Every Life Secure!

Hurricane Sandy Says it Again, "Disasters Are Not Going Away" - Prepare Now

Even as a follow-on Nor'easter is on its way, the message from Hurricane Sandy is clear... There will be disasters, they will be disastrous, and your neighborhood can be hit, so prepare now.  Everyone needs to prepare to evacuate or to shelter in place for at least three days after a disaster.  You can see from Sandy, three days is a minimum.

Get your emergency kit now.  I can tell you, we are seeing a great surge in orders as many have gotten the reminder message.

Every Life Secure... Is Yours?^TM -- Over 500,000 Lives Secured and counting.

 

Wildfire Evacuation Kit - Smoke Mask and Emergency Kit All-In-One

The wildfires in Colorado, Utah, and elswhere in the west have caused tens of thousands to evacuate their homes.  You may wonder what kind of wildfire evacuation kit you might need if you live in an area that might be affected by wildfires in the future.

At LifeSecure we developed a wildfire evacuation kit that has the two components we consider essential: (1) a smokes mask and goggles, and (2) a personal emergency kit with the basic supplies necessary to go it on your own for several hours or up to three days.  You can't count on being able to evacuate before the flames and smoke are near your home and you can't count on the government or other organization being able to meet immediate meet your basic survival needs.

The !Extreme High-Rise, Wildfire, Disaster, & Fire Evacuation Kit (80020) combines the Xcaper smoke mask and goggles with our most popular LifeSecure Personal 3-Day Emergency kit to give you an all-in-one solution for wildfire evacuation.  This compact kit is carried in a grab-and-go shoulder bag.  It is small enough to keep in your car or store where it can be easily grabbed as you head out the door.

Wherever you live, be sure to have an emergency kit ready for fast evacuation in case of an emergency or disaster.  If you do have notice before an evacuation, you want to spend your time gather precious personal items, rather than trying to gather the emergency basics that you will need for a safe and comfortable evacuation.

Every Life Secure... Is Yours?^TM -- Over 500,000 Lives Secure and counting.

Colorado Wildfires Remind Us to Be Prepared to Evacuate

The sad scenes of hundreds of homes burned to the ground and tens of thousands of people evacuating in Colorado and elsewhere in the west remind us all of the need to be prepared to evacuate our homes on very short notice in case of an emergency or disaster.

Make sure you have an evacuation plan and the right emergency kits to take care of your own needs for up to 72 hours.  Government resources are quickly overwhlemed in a major disaster.  You need to be prepared to take care of yourself.

Every Life Secure... Is Yours?^TM -- Over 500,000 Lives Secure and counting.

You Don't Have to Be A Survivalist to Be A Survivor

It's true -- you don't have to be a "survivalist" to be a "survivor."  I'm a "survivor" of many disasters, but I'm not a "survivalist."  Though I have learned much from those who are self-identified survivalists and have great respect for their knowledge and skills, I believe all of us as "regular people" can take basic steps that allow us to be a survivor in case of a severe emergency or disaster.

To increase your chances of being a disaster survivor you can:

1) Learn about what to do in various emergency or disaster scenarios.  All of us can identify various kinds of disasters or emergencies that are common to where we live and learn about how to appropriately respond to them.  For example, I live in Illinois and as such should know the basics of what to do in case of earthquakes, tornadoes, blizzards, chemical spills or explosions (freight trains come within a mile of my home), nuclear accidents (we have 11 nuclear reactors in Illinois), and floods.

Such knowledge is readily available on the web (from this emergency preparedness blog among other sources), in books, in pamphlets, from local emergency responders, etc.  You don't need to become an expert in emergency response to learn and remember such basics "Drop, Cover, Hold On" in an earthquake, "get out of your car and into a ditch" in a tornado, or  "have a 72 hour emergency kit in case you have to evacuate or shelter-in-place" in any number of disaster scenarios.

I used to worry about trying to memorize and keep in mind the "10 bullet points for how to respond to each type of disaster".  I have come to believe that one can get and retain most of the "survivor knowledge" they will really need by just occasionally learning about these events and thinking about the key things to do and not do.  A lot of it comes down to common sense once you learn some of the basic principles of response.

When it comes to knowledge of how to respond, you don't have to be a trained survivalist to survive a disaster.

2) Have an emergency kit and emergency supplies.  As I share constantly in this blog and as the U.S. Government has told us for years now, everyone should have an emergency kit and adequate supplies to last for at least 72 hours (3 days) on their own after a disaster.  Hurricane Katrina taught us that even in America, you can go hungry and be thirsty if you are not prepared to meet your own needs after a catastrophic disaster.

I personally am prepared to support my family's basic needs for much longer than 72 hours, but this minimum is a good place to start.  For relatively little money you can either build your own emergency kit or buy an emergency kit that will meet your basic needs.  Remember, its about "sustaining life" not "sustaining lifestyle" for those few days after a disaster.  Your absolute survival essentials can be fit into one backpack.  That same backpack of supplies can be used to help you evacuate or shelter-in-place.

You don't have to own the ultimate survival knife in order to survive most disasters and emergencies. I love cool survival gadgets as much as the next guy, but basic supplies will do for most scenarios.  Any regular person can obtain an emergency kit that may not contain all the high-end specialized gear a trained survivalist may desire, but that will work just fine to help you be a survivor in a disaster.

3) Have a basic plan of how to evacuate or shelter-in-place.  If you have the basic knowledge of how to survive a given catastrophic event, and you have the supplies to meet your basic needs for a period of time, you can top that off by thinking through your emergency plan. 

The appropriate response to most catastrophic disasters will require you to do one of two things to avoid harm or to deal with the event's aftermath: evacuate of shelter-in-place.  If you have to evacuate, you'll need to know how you will gather family members, and where you will go before you actually have to leave.  Evacuation can happen in a real hurry in some scenarios and the time for preparation is over when the time for action has arrived.  Plan in advance.

Shelter-in-place plans also require some forethought.  Thinking through your plans will help you better ensure that you have the right emergency supplies in place to respond to an emergency at a moments notice. 

As in other aspects of emergency preparation, your plans don't have to be elaborate.  SEAL Team Six level planning and practice is not necessary.  Just think through the basics and make sure that all family members or colleagues in the workplace know what the plan is.

Following these basic approaches to emergency preparedness will allow you to survive most of what might come at you in this life in the way of emergencies or disasters.  Don't be intimidated by the emergency preparedness process.  You don't need to be a survivalist to be a survivor.

Every Life Secure

New Zealand Earthquake Reminds Us to Be Prepared for Earthquakes in the United States

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck southern New Zealand on February 22, 2011. Early reports are that several buildings in Christchurch have fallen and that there are multiple injuries and deaths. This powerful earthquake follows an even more powerful 7.1 magnitude quake that hit the same area on Sept. 4th of 2010 and caused and estimated $3 billion in damage.

This is just another reminder of the need to be prepared for earthquakes here in the United States. Although most Americans know that California and other parts of the west coast in the United States are at risk for major earthquakes, many are unaware that even in areas such as the mid-west there is a risk of devastating earthquakes.

What is the lesson? Be prepared for any emergency including a devastating earthquake with at least a 72 hour emergency kit designed to provide supplies to shelter-in-place or evacuate in the event of an earthquake or other major disaster.

Every Life Secure

How Do I Survive a "SuperStorm"?

How do I survive a "superstorm"?  This is the question many are asking in the wake of the U.S. Geological Survey release of what it calls its "ARkStorm Scenario" in which it predicts that California could suffer devastating storms that could dump up to 10 feet of water over 40 days, flood one fourth of the homes in the state, and cause over $300 Billion in damage.

Though there is no specific answer as to how to survive such a superstorm in California or elsewhere, the truth is that there are simple steps that everyone can take to be prepared for such a disaster.  In the most basic sense, under any severe flooding scenario, there are two possible ways that one might be forced to respond in order to survive.  They may either be forced to evacuate their homes or they may be forced to shelter-in-place (hunker down and stay put).

My own personal experience is one of having to shelter-in-place for about two weeks without the benefit of running water, electricity, or even the availability of food beyond what was in the house.  This came, as I have described in another blog post, after a major typhoon and its accompanying destruction.  I have also lived through shorter periods of sheltering-in-place caused by significant flooding that essentially shut down travel for several days.

One may prepare to either evacuate or shelter-in-place in very similar ways.  The preparation for one event is the subset of the preparation for the other.  By this I mean that one might prepare supplies for up to two weeks or more if they have to shelter-in-place in their homes with no water, electricity, and additional food or other essentials.  Then they might have a portable kit of supplies that would sustain the basic necessities of life for up to three days (72 hours) should they have to evacuate.  The portable kit can be the source of some of the supplies necessary for sheltering-in-place.

In this way, one is covered whether they need to stay put or they need to get out.  It is difficult to practically carry more than three days of supplies on your person.  If you are able to take a vehicle in your evacuation you can always add extras, but one should be prepared to evacuate on foot and survive outside during that time for up to three days.

People are gaining in their understanding of the need to prepare to meet their own needs for 3 days or more as they are increasingly aware that no government agency is prepared to care for everyone's needs during or immediately after a devasting event such as the predicted California SuperStorm.

Visit us at www.LifeSecure.com for emergency solutions that meet the need to prepare for either evacuation or to shelter-in-place.  If you haven't already done so please make the effort now to make a plan and get the emergency kits and supplies you need to survive in any emergency or disaster.

The bottom line is the best way to survive a California Superstorm is to prepare to care for your own essential survival needs.

Earthquake Kits: Is Your Earthquake Kit Built to Survive An Earthquake?

Earthquake Survival Priorities...

Priority #1: Make sure that you survive the earthquake.

Priority #2: Make sure your emergency earthquake kit survives the earthquake.

In a severe earthquake, second only to surviving yourself is making sure that your earthquake survival kit makes it through the initial earthquake with your emergency supplies in tact. 

As we have seen once again in the aftermath of the 8.8 Chile earthquake, after a big earthquake you'll need to be prepared with an earthquake kit to meet your own emergency survival needs for at least 3 days (72 hours) or longer.  No government is prepared to immediately meet the needs of its entire population after a catastrophe.

It is critical then that your emergency supplies be protected from the falling debris that is common to a major earthquake and can crush your unprotected earthquake supplies.  Your earthquake kit may have adequate emergency supplies to help you survive the first few days after an earthquake, but is it built to survive the initial earthquake and to protect your supplies?

MobileAid 3-Day Emergency Earthquake Kits for 1, 2 or 4 people provide crush-resistant protection for your emergency supplies.  These kits have a super-durable aircraft grade aluminum frame that can support over 300 lbs, but which weighs less than 9 lbs.  This protective frame features a perforated exoskeleton design with secure joints, and chrome-plated screws with shake-proof nylon aircraft lock nuts for extra strength.

All this means, that your emergency supplies will stand a much better chance of making it through a major earthquake undamaged in a MobileAid Emergency Earthquake Kit than will earthquake supplies stored in a regular backpack or plastic bin.

The crush-resistant frame of these MobileAid 3-Day Emergency Earthquake Kits can help get you through the earthquake while these additional features can help you cope with the aftermath until help arrives:

Compact/Comprehensive Emergency kit: emergency–grade supplies recommended by the U.S. Government and numerous others supplies for increased protection and comfort.

Quick–access organization: Emergency preparedness supplies are organized in Quick–Response vinyl–lined pouches with carrying straps.  This means that you will be able to quickly identify and access your emergency supplies. 

  Easy–roll/flexible transport: dual 4" polyurethane wheels aid in rapid–response and climb stairs or curbs with little effort.

Seating and gear-carrying platform: allows for people to be seated to rest and can be used to transport additional equipment and supplies (supports up to 300 lbs).  These features can be critical if you are left out-of-doors and have to transport additional belongings as you find suitable shelter. 

Easy identification: highly visible orange bag and flashing (red/blue) LED wheels make this earthquake kit bag easy to find and identify in a disaster.

MobileAid Emergency Earthquake Survival Kits provide superior crush protection, mobility, functionality, organization, and design.  All of these features together will allow you to respond immediately, effectively and confidently to a major earthquake.

To help you be prepared for an earthquake, see the LifeSecure full line of earthquake preparedness kits and earthquake supplies.

If you are helping to prepare a school, workplace, or other large facility, you may need to provide emergency first aid.  MobileAid Multi-function Trauma First Aid Stations featured the same crush-resistant frames as our earthquake kits and provide comprehensive trauma first aid supplies that meet OSHA guidelines and ANSI standards.  These stations also feature such practical extras as a flexible stretcher and first aid flag.

MobileAid Emergency Earthquake kits and Emergency Trauma First Aid Stations can help you survive by helping your earthquake supplies survive.

Every Life Secure  

What Causes Most Fire Related Deaths? How Smoke Masks and Smoke Hoods Can Prevent More than 2000 Deaths Per Year.

According to the CDC (US Centers for Disease Control) "most victims of fires die from smoke or toxic gases and not from burns."  Some sources indicate that "inhalation injury from smoke and the noxious products of combustion in fires may account for as many as 60-80% of fire-related deaths in the US, many of which are preventable."

With approximately 2,755 people (not including firefighters) in the United State dying from fires each year, this means that over 2,000 people might be spared death each year if they were to have a smoke mask or smoke hood in the event of a fire.

Quite simply, smoke masks and smoke hoods can save lives in a fire.  No matter how quickly firefighters respond to a fire, the danger from smoke inhalation has already begun before they can arrive on the scene.  By the time smoke and toxic fumes begin to form and set off smoke detectors, people are already in danger. 

That's why it makes sense to have a smoke mask or smoke hood to give you time to safely exit a burning house, office, or other building.  Smoke and toxic fumes will often spread faster throughout a structure than the flames themselves.  This means that safe evacuation is often possible if one can just protect their breathing long enough to get out of the building and away from the smoke and toxic fumes caused by the fire.

In many cases the 15 minutes or so of protection provided by some smoke masks (eg. Xcaper Smoke Mask) may be adequate for safe escape.  In other cases, such as in a high rise or large facility, it may be important to have up to 30 minutes to escape.  Some smoke hoods (eg. IEvac Fire Escape Hood) provide this length of protection or more.

Some smoke mask kits also provide eye protection from smoke.  All Smoke hoods  provide eye protection and some smoke hoods provide a certain level of heat protection for the whole head.  Not all smoke hoods are of the same quality and protection level.  Make sure you are getting a lot more than a simple plastic bag with a filter.

In general, the more severe the potential fire and smoke environment one might anticipate, the more advisable it may be to have a smoke hood.  For less extreme environments, a smoke mask kit may prove adequate protection.

As fires may often be associated with wider disasters from terrorism or other man-made or even natural events (eg. earthquakes, hurricanes), one might also consider a combination evacuation kit.  Evacuation kits such as the !Extreme™ Disaster & Fire Evacuation Kit (80020) are designed to get you out of a fire safely and then to support you for up to three days in a more widespread disaster in which help may not be immediately available to all victims. 

A combination emergency evacuation kit helps you to cover all emergency bases and can be used in a non-fire emergency as well.  Such kits can make a lot of sense for use at home or at work and can be kept at one's bedside at home or in a desk drawer or office shelf at work.

No matter where you live or work, fire and the related smoke and toxic fumes are one of the greatest dangers you may face.  As with all emergencies, advanced preparation can often help avoid injuries or death and allow one to be calm when faced with a threatening situation.

As literally thousands of lives could be saved with the use of a smoke mask or smoke hood, its worth considering the purchase.  This is especially true as such protection can now be purhcased for less than $100.  Even very sophicated smoke hoods can be purchased for less than $200.  This puts such protection within the reach of most businesses and families.

While a smoke detector may be the key to an early alert in case of fire, a smoke hood or smoke mask may be the key to a quick and safe evacuation from a burning building.

Consider your risk and be sure to chose the smoke mask or smoke hood that is best suited for the potential risks where you live or work.  At LifeSecure we have chosen to carry the Xcaper smoke masks and IEvac Fire Escape Hoods as we consider them to be among the best and most user friendly fire evacuation protection devices in the industry.  Both of the these systems are well suited for quick and easy deployment in a fire evacuation.

Click here for more information on preparing to survive a fire.

Click here for more information on preparing to survive a wildfire.

Every Life Secure

What Should be in An Emergency Kit?

I have had the chance to teach numerous emergency preparedness seminars to community groups.  One of the key questions that I answer in these seminars is, "What should be in an emergency kit?"

Rather than just rattle off a list of supplies, I try to help the audience understand the "10 Basic Emergency Needs".  Once they understand these needs, they can better evaluate various options of emergency supplies that will meet their specific needs while passing the "CLAD Emergency Kit Test" (more about the "CLAD Emergency Kit Test" after the "10 Basic Needs").

The "10 Basic Needs" in an emergency or disaster are essentially the same that we have in our daily lives but which we tend to take for granted unless we come under some stress that causes us to struggle to meet them. 

For example, if we lose power or water due to an accident, storm, or other cause, most of us will begin almost immediately to feel inconvenienced.  Should the outage continue past a few hours, we would begin to scramble to find alternate ways to hydrate and feed ourselves, to stay warm or cool, or to maintain proper hygiene and sanitation.  We would then become more aware of the fact that there really are basic needs to be consistently met if we are to stay comfortable, safe, and healthy.

These "10 Basic Emergency Needs" to be met to keep us comfortable, safe and healthy in an emergency are:

• Emergency water
• Emergency food
• Breathing protection
• Trauma First Aid
• Shelter
• Warmth
• Communication
• Light
• Emergency tools
• Sanitation & hygiene

When I give these 72 hour emergency preparedness seminars, I like to play a game in which I have 10 participants each hold an item that might go in an emergency kit.  Each of these emergency preparedness items represents one of the 10 essential emergency needs.  So one person has a light stick, another a pouch of water, another a food bar, and so on. I then ask them to line up in order of the importance of their "basic need". 

It is always interesting and funny to watch the interaction as the participants each have different perspectives on what items are the most important in case of an emergency. Is it water, is it first aid, is it shelter?  

As we talk through various disaster scenarios, it quickly becomes apparent that the items of most importance depend on the specific emergency situation. If you are losing large amounts of blood due to a wound, you most need a bandage, not a pouch of water.  If you are uninjured but left outside in the heat of summer, you need a pouch of water, not a first aid dressing.  Because emergencies by their nature are not totally predicatable, it is important to have supplies from each category of the "10 Basic Emergency Needs" in your emergency kit. 

Having a feeling for the importance of all 10 basic needs helps people move beyond just filling a backpack by checking off a list to instead preparing a comprehensive emergency kit that they actually understand how to use.  If there is little thought put into the actual supplies and packing of the emergency kit, the likelihood is that it will fall short of meeting the person's specific needs.

Once the audience understands the "10 Basic Emergency Needs", we then talk about various kinds of emergency supplies that can help them meet these needs.  For example, when we discuss the need for light, we talk about light sticks, conventional flashlights, crank flashlights, lanterns and so forth.

As we discuss alternative supplies, I encourage the audience to use the "CLAD Emergency Kit Test" to guide them in choosing the emergency supplies that are most appropriate them. 

What is the "CLAD Emergency Kit Test"? Well, a dictionary.com definition of "CLAD" is "To cover with a protective or insulating layer of... material."  So, with your emergency kit, "Are you properly 'CLAD' to survive an emergency or disaster?" 

As we develop each LifeSecure emergency kit, (like the Extreme 30-Person Evacuation & Shelter-In-Place Kit pictured at the beginning of this post) we use the "CLAD Emergency Kit Test" to make sure that we are providing an emergency kit and supplies that balance and optimize four key attributes of a good emergency kit:

C - Compact - small enough to reasonably store and transport

L - Lightweight -light enough to be practically transported in difficult conditions by the person who plans to use it

A- All-Hazards equipped - comprehensive and versatile for use in any emergency; with each supply item being as multi-functional as possible

D- Durable - able to perform in the tough conditions that often accompany an emergency

If your emergency kit balances these four attributes well, you stand a better chance of successfully and comfortably surviving an emergency or disaster.  These attributes are especially important in an emergency or disaster that might require an evacuation.

So while you can find very helpful emergency kit supply list like this one from www.ready.gov ,it is important to do more than just throw the items on the list into a backpack.

My answer to the question, "What should be in an emergency kit?", is emergency supplies that:

1) meet all the "10 Basic Emergency Needs", and

2) that pass the "CLAD Emergency Kit Test."

Every Life Secure

Emergency Kit Information at www.EmergencyKit.tel

FEMA Emergency Kit Guidelines Information at www.FEMA.tel

Emergency Kit - Does Your Emergency Kit Pass the "CLAD" Test? Is it Compact...?

When evaluating your existing emergency kit or considering the components for a new one, you may want to make sure that your kit passes the "CLAD" Test.  

A dictionary.com definition of "CLAD" is "To cover with a protective or insulating layer of... material."  So, with your emergency kit, "Are you properly 'CLAD' to survive an emergency or disaster?" 

Or as we might say, "Does your emergency kit have you covered?"

At LifeSecure we use the "CLAD" Test to evaluate our emergency kit designs (like the Grab-and-Go 1-Person 3-Day Emergency Kit pictured above) to make sure that we are providing an emergency kit and supplies that balance and optimize four key attributes of a good emergency kit:

C - Compact - small enough to reasonably store and transport

L - Lightweight -light enough to be practically transported in difficult conditions by the person who plans to use it

A- All-Hazards equipped - comprehensive and versatile for use in any emergency; with each supply item being as multi-functional as possible

D- Durable - able to perform in the tough conditions that often accompany an emergency

If your emergency kit has the proper balance of these four attributes, you stand a better chance of more successfully and comfortably surviving an emergency or disaster.  These attributes become especially important in any emergency that might require an evacuation from your home or office.

In this first part of a four part series, I'll discuss the importance of making sure your supplies and your emergency kit are compact. 

I was helping a woman on the phone one day as she selected emergency supplies for her family.  After listening to her give me a long list of what she wanted, I asked her a simple question, "How do you intend to carry all of these supplies if you should end up on foot?"  When we discussed the bulk of the total supplies she wanted, she realized that there was not a practical way for her and her husband to carry all these supplies and bring along their two young children.  We pared down her list and ended up with a 72 hour emergency kit solution that was more compact and that better met the practical needs of her family.

The key to keeping an emergency kit compact and manageable, while still making sure that all essential survival needs are met, is making sure that the supplies in the kits are compact.  Two emergency supply items come to mind as excellent examples of this principle. 

The first is a new emergency supply that has just been introduced to the market: the compacted Emergency EZ Towel. 

These compacted emergency towels are activated with a few drops of water, turning the small towel tablet into a 9" x 12" towel for use in emergency sanitation, hygiene, and First Aid (wound cleaning).  These Emergency EZ Towels take the place of a large towel or multiple washcloths.  They are disposable and bio-degradable.

The towels comes in a waterproof tube of 10 towel tablets.  The compact tube is not much bigger than a roll of quarters. 

This video clearly illustrates the compact nature of this product.  A small roll of compacted towels can save a lot of space when compared with the room that a full towel or multiple washcloths might take in a backpack or duffel bag.

The second example of a compact supply is a traditional emergency basic found in most emergency supply kits: the emergency thermal blanket.  This metalized foil blanket measures just 5" x 2.5" x 1" (that's about the size of a man's wallet) when folded but expands to cover 84" x 52" in use.  This compact blanket provides warmth (retains and reflects up to 90 of body heat), a waterproof and windproof shelter barrier, and a covering to help reduce shock when someone is injured.

Emergency thermal blankets have several qualities that, in an emergency, are actually superior to those of regular blankets, and they take up a fraction of the space.  Many traditional blankets would fill almost an entire backpack, leaving room for little else.  So for emergency use, this supply gets high marks for being compact and versatile.

  In addition to choosing compact supplies like those detailed above, it is important to properly size your emergency kits to fit the storage space that you can practically devote to it.  For example, many people may find it difficult to fit a whole backpack in their office or workstation at work.  This doesn't mean that you can't store the essential personal basic supplies to last up to 72 hours. 

Compact kits like the Personal 3-Day Emergency Response Kit or the Personal Grab-and-Go 3-Day Emergency Kit can easily be stored in a desk drawer, on a shelf, or in a cabinet.  While these kits may not be as extensive as a full 72 hour emergency kit in a backpack, they will give you the basics for survival in a very compact storage and transport solution.

When considering supplies for your emergency kits, make sure that you consider products that are compact.  In doing so you'll be able to include emergency supplies that meet all your essential emergency needs without needing a bag or other container that is so big that it is difficult to store or impractical to transport.

What are some of your favorite compact supplies for including in an emergency kit?  Is there something bulky for which you have found a more compact substitute?

Every Life Secure

Ready.gov - A Key Emergency Preparedness Resource

When I first started LifeSecure in early 2005 (Pre-Katrina), it was quickly apparent that www.Ready.gov was a key resource for helping the public prepare for an emergency at home, at work, at school, or on-the-go.  Yet, it was also clear at that time that the information it contained was not always clear and sometimes just plain very confusing.  For example, Ready.gov would have two different lists of supplies to have in a 72 Hour Emergency kit.  The lists did not exactly match, so one was left to wonder which to use.  The site was difficult to navigate and less than engaging.

I have been very pleased to see the major steps forward taken in updating and improving the site and its resources.  Above is just one of the latest resources that Ready.gov has come out with.  It is a widget with several types of helpful information regarding emergency preparedness.  I found out about this new widget while reading the blog www.incaseofemergencyblog.com by John Solomon.  This blog follows all things Homeland Security. 

As John says in his blog:

The widget provides users “with updates on emergency situations, local emergency contact information, an instructional video, emergency kit checklists and guidelines on how to better prepare for an emergency. Users can also access a clickable map to find contact information for state and local government agencies, where they can learn more about specific emergency information in their communities. Additionally, the widget helps users stay up-to-date on the latest Ready activities through Twitter news feeds (by following the user name “ReadydotGov”). The widget can be posted to social networking profiles, blogs, wikis and personal homepages.”

The widget along with some other preparedness tools can be found on the Ready/Ad Council “Be Prepared” page:

Thanks, John for pointing us to another helpful resource from a much improved www.Ready.gov.

EveryLifeSecure.com
An Emergency Preparedness Blog helping to make "Every Life Secure" in any emergency or disaster... at home, work, school, or on-the-go.

LifeSecure.com
An Emergency Preparedness website offering emergency kits and emergency supplies to help keep people secure in any emergency or disaster... at home, work, school or on-the-go.  Over 170,000 Lives Secured!

Earthquake Preparedness - POGO (Pry Off Gas Off) Combination Gas Shut-Off Tool and Pry Bar

The other day I was hustling indoors from 15 degree weather when I about ran into my wife heading out the garage door with a post-it note and a pen.  When I found out she was going out to the gas meter (through 6 inches of snow) to take a reading and contest our gas bill because it was so high last month (turns out record low temperatures will do that), I volunteered to do it for her.  After pushing back the bushes, kneeling in the snow, clearing off the frigid (now mostly dead) ivy that had grown over the meter and straining to read the ridiculously small little dials (I had to turn my head almost upside down to see them), I wondered why I had been so quick to volunteer.

One thing it reminded me of was the need to have a good gas shut-off tool handy to turn off the natural gas in case of a leak caused by some kind of disaster.  In our area, that could likely be an earthquake.  Read my post on the potential for earthquakes in the Central USA.  If you suspect a gas leak after a natural or man-made disaster (smell gas or hear a blowing or hissing noise), open a window, quickly get everyone out, turn off the gas (use the outside main valve if possible), and call the utility company from a neighbor's phone.  This action can avert a potentially deadly explosion. 

As FEMA says, "Natural gas leaks and explosions are responsible for a significant number of fires following disasters.  It is vital that all household members know how to shut off natural gas."

WARNING: Once the natural gas is turned off, it must be turned on again by a professional.

I you aren't sure how to safely shut off the gas, contact your utility company.  Here is a site that will show you the basics of shutting of the gas.

Assuming you know how to turn off the gas in an emergency, the next most important thing is to have a specific tool handy (in a predetermined place - note: outdoors next to the meter where Joey next door can turn off the gas as a prank may not be the smartest place to store your tool).  There is no way you can turn of the gas without a tool.  Though many kinds of wrenches and other tools may work to shut off the gas, I have a new favorite, the POGO (Pry Off Gas Off).

One of our supplier partners from California (earthquake country where they know the value of a good gas shut-off tool) recently developed what they call the POGO (Pry Off Gas Off) combination gas shut-off and pry bar.  I like it because it combines two important tools that are likely to be needed in the same emergency.  The emergency that caused enough jostling of your home to break the gas line in the first place, can easily bring with it the need for a solid pry tool for dealing with debris, jammed doors, and other search and rescue functions.  So the POGO (Pry Off Gas Off) is a very smart combo in a compact 15 inches (this means it will also fit in most backpacks or duffles - for your 72 hour emergency kit).

Some of the main features we find valuable are:

• Stong, lightweight construction from manganese steel

• Integrated shut-off valve notches (two different angles for ease) for quick and easy gas shut off

• Durable, high visibility powder coating

• Well ground pry tangs for easier prying in tight seems

• Notch for hanging on a nail or screw to keep at-the ready for an emergency

• Compact and easy to handle at just 15 inches (fits in most backpacks and duffles for your emergency kit)

If you are interested in this combination emergency tool, check your gas shut-off valve to make sure the 1 6/16 inch notches will fit your particular shut-off valve.  These notches were designed to fit most gas shut-off valves.

At the end of the day, this is one of my favorite emergency tools because it has several attributes we look for in any disaster tool.  It is compact, strong, lightweight, multi-functional, and versatile.

Click here to see or purchase this POGO (Pry Off Shut Off) gas shut-off and pry bar.

Click here to see all of our emergency preparedness tools.

Earthquake.tel

Every Life Secure
An Emergency Preparedness Blog helping to make "Every Life Secure" in any emergency or disaster... at home, work, school, or on-the-go

Blackouts - Candles Pose a Fire Hazard - Use Light Sticks

With blackouts making the headlines once again due to severe winter weather, it is a good time to be reminded of a very important blackout safety tip:

"Avoid using lighted candles."

Over 15,000 residential fires and 150 deaths occur each year in the United states due to fires started by candles.  In a blackout, the use of candles to provide light significantly increases the chances of starting a house fire.  The irony is that the same conditions that caused the blackout in the first place (severe storms) can often delay firefighters in responding to a house fire.

While there are safety tips for use of candles in the home, it is better to avoid them altogether when planning for any emergency, including a blackout.  Some emergency kit manufacturers include candles in their emergency kits, but we do not use them as we think there are better alternatives that do not pose a fire risk.  We have also been guided by the fact that the Amerian Red Cross discourages their use in a blackout because of the fire hazard.

When I was growing up overseas in the Philippines, we had a lot of blackouts.  We typically responded with a combination of candles, kerosene lanterns, and flashlights. While flashlights remain a good solution and battery or crank driven lanterns are another alternative with no associated fire risk, I never use candles or fuel burning lanterns indoors today in the case of an emergency.  There is really no reason to use candles if one is prepared with appropriate alternatives.

If you have a hard time keeping batteries on hand or you don't want to have to "crank" for your light, the best alternative to candles is to use glowing light sticks.  One can find good quality light sticks that will last for up to 12 hours in any camping supply store or on-line from any emergency preparedness company.  Avoid the toy-grade light sticks often sold around Halloween time.

At LifeSecure.com we sell military-grade 12-hour light sticks and pack them in most of our emergency kits because they are:

• non-flammable (generate no heat or spark)

• non-toxic (so they are safe for children to use)

• waterproof (so they can be used in any weather conditions)

We also like the fact that they have a long shelf life - certified to last for 4 years - and are extremely easy to use.  Just bend them in half and the non-toxic chemicals mix and you have instant light.  Most military or emergency grade glowing light sticks put out about as much light as a typical candle.  I have read with them in the dark as well as moved around a dark house with ease.

In a blackout you can easily put one in each room or move them with you for light.  There is no need to shield a flame as you move, keep children and pets away from them, worry about leaving them unattended, or to remember to blow them out when you go to sleep.  I have found that the green (or yellow) glow is actually comforting to children and it is easy for each child to have their own light in a blackout situation.

I also like that they are very thin and compact and many are designed to be worn on a lanyard or hung from a hook or nail if desired.  They are compact enough to stick an extra few just about anywhere you might need them.

I keep several on hand in the house, in my car, and in each of my 72 hour emergency kits.  I always feel better prepared with a combination of a flashlight and some light sticks to provide an instant, reliable source of light.  I have picked up many flashlights in my life only to be disappointed that the batteries were dead, but I have never had this issue with a light stick.  As long as it is within its dating, you don't have to worry about whether its power will be drained when you need it most.

At about $1.50 or so each, they really are a great and affordable emergency lighting solution for a blackout or any other emergency at home, at work, at school or on-the-go.

Every Life Secure
An Emergency Preparedness Blog helping to make "Every Life Secure" in any emergency or disaster... at home, work, school, or on-the-go

How Many Volcanoes are there in the USA? Where are the 18 considered "Very Dangerous"? Do You Need to Prepare?

Can such a magestic mountain as this...

   wake up one morning looking like this?  

Apparently so, as that is just what happened to Mount Redoubt Volcano in Alaska in 1990 and what scientists fear is about to happen again.  When I read about this breaking story this morning, I wondered how many volcanoes there are in the United States and where they are.

The answer: 169.  Click here to see where they are and when they last erupted.

As I did a bit of research, I was more interested to find out that 18 are considered "Very High Threat Volcanoes."  Twelve of these have been active or erupted within the last 200 years and 8 since 1984.

As indicated on geology.com, "These volcanoes have devastated large areas with volcanic blasts, invaded their surroundings with lava flows, produced large mudflows that have swept over hundreds of square miles, emitted noxious gases that have caused lung ailments and produced ash clouds that have brought down passenger jets and blanketed thousands of square miles."

The lesson is clear... whether you live in Alaska, Hawaii, California, Oregon, Washington state or any of their neighboring states, it is wise to be prepared with at least a complete 72 hour emergency kit and a good supply of respirators (good quality breathing masks).  Click here for more on what to do before and during a volcanic eruption.

Note as well, that the effects of large eruptions can be felt thousands of miles away as the volcanic ash clouds travel.  So just because you don't have a volcano next door, doesn't mean that you may not be impacted by a volcanic eruption.  Here is a good article on the dangers posed by volcanic ash.

What have you done to prepare for a volcanic eruption?  If you have ever lived through one, please share your "secure survivor story" with us by commenting or emailing me at [email protected].

Every Life Secure
An Emergency Preparedness Blog helping to make "Every Life Secure" in any emergency or disaster... at home, work, school, or on-the-go

Secure Suvivor from Latin America - Emergency Preparation Saves the Family

This week I presented a seminar on emergency preparedness and 72 hour emergency kits to an inner city hispanic church congregation.  Their women's auxiliary had asked me to help their group learn how to prepare for potential disasters.  As we started, several people in the audience shared their secure survivor stories.  Given that most of the participants had grown up in Latin America, all but one person in the audience had experienced some type of man-made or natural disaster at some point in their lives.

One story that stood out for me was told by a 40-something year old mother of three who had grown up in a Central American country but has been living here in the United States and raising her family for the last several years.  When she was a teenage girl, her family had been warned that they needed to prepare for an emergency by having food, water and other basics on hand to last for several days.  As a teenager, she had paid little attention to the warnings and found them annoying.  Luckily her parents heeded the warnings and did prepare by storing some basic emergency supplies for survival.

Without warning, her family awoke one day to serious political violence in their city.  They were forced to stay in their home for over a week as people were being shot in the streets by one faction or another.  She knew people who had not prepared for an emergency and had thus quickly run out of food.  When the violence extended beyond just a few days, these families were forced to send family members out to try and find food.  Some of those who went to get food never came back because they were caught in the streets, shot, and killed.

She and her family remained safe inside their home until the violence had subsided.  They were able to safely shelter-in-place because they were prepared in advance of any indication that there was about to be a life-threatening emergency  Their was no need to convince this mother of three to be prepared with basic emergency supplies in case of a disaster.  She was there at my class to learn how to improve upon the supplies she already had rather than to be persuaded to prepare for an emergency.

I find that those who have been through some kind severe emergency or disaster have the need to be prepared pressed into their minds for the rest of their lives.  This is true whether they were well prepared at the time or they had to suffer in some manner because of lack of preparation.  I also find that sharing such stories can help to motivate those who have yet to experience a disaster or severe emergency to become prepared. 

These stories can also share key insight into how to best prepare for certain kinds of disasters.  In this case, having basic supplies (such as extra food) to shelter-in-place for several days was key to the survival of this lady's family.

Do you have a secure survivor story?  If so, please share it with us by commenting or emailing me at [email protected].  How did you survive a disaster or emergency and what did you learn from the experience that might help others?

Every Life Secure
An Emergency Preparedness Blog helping to make "Every Life Secure" in any emergency or disaster... at home, work, school, or on-the-go

Emergency Preparedness at Home - "I have a smoke detector; now what?"

Perhaps the largest step forward for emergency preparedness at home in the last several decades was the introduction of mass produced home smoke detectors in the 1970's and 80's.  Today about 93% of homes have a smoke detector to warn of fire.  Countless lives have been saved by these devices over the years and most people would agree that having one or more in the home improves safety and just makes common sense.

For years we have been encouraged by the government and disaster response organizations to take another step forward in preparing ourselves and our families for an emergency or disaster.  We have been encouraged to have an emergency preparedness kit on hand to provide basic survival supplies to last for at least 72 hours (3 days) on our own in case of an emergency or disaster.  Despite the encouragements, a survey by the American Red Cross and The Council for Excellence in Government indicates that:

"The majority of Americans remain unprepared.  Only 4 percent have taken all of the preparedness actions recommended in the RQ and 23 percent have not taken a single step."

(The RQ, or Readiness Quotient, is a tool used to evaluate one's level of readiness for an emergency or disaster based on several suggested steps including having an emergency plan and an emergency kit.) 

 

View the full survey results.

Test your own RQ - Readiness Quotient.

Tips for increasing your RQ - Readiness Quotient

 

Of 1,000 adults surveyed nationwide, only 42% had some kind of emergency supplies or kit on hand.  Other studies, and my own experience in the emergency preparedness business, indicate a much smaller percentage of people actually have a full three day supply of emergency basics as recommended by the Department of Homeland Security and the American Red Cross. 

The percentage of individuals and families with a fully stocked emergency kit varies widely from location to location throughout the country.  In many neighborhoods one would be hard pressed to find a single "prepared" family on any given block.  My experience would indicate that well less than 10% of households are fully prepared for a disaster.

The media coverage following Hurricane Katrina brought home the reality that federal, state, and municipal authorities will not be able to immediately help everyone in case of a major disaster.  Just as there is a need to have smoke detectors because we can't each have a firefighter on duty 24/7 in our own home, we each need to prepare to be able to provide for our own basic needs in an emergency or disaster. 

The recommendation to prepare for at least 3 days comes from the fact that experience has shown that it will take at least that long (and maybe longer) for authorities to provide assistance to most of the people who may be affected by any given large disaster.

If you find yourself among those whose current level of preparedness is at the "Well, at least I do have a smoke detector" stage, we suggest that you take the "next step."  The next step as outlined by the Department of Homeland Security on  www.ready.gov is to "Get a Kit".   

A well stocked emergency kit should meet your basic needs for up to three days (72 hours) and should include supplies that provide for the 10 BASIC EMERGENCY NEEDS:

• water
• food
• breathing protection
• first aid
• shelter
• warmth
• communication
• light
• tools
• sanitation/hygiene

Click on each of these links to see checklists from the Department of Homeland Security and the American Red Cross on what should be included in each in each 72 hour emergency kit. These are the two lists we use to guide our development of LifeSecure home emergency preparedness kits.

Whether you buy an emergency kit ready-assembled by an emergency preparedness company or build your own, beyond the 10 BASICS, you will also need to add several personal items to increase your comfort and preparedness.  Both the Department of Homeland Security and the American Red Cross lists address suggestions for added personal items.

Though it is helpful to have several items that can be used in your home if you need to shelter-in-place, it is critical to have a compact, light-weight grab-and-go kit in case you need to evacuate.  Consider how much you can realistically carry should you end up on-foot.  We find that many people prefer to have a rolling bag kit in case they need to travel on-foot for some distance.  Some of these bags convert to backpacks or have a shoulder strap should they have to be carried over debris or rough ground.

One other important consideration when preparing an emergency kit is the shelf-life of the components.  Most people don't care to be constantly inspecting and updating their kits nor paying to replace outdated items.  If you value the ability to "buy it once, pack it once, and forget it", make sure that you select food, water, light and communication options that will last for 4 to 5 years or more.  Most comercially assembled kits provide long-shelf life options for these supplies.  Because of their long-life, kits purchased from reputable emergency preparedness companies can help to prepare a family for in the range of only $7.00 to $14.00 per person per year.  That's not a lot of money to spend to secure one's family in case of a disaster.

On the Ready America website, the Department of Homeland Security recommends 3 Steps to be Prepared for an emergency or disaster: Get a kit, Make A Plan, Be Informed.  Getting an emergency kit is a concrete and achievable "next step" for most people to take in increasing their personal and family preparedness for any emergency or disaster.

Need personal help in meeting your home preparedness needs?  Just contact us at LifeSecure.

Every Life Secure
An Emergency Preparedness Blog helping to make "Every Life Secure" in any emergency or disaster... at home, work, school, or on-the-go