cannot believe what is happening to them.  They then have to wait for State and/or Federal government help or charitable organizations to bring them emergency supplies. 

Condider your own unique situation and take the time to get informed, get a plan, and gather your emergency supplies in advance.

Its smart to find ways to protect your data before an emergency.  Its a good idea to have a copy of your important emergency contact information in your emergency kit. 

Also, your important pictures , financial information, etc… should be secured as well and be portable and/or secured in a second location.  

Below are a few of the most common ways to back up and store your data.

Use a USB flash drive to store your important data.

Put your important dats and pictures on a CD/DVD

Buy an external hard drive and put your data on there.

Use an online backup service.

Update your hand written lists, forms, etc…

If you asked your employer if they are prepared for a natural disaster, emergencies, fires, chemical releases, building lock downs, etc… the common answer would be, well, no, not really.  My experience from being a hazmat trainer would be that you find between 5% to 10 % of offices, schools, etc… are prepared.  My suggestion is to ask your employer, office manager, superintendent, union representative, etc… if they are prepared for emergency and disasters.  It really is their job while you are at work to have all of the emergency gear that will be needed in an emergency or disaster.

Emergency sanitation and hygiene kits may not appear to be important to a lot of people. In a time of crisis, there are more important things to worry about, like where you are going to get your supply of clean food and water or shelter. So spending time to think about where you are going to find things to clean yourself with or where to properly dispose your wastes seem too trivial. But if you are one of the people who think this way, you can never be more wrong. During emergencies, your survival does not only depend on food and water, but also in keeping yourself clean and sanitary. Remember that many people get sick and even die in evacuation camps that do not have proper waste disposal systems. Keeping yourself clean and making sure that your wastes, such as stool and urine, are properly disposed of can prevent the spread of diseases and infections.

Aside from keeping an emergency hygiene and sanitation kit inside your home in preparation for hurricanes, earthquakes or other unwanted incidents, you also need to keep such kit inside your car, van or RV. This is particularly important if you are planning to take your family on a road or nature trip. If you are traveling with your kids, you also need to be prepared for any eventuality. You know that children cannot properly hold their urge to vomit or use the bathroom so you need to be ready or else you have to get used to having funny smell inside your car throughout the duration of the trip.

Now that you know the importance of emergency hygiene and sanitation equipment, the next step is to determine what your kit should contain. First, you ought to make sure that you all have the necessary tools to keep you and your family clean. A personal hygiene kit that contains toilet paper, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, soap and other cleansing products is necessary for every member of your family. Next, you also need to pay attention to your sanitation needs; you can bring an emergency toilet (especially if you are going camping), self-heating washcloths or hot water on demand, and toilet bags.

Although you can make your own emergency hygiene and sanitation kit, you really do not have to. There are a lot of kits available in the market. We can help see our “Hygiene and Sanitation” category on our web site and click on these kits on our home page. Surely, you will find one that would fit your needs and that of your family.

Bird flue emergency kits should also be a part of the home survival kits of every household in the US and the rest of the world. Although you are probably more likely to experience disasters due to hurricanes, earthquakes and flooding, it does not mean that you should not prepare for whatever might endanger your health. The threat of bird flue becoming a global pandemic is still very much likely, especially now that traveling to different parts of the world can be very easy and fast. Just recently, a representative of the United Nations warned that the threat of bird flue is real and a pandemic might have a bigger impact on the country and the world than the present financial crisis. In the 14th century, the black plague claimed millions of lives all around the globe. This can still happen if the virus responsible for avian flue mutates into something that can enable man-to-man transmission.

The bird flue emergency kits you should keep must contain a particulate respirator because this is your first line of defense against contracting the disease. But studies have shown that not all masks or respirators can be effective in filtering the avian flue virus; thus, you need to make sure that your kit has at least an N95 particulate mask, which can filter at least 95% of airborne particulates. Other important components of an avian flue kit are antiseptic hand sanitizer, to stop the spread of microorganisms, and anti-microbial wipes, which are vital in keeping everything more sanitary and hygienic.

You also need to consider adding to your bird flue emergency kits items like safety goggles, in case there is defogging in your community; hooded coveralls, to cover your entire body; plastic sheeting, which can prevent contaminants from entering your room or home; and nitrile gloves, which helps prevent the spread of diseases. But aside from making sure that you have bird flue emergency kits for every member of your family, you also have to remember that a healthy and strong immune system is necessary to make you more resistant to the avian flue virus.

If you do not know what items to include in your emergency kit, you can use our free information and  you can click on these flu kits on our home. Always remember that even if the threat of a bird flue epidemic in the country is low, you need to prepare your body physically and emotionally for such a possibility.

Terrorism preparedness and kits were not viewed as important in the years before the 9/11 terrorist attack in New York. But right after the incident, people realized that bombings and chemical attacks from terrorists are a real threat not only in the US, but in other countries as well.

Now, you can never be too sure that you will be spared from a terrorist attack even if you live in the countryside. So, the best thing to do is to be prepared for anything, and that means having emergency kits.

All emergency kits, including terrorism preparedness and kits, should contain clean water and food that can last for at least three days and up to three or six months. Even if you get trapped inside your home, you and your family can at least survive for a considerable length of time while rescue is on its way. Aside from food and water, your terrorism emergency kits also need to protect you from the aftereffects of biological, chemical and even, nuclear attacks. You should not take any chances when it comes to your safety and that of your family.

So, what other items must be included in terrorism preparedness and kits? First, you need a gas mask and the accompanying filter cartridge. Make sure that your gas mask fits your face properly. It would even be better if you have a water canteen that can also be used with your gas mask, preferably the same as the ones used in the military. Next, you need to include protective suit, which can guard you from residues and other harmful traces of biological and nuclear attacks. To make sure that your hands and feet are also protected, you can look for boots and gloves that are thick and have silver shield to assure that harmful radiation can not permeate into your skin. If you have young kids, make sure that you have terrorism emergency kits prepared for them as well.

During emergencies like terrorist attacks, communication is very important. Thus, your terrorism preparedness and kits should also include a flashlight, preferably one that does not require batteries, and a crank transistor radio to allow you to know what is happening in the outside world. And apart from the terrorism emergency kits you have for everyone in your family, you should know what to do when the emergency comes. So, as early as now, it might be a good idea to read about survival techniques during terrorism emergencies in books or even in articles available on the Internet and get a basic emergency kit to start.