Emergency Plan and Important Document Binders, for 72 hour Kits
22 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
in Where do I start? Tags: 72 hours, 72 hr kit, document, documents, emergency plan, evacuate, family plan, plan, preparedness
Do you have a plan set up if in case of an emergency? First step fill in the following Emergency Plan, and then get a binder, and copy all your important documents.
ie.: government id’s (drivers license, passports, birth certificates, sin, Alberta health care), Dr’s #, credit cards front and back so they have the phone # for you to call, insurance policies, wills, investments, bank accounts, etc, emergency contact numbers. Any specifies that you would want to have, if you didn’t have access to. Keep in a safe spot in your home or perhaps a copy with a trusted family member.
Emergency Plan
- Don’t forget that your family may not be together when a disaster occurs. Practice how to meet or contact one another and discuss what you would do in different situations.
- Keep this plan in an easy-to-find, easy-to-remember place (for example, with your emergency kit). You may also want to make duplicate copies to keep in your car and/or at work.
- You should update your plan yearly. Your next review date __________________________________, 2011.
1. Escape routes
During an emergency, these escape routes will help you get out of your home quickly and join your family or roommates at your designated meeting place. If you are asked to evacuate your neighbourhood, use the route you’ve identified below or follow the directions of emergency officials.
Emergency exits from home
Escape route from neighbourhood
Meeting place
2. Children
Ask your children’s school or daycare about their emergency policies. Find out how they will communicate with families during an emergency. Also find out what type of authorization they require to release your children to a designated person, if you can’t pick them up yourself. Make sure your children’s school or daycare has updated contact information for parents, caregivers and designated people.
Contact person 1
Contact person 2
3. Special health needs
Keeping an updated list of your medical information is an important part of being prepared for emergencies. You may also want to talk to your doctor about preparing a grab-and-go bag with a two-week supply of medications and medical supplies, if possible. Include prescriptions and medical documents. Remember that pharmacies may be closed for some time, even after an emergency is over.
Health information
Medications and medical equipment
Grab-and-go bag location
4. Pets
The most important thing you can do to protect your pets is to take them with you if you need to evacuate. Since pets are not allowed in some public shelters or hotels, it’s important to identify in advance where your pet will stay.
Pet location
Safety tip: Your pets should be wearing up-to-date identification and vaccination tags at all times. On their tag, include the phone number of a friend or relative outside your immediate area. If your pet is lost, you’ll want to provide a number that will be answered even if you’re out of your home.
5. Regional risks and what to do if they occur
Tornadoes -in the house: Stay away from windows, go to:
If at work – go in to the inner building, away from windows.
If in a car- either drive to a shelter, it it’s close, get out of the car, and lie in the closes ditch possible, protect our heads.
Floods- Immediate flooding, turn off electricity. If the area around the fuse box or circuit breaker is wet, stand on a dry board and shut off the power with a dry wooden stick. Try to move food storage upstairs and any thing of importance upstairs. Remove toilet bowls and plug basement sewer drains and toilet connections with a wooden stopper. During a flood, keep radio (from 72 kit) on to find out what areas are affected, as well as what roads are safe, where to go and what to do if the local emergency team asks you to leave your home.
6. Emergency contacts
Having all your important contact information in one place can be very helpful during an emergency. Make a photocopy of this list and leave a copy close to your telephone. If possible, program these numbers into your home phone and cell phone.
Safety tip
Plan for each family member to call or e-mail the same out-of-town contact person in the event of an emergency. Teach children how to make this call, as well as how and when to dial 9-1-1
Local emergency numbers
Fire: 911
Police: 911
Ambulance: 911
Other:
Non-emergency numbers
Police: 266-1234
Fire:
Health clinic:
Other contact numbers: Children’s Hospital 403- 229-7211
Out-of-town contact
Home
Work
Cell
Family contacts
Home
Work
Cell
Home
School
Friend/Neighbour
Home
Work
Cell
Family doctors
For:
For:
For:
For:
Dentist:
Eye Doctor:
7. Home instructions
Everyone in your home should know where to find the fire extinguisher and the emergency kit. Older children and adults should know how to turn off your home’s water, electricity and gas.
Safety tip -Make large, easy-to-see signs for water and gas shut-offs as well as for the breaker panel or fuse box.
Location of:
Emergency kit
Fire extinguisher
Water valve
Shut-off instructions
Utility company phone number Water/Sewer City of Calgary 403- 310-2010
Electrical box
Utility company phone number Enmax 403 514-6100,
Gas valve
Shut-off instructions (Only shut-off gas when authorities tell you to do so):
Utility company phone number Direct Energy Emergency #1-800-511-3447
Location of Floor drain:
8. Emergency instructions
During an emergency, you may not have time to make alternative plans. You may also not be aware of who to listen to for instructions, that’s why it is important to know who to call and what to do. Practice makes perfect.
When to call 9-1-1 (where available)
- Report a fire. – Report a crime. – Save a life.
In case of a major emergency
-Follow your emergency plan.
- Get your emergency kit.
- Make sure you are safe before assisting others.
- Listen to the radio or television for information from authorities. Local officials may advise you to stay where you are. Follow their instructions.
- Stay put until all is safe or until you are ordered to evacuate.
Taking shelter
- Close and lock all windows and exterior doors.
- Turn off all fans, heating and air-conditioning systems.
- Close the fireplace damper.
- Get your emergency kit and make sure the radio is working.
- Go to an interior room that’s above ground level (if possible, one without windows). In the case of a chemical threat, an above-ground location is preferable because some chemicals are heavier than air and may seep into basements even if the windows are closed.
- Using duct or other wide tape, seal all cracks around the door and any vents into the room.
- Continue to monitor your radio or television until you are told all is safe or are advised to evacuate.
Evacuation orders
- Authorities will not ask you to leave your home unless they have reason to believe you are in danger.
- If you are ordered to evacuate, take your emergency kit, essential medications, copies of prescriptions and a cellular phone with you, if you have one.
- If you have time, call or e-mail your out-of-town contact. Tell them where you are going and when you expect to arrive. Once you are safe, let them know. Tell them if any family members have become separated.
- If you have time, leave a note telling others when you left and where you are.
- Shut off water and electricity if officials tell you to.
- Leave natural gas service ‘on’ unless officials tell you to turn it off. (If you turn off the gas, the gas company has to reconnect it. In a major emergency, it could take weeks for a professional to respond. You would be without gas for heating and cooking).
- Take pets with you.
- Lock your home.
“In the event of an emergency, listen to authorities and follow their directions. Your cooperation will make it easier to help those in need.”
Where do I start….do you have a plan?
15 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
in Lessons Learned, Where do I start? Tags: 72 hours, 72 hr kit, document, evacuate, family plan, plan, preparedness, where do I start with preparedness
In the years of helping people in their preparedness, one of the most frequent statements that are made to me is….I’m so overwhelmed where do I even start? Or another one would be…I rather just go out and get all my food first, and then I’m set. Preparedness, isn’t just about food. Just looking at the residents of Slave Lake, Alberta, these past few months, that had to evacuate due to wildfires that destroyed a lot of their homes….we spectators who saw the events unfold on tv, had sympathy and empathy…but, what did you learn and how did you apply any of it to yourselves?
If you had to quickly evacuate your home, what would you bring?
The government of Canada has been promoting emergency preparedness in the first week of May, for many years now…but it still something that a lot of us, don’t really think it applies to us, or take the time to do.
They suggest that you have a 72 hour kit, as it may take a minimum of 72 hours for services to help you or if you were to evacuate a minimum of 72 hours before you may return. My suggestions to you, would be to start here, with a plan and your documents, create a back pack for each of your family members, to grab and go! Even if you just have a few basics will have you better off, then not having anything at all.I will host a 72 hour prep day to help motivate you this coming week…would Tuesday July 19 work for you? I will do a 11:00 session at my home, and a 7 pm session at night. Kids are welcome to come. If it helps for me to come to you, we could arrange that too.
Lessons learned from Slave Lake: Communication…times are changing…social networks, are a better way to alert people to evacuate, then tv/radio according to this article.
Lessons learned from the residents of Slake Lake Fire May 2011 Facebook group:
1. Have a set meeting places in each direction so you can find your family. Cell phones are not reliable in a situation like that and there is nothing worse than not knowing where your family is for hours
2. I will pack better
3. I learned that during the next emergency, I won’t EVER go on Facebook. The rumors and extra chaos it started were not worth the worry. Towards the end I figured if my house was gone, so be it there was nothing I could do to change that. For over 4 days I was told I had no home, but when I returned sure enough my house was still standing. Facebook caused a lot of extra drama and next time (because let’s face it we live in a forest there will be a next time) I will just shut my phone completely off.
4. Aside from the rumors..I had a friend that was working for the m.d so she was keeping us posted on Facebook so I found it very helpful!! That is how I found out Canyon was being evacuated so it gave me a few extra minutes before the RCMP actually came around!
5. No matter who you are or where you are have video tapes of all belongings etc. from the shed to the house, yard etc. All important papers in safe place or all together to grab. And, of course insurance for every tiny thing you have.
6. lesson learned always get everything out when your told to we left everything behind because we where not being evacuated
7. Lesson learned – use common sense and don’t always depend on officials to know everything that’s going on or to make decision quickly enough. Stay aware of what’s going on around you. Communication has its limits during a crisis. Once power and phones were lost there was no way to announce an evacuation.
8. Another thing to remember is, this information won’t just be relevant to a fire. If we have to evacuate Slave again for any reason, a flood, a fire, etc we will be more prepared to evacuate our homes
9. To have a plan…….it can happen to us……….
10. Never blindly trust authorities to look after you. Always think for yourself too!
11. Always make sure you have gas in your car 
12. Have spare underwear with you at all times so I don’t have to borrow some
13. Always know where your kids are .. I couldn’t imagine living on the southeast side that day and not having any idea where they were
14. I will be doing an extensive inventory of my home contents now that I see what’s happening to a lot of my friends.. It wasn’t important before…..
15. We recorded a video of our house and contents, also any valuable items in the sheds and garage. I will also have an evacuation check list
16. I just thought to keep a list of home contents, and with this pictures, a list, and a paper with important info. need to know, like bank, insurance policies, and other ID and documents in a fireproof box with valuable, and memory cards of pics…
For 72 hr kits information from the government of Canada:
http://www.getprepared.gc.ca/index-eng.aspx
When to Buy What
14 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
in Buying Guide, Finance Fridays Tags: buying guide, consumer panel, consumer reports, debt, finance, needs, prices, sales, wants, when to buy what
If you’re not already one of the lucky ones, where you child delivers flyers or have the daily paper come to you, you have to wait for the flyers to come to you. Do you take the time to look through the sales, to determine what is the best thing that might be good for you to buy, that you might need, and if your budget allows it, what you might want?
For about the first 5 years of my marriage, I participated in a Canada Consumer Panel. Each time I went grocery shopping, I came home and recorded exactly what I bought, where I bought it, and what price I paid. I probably would have done well on the Price is Right game show! Why did I do, such a tedious task? Well, I earn points, which could turn into cash or prizes. It really wasn’t worth the time I put into it, but it did give me a realization of what was a good deal and has help me realize how to shop a bit more carefully. Some stores, will jack up their prices, so you think you might be saving on a 10% day of the week sale, when in reality, they just up their prices, and depending what you buy, you actually paid the regular price, and didn’t really save at all.
I have put together a list of items of what you could buy to help in your preparedness during the times of the year, I will not post this now, but as I look through my weekly flyers, I will give you a heads up, in what you might consider adding to your food storage. Adding to your food storage, should be simple, every one needs to eat. If you feel you can’t possibly stretch your budget dollars by adding more money towards your food, try thinking in terms of I’ll add an extra small can of tuna this week, or one extra box of macaroni and cheese.
J. Richard Clarke, “The Household of Faith,” Ensign, Nov. 1980, page 82 “For most of us, consumer debt is dangerous and difficult to contain because it is so readily available. It can appease an immediate want—as well as a bona fide need. Enticing advertisements convince us that luxuries are our right and our need. Isn’t it interesting how a luxury once enjoyed soon becomes a necessity?
Our guide for credit management should be: borrow only what we must, at the lowest rate available, for the shortest time possible. This requires restraint of appetites and practice of the time-honored virtue of frugality. There is an insidious philosophy that advocates plunging into debt and letting inflation pay it off. I reject this philosophy. If we all operated on that premise, we would completely subvert our economic system. As long as we secure our debt with equity, we can manage it; but to amass debt by pledging future earnings submerges us in financial quicksand.’.
If your budget allows it, without going into debt….if your looking for something specific in your wants, may I suggest, the magazine “Consumer Reports’ Jan 2011 issue, of when you should buy certain items based on the season of the year. These were the items that were listed..
Jan -Bedding, carpeting, cd/dvds. computers, cookware, houses and condos, linens, swimwear, toys, treadmills and ellipticals (as everyone wants to get in shape after Christmas!) TV, and winter clothing
Feb -Houses and condos, humidifiers, indoor furniture, treadmills and ellipticals
Mar-digital cameras, humidifiers, small consumer electronics ie. mp3 players, dvd, blu-ray players, tv’s, winter coats, winter sports gear
April-computers, digitial camera, lawn movers, spring clothing.
May-Athletic apparel and shoes, camping and outdoor gear, carpeting, cordless phones, lawn mowers, small consumer electronics,
June-Camcorders, carpeting, computers, indoor furniture, small consumer electronics, summer sports gear, swimwear
July-Camcorders, indoor furniture, outdoor furniture, swimwear
August-Air conditioner, backpacks, dehumidifiers, lawn mowers, outdoor furniture, snow blowers
September-bikes, digital cameras, gas grills, lawn movers, shrubs, trees and perennials, small consumer electronics, snow blowers
October-bikes, computers, digital cameras, gas grills, lawn mowers, winter coats
November -baby products, bikes, camcorders, gas grill, gps navigators, toys, tv’s
December- bikes, camcorders, gas grills, gps navigators, home appliances -large and small, small consumer electronics, toys and tvs.
Hello World! Welcome to Thrive with Christina
04 Jul 2011 2 Comments
This blog is dedicated in having you go from surviving to thriving, by making small changes in what you do and making you be feel more confident in being better prepared, in all aspects of provident living! When there are natural disasters, or a sour economy, some people will wonder where the government is, to bail them out! If you take the necessary steps in improving yourself you will find yourself being better prepared in facing whatever challenges you may be living with or what may be coming you way.
Being a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have had the opportunity to learn more about being self reliant, and have taught it to many people over the years. Fortunately, I have not lived through disasterous conditions, but my love of research, helps me to understand the concepts even more. I will try to follow these different points that cover provident living under the family well being, which are: Employment, Home Storage, Gardening, Finances, Education and Literacy, Health, Social and Emotional Strength, and Emergency Planning.
I also will be selling ” Thrive“, which is a huge variety of food that is either freeze-dried or dehydrated from the company, “Shelf Reliance’. It is a wonderful to have a variety of long term storage knowing that you can incorporate into your daily eating, but also knowing it can last a very long time when packaged correctly, without additives. It can help you save money when food prices sky rocketed. It can help anyone to become better prepared. It will soon be sold in Canada through independent consultants, and also now can be ordered through independent consultants in the United States too. If you may be interested in joining to sell Thrive or ordering product, please contact me. Thank you.
