Dangers and emergencies are liable to strike us with no prior warning. Human response at such times is automatic, almost instinctive, and is affected to a great extent by thinking, knowledge and prior experience. There is no point in trying to look for new answers to a concrete danger while it’s threatening you. It is well-known that people who have planned on how to cope with emergencies and know what to do, have been able to act correctly, thereby saving themselves, their family members, and those in their surroundings. Emergencies can be large-scale, threatening many people who are liable to be hurt. By their nature, these are rare. However, there are more common emergencies on a smaller scale, though sometimes grave in their effect on both body and soul: traffic accidents, an electrical short that sparks a fire, a small-scale hazardous materials incident, work accidents, and more.
Mass emergencies put a strain on emergency response personnel, so that these may find it difficult to get to and treat every injured person quickly. People might find that they have to cope on their own and deal with their problems by themselves, sometimes for a considerable period of time.
Even in a smaller-scale emergency, due to the circumstances of the event, those involved may find themselves alone in their distress and having to cope with their problems on their own, at least for a short period of time. In such cases, too, it is important that the individual know how to save him/herself and the people around him/her, and, in particular, be able to carry out those functions that must be done immediately. Not doing those actions right away might cause irreversible damages consistent with the circumstances of the particular event.
It is clear, therefore, that the time to learn, train and prepare is during a period of peace and calm. The assumption that people in a crisis can follow directions they have not prepared for is very much mistaken. This is why it is necessary to set an organized and consistent process of prior planning and preparation into place.
Basic Assumptions with Regard to Creating a Family Emergency Plan
1. Emergencies are liable to strike without any warning. In a crisis, people tend to act upon prior knowledge and experience. There is no point in trying to look for new answers to a concrete danger while it’s threatening you. At that moment, human response is automatic, almost instinctive. Therefore, it is clear that the time for thinking, learning, practicing, and preparing is during a period of peace and calm.
2. People tend to underestimate the likelihood of a potential threat or the severity of its possible consequences. A very small percentage of the population devotes any attention at all to planning behavior during an emergency. People’s awareness increases significantly only when they face a growing, concrete threat. This is why it is necessary to set in place an organized and consistent process of planning and preparation. Prior preparation allows for a better transition from the routine to an emergency, and therefore also enables people more easily to keep on functioning. The assumption that people in a crisis can follow directions they have not prepared for is very much mistaken.
3. Generally speaking, people tend to relate to events by adjusting. They cope with a given situation and act. How people react in emergencies is of great importance. Given that the majority of people’s undertakings happens within the family setting, how people react and function as family units has a tremendous impact on their level of coping with an emergency.
4. When it is possible to foresee stressful events and also to discern ways of coping with them and exerting control, functionality improves. Therefore, people need accurate, concrete, specific and clear information that includes practical directives regarding how to behave. All of these allow preparing for emergencies on the rational, emotional and practical levels.
5. From studies that have examined family responses to emergencies, it is clear that families react positively to suggestions that they come up with personal and family plans for emergencies when the directions are clear and detailed, e.g., directions to set up a potential evacuation site away from home (with family or friends), ahead of time to come up with a list of essential effects in case of evacuation, to list the requirements of a secure space and to learn them, to divide up the tasks among family members, and to make immediate contact arrangements in the event of a crisis.
Creating a family emergency plan has the following positive outcomes:
1. It increases a feeling of efficiency and self-control.
2. It turns a vague threat into a clearer and more defined situation.
3. The division of tasks makes the family into a more efficient unit during an emergency.
4. Decision-making in a real emergency becomes much easier.
5. It decreases the chance of denial when a threatening situation is emerging.
A family emergency plan can make the children active participants in the process of preparing the family for an emergency. Experience tells us that a feeling of efficiency helps to cope with stress, and also that people with specific, defined tasks and relevant skills handle stress better than others. It follows then that if we give the children additional clearly defined tasks and teach them relevant skills, we will increase their efficiency which will, in turn, boost their emotional resiliency. Preparing a family emergency plan can play a central role in this process.
The Stages of Preparing a Family Emergency Plan
First stage:
Gather information about possible emergencies and their significance (identifying possible dangers and risks in the home and immediate surroundings).
Second stage:
Hold a family workshop discussion to plan the various activities to undertake when facing an emergency. Analyze emergencies you can anticipate. Analyze in detail all possible and desirable preparation steps and means.
Third stage:
Execute all the elements of the plan.
Fourth stage:
Hold periodic family discussions that include refreshing the plan itself, and drilling and practicing it, in order to maintain the family’s level of preparedness. Periodically, check the emergency supplies.
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