Emergency preparedness: How do I start – before I get started?

Now that you have established what “emergency preparedness” is, and that there is a legitimate need for it – as suggested by emergency response entities and advocates worldwide – the next step is to figure out how to get started with your own personal plan for addressing potential natural or man-made emergency scenarios.

At first, this can seem like an intimidating task. It is important to note that the acquisition of relevant skills beats “stuff,” such as gear, supplies and gadgets. “Stuff” can break down and has to be physically carried if you are forced to relocate. It expires, can be defective, becomes lost or gets used up. However, skills can be taken everywhere, giving you increased improvisational options with which to respond to a wide variety of situations. Options empower you.

Before we drop you into a forest with only a knife (which we are not going to do), the very first thing is to perform a personal assessment. Using the S.W.O.T. (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) business model of assessment for our own context, we can assess ourselves in order to see what we’re working with from scratch.

Do I possess first aid or other life-saving skills such as CPR training? Do I have applicable camping skills, such as outdoor cooking, water gathering or foraging, in case my power goes out for an extended period of time? These are “strengths.” Applicable skills, knowledge or gear (such as a generator) would be a plus.

Do I have physical or medical limitations of strength, or reliance on prescription medications? Am I limited financially, by available space in an apartment, or by my schedule or scope of personal responsibilities at home or elsewhere? These would be challenges in the “weakness” column of the S.W.O.T. assessment model.

How can I gain additional skills, information, supplies or coordinated mutual assistance in a disaster? This is the “opportunities” category, where you can strengthen your approach to preparedness.

What realistic natural or man-made hazards or scenarios have the most likely potential to endanger me or my family locally? These are “threats” to your ability to reduce your risk against various realistic, potential local hazards.

So, let’s take that from the top. Though they are not the only useful skills in preparedness, life-saving skills such as CPR and basic first aid are extremely valuable, not just in a disaster but in everyday life. Having and safely using a backup generator, as another example, affords you the valuable option of backup power in an electrical power outage.

If you have medical challenges such as strength or functional restrictions of endurance or, say, a daily dependence on insulin, you need options to address these issues. Physical assistance, and the ability to keep your injectable insulin cool in a power outage, for example, would be useful responses to those challenges. First aid and CPR classes through your local fire department are a valuable opportunity that you can take advantage of, as are classes or lectures on other applicable information and skills. Learning what your specific potential threats are also plays a paramount role in overall planning for your family.

Personal and regional assessment is an important step that should not be overlooked. We previously went over various regional risks to justify preparedness. After a personal assessment of abilities, challenges, opportunities and hazards, and knowing what your potential threats are, we are closer to measured and logical responses.

Richard Martin is the director of the non-profit group NorthWest Emergency Preparedness (NWEP).