As school begins another year, so must our efforts to get our children prepared for natural disasters at school. As parents, our commute to work sometimes seperates us from our children by counties. We must remind ourselves it could be hours or days before you return. Supplies important to survival need to be stored at school. Below is the short list of items.
Food- a 3 day supply providing necessary vitamins and mineral especially important when under stress. Food that is non-thirst provoking. Avoid foods high in sugar and/or salt. Food that will store year after year and stores well in heat.
Water- Critical to survival. Water should be sterile for long term storage and safety. Water should be rationed in 4 oz. servings. The body can only absorb 4 oz. within an hour for hydration. Any more than that simply gets wasted.
Warmth- To prevent hypothermia shock, a thermal blanket is a great solution. It reflects body heat back to the victim rather than being absorbed into the material. It is also waterproof, keeping the victim dry as well.
The classic mistakes made in putting your own earthquake kit together is selecting food or drink that include high sugar, corn syrup, high sodium which provokes more thirst. The unnatural thirst created by high sugars is the release of insulin which requires water for the process making one thirsty. Not including enough water or using sugary fruit drinks. Not providing a blanket for warmth.
Consider where disaster preparedness supplies will be stored at the school, i.e. storage containers with heat affecting the food and water storage. If the water is not sterile and the packaging is not airtight, spoliage can occur in both the food and/or water.
Our Classroom Survival Packs solve all the above problems. Each 2400 calorie Food Bar will provide the energy and nutrition for 3 days while storing safely for 5 years. The 9 sterile Water Pouches are double sealed again for safety and a 5 year shelf life. The Thermal Banket will provide the warmth necessary if forced to spend the night outdoors. With the addition of a light stick the fear of being in the dark is eliminated. We provide kits to parents directly as well as to school sites.
The recent earthquakes in Haiti, Chile and now in southern California are a reminder to get prepared. We must take steps now to become more self reliant and capable of taking care of our families in a disaster.
What we must have in place are supplies that we will need immediately. Supplies that are critical when you will not have firefighters and paramedics available to respond to everyone. Supplies that are not readily available but necessary in a true emergency such as an earthquake.
1. A "Real" First Aid Kit- This is number one on our list because injuries don't and can't wait. They must be attended to immediately. You must have a kit that can handle problems even when you do not have immediate access to 9-1-1. A "Real" first aid kit is a kit that is more than a owie or boo, boo kit. More than just band-aids and wipes. What you need is a kit with at least CPR barrier mask, trauma dressings, multiple 4x4 gauze dressings, gauze rolls, paramedic scissors, a real splint (not popsicle sticks), sterile water, burn dressing, etc. This is a kit that can manage serious and minor injuries. The ability to stabilize and sterilize can be lifesaving when outside sources become limited or unavailable.
2. Utility shutoff tool- The ability to control your gas and water meters is extremely important to minimize property damage and risk to life safety. To reduce the risk of fire and explosions immediately following an earthquake is critical. Always check the gas meter dials to determine a leak. Don't rely on just smelling it. As most leaks will be in the walls or attic of the home and you may not smell gas til it is to late. Look for a non-sparking metal tool that will turn off both your gas and water meters.
3. Fire Extinguisher- Since all fires start small, having an extinguisher handy is a great advantage for preserving life and property. Purchase an ABC dry chemical extinguisher. This type will extinguish all three classes of fire (ordinary combustibles, flammable liquids and electrical. Keep a fire extinguisher in the home and car. Periodically check the gauge to make sure your extinguisher is fully charged.
4. Water storage- Even though you may not need water in the next hour. It will become critical to your families survival in the following hours and days. This not something you can get later. Store enough Water- a minimum of one gallon per person per day for 7-14 days for drinking and hygiene. Store tap water in approved barrels and treat with "Water Preserver" for five-year storage. Keep "Water Purification Tablets" on hand to treat any untreated or questionable water. One tablet will treat one quart of water. Never store water in old bleach bottles, milk type plastic containers (as they are made from breathable plastic) in the garage because any fumes from vehicles, paints, solvents, pesticides will contaminate your supply.
5. Car Survival Kit- Since we take our cars everywhere, place one in each family members car. You will always be prepared. Store 3-day Food Bar, Sterile Water Pouches, Medical, Warmth (thermal blanket) & Lightsticks and flashlight in your kit.
Duck, Cover & Hold has been a mainstay of California preparedness and response for years. There has been some recent controversy regarding its' effectiveness since folks have received "Triangle of Life" emails from a Doug Copp, a self-proclaimed rescue expert with no formal training in the area of Urban Search and Rescue.
He suggests in California we should no longer duck and cover under furniture, but rather get down next to it. For schools he is suggesting children should lie in the aisles instead of under desks made from solid wood or steel legs with wood tops. He bases this idea on the theory "Triangle of Life" which is based on a void space being created when a building collapses and lands on the furniture. The lean to effect creates voids where people can survive. The theory is accurate. (Photo: school library, Coalinga California)
But, not taking cover leaves one extremely vulnerable and exposed to all the other debris and building pieces that could easily impale a survivor or seriously injure their necks, heads and/or backs. Not to mention the greatest hazard, Glass. Glass imploding into a room can impale itself into drywall. Why would you want to be so exposed. As a professional firefighter I can't tell you how many times my polycarbonate helmet has kept me from being seriously injured. Being under any furniture would be a great piece of protection.
The idea that everything will be crushed is not realistic with California construction or the U.S. for that matter. We do not build un-reinforced concrete buildings. We use lightweight construction such as wood. He uses examples of buildings in third world countries. In countries such as Turkey, Pakistan and China they suffer losses of life in the numbers of 5,000 to 30,000 from earthquakes with of magnitudes from 5.3 to a 7.2. In California, our earthquakes of Loma Prieta in No. California and Northridge in So. California only caused 63 and 57 deaths. Our building standards speak for themselves.
I have personally been in collapsed structures in California. The furniture has never been crushed. Instead we find a ceiling structure lying on top of all the homes furnishings. Remember the entire load will not rest on one piece of furniture. The load will be shared among many pieces, thus sharing the load throughout the room or building.
Of even greater concern to me is the number of school teachers who may as a result of this erroneous Triangle of Life e-mail, begin to place their (our) children in the aisles of classrooms. To suggest that not having cover in a classroom during an earthquake is an advantage over Duck, Cover & Holding under furniture is completely irresponsible and dangerous. The greatest risk in a classroom is not the risk of building collapse but rather the heavy light fixtures that have a real probability of coming down and severely injuring them while lying in the aisles. (note the above photo)
Take advantage of any cover you have available, and remember you cannot outrun an earthquake. Duck, Cover & Hold will save lives.
UPDATE "Hands Only" CPR , Is it Real?
On March 31st, 2008 the American Heart Assoc. came out with some shocking news. In an attempt to get more people to perform CPR the AHA is suggesting that if you witness sudden cardiac arrest of an Adult and you are unable or unwilling to perform mouth to mouth breaths, you may perform compressions only.
This does not apply to children under 12 yrs. old or infants.
Compressions only is not the preferred method. But, it is better than nothing for adults following a witnessed collapse. It is believed that the victim may have a few minutes of air in the lungs that can be circulated. Just remember it may realistically take Fire Dept. paramedics 5-8 minutes to get on scene and take over.
My greatest concern as a CPR instructor is the fact that most folks do not carry a CPR barrier mask or gloves with them. This leaves two options. Niether one is a good idea. One option with no mask is not to perform mouth to mouth. Not a good option for the victim. Second option is to do mouth to mouth without protection. Not a good option for you.
The solution is to buy a key chain CPR barrier and carry it either in your purse or of course with your keys. The key chain pouch contains a mask, gloves and a antimicrobial wipe (kills HIV, Hepatitis, Herpes, etc.) this portable solution is available at our website http://www.disastersurvivalskills.com/ for $9.95. This mask is American made and is the only double one-way valve mask on the market. Highest quality for your personal protection. You can use this mask on adults and children.
Myth #1 - Planning and Preparedness is useless, people just panic in disasters
A small portion of people may suffer from Disaster Shock and become paralyzed by what is before them. But the real truth is, the greater majority of people perform with unusual effectiveness and stamina. Often heroically. Although, due to this emotional state, some well intentioned folks make mistakes. These persons we will call spontaneous rescuers, tend to make decisions using their hearts instead of their heads (emotions vs. common sense). With proper training, they learn to become part of the solution, instead of the problem. Saving lives and property at home.
Myth #2 - Get into a Doorway
In an earthquake at home to get into a doorway means you probably moved away from some perfectly good cover in the form of furniture. Remember, every step you take during the shaking, you increase your odds of becoming injured by falling and flying debris within the room. Doorways pose risks to the victim whose hands become crushed by the slamming door. This myth was created back in a time when many of the California Missions were built from adobe. After an earthquake the only part of the building left standing, was the doorway. With modern construction standards improving over the years, doorways have actually become the weakest part of the structure.
Myth #3 - Food and Water is the most important
Actually food and water can wait. The truth is at home, school or work a First Aid Kit, Fire Extinguisher and Utility Shutoff tool are the most important. No one will starve to death in the following minutes, hours or even days. But failing to manage first aid injuries, fires and/ or your utilities in the first minutes of a disaster can lead to a true disaster. Not attending to Breathing or severe Bleeding and managing Shock immediately could lead to death in only minutes. To reduce the risk of infection a "Real First Aid Kit" is a must. Not extinguishing fires following an earthquake will lead to much larger fires. Failing to control utilities almost always leads to explosions and/or fires.
Myth #4 - Adding Bleach to Drinking Water
Bad idea. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists bleach on their website as a pesticide. Along with mercury and arsenic and other dangerous chemicals in bleach, you should avoid this option at all costs. Never use empty bleach bottles as storage for your tap water. The plastic in bleach bottles is very carcinogenic. When you add tap water the plastic releases dangerous chemicals into your drinking water. Those containers were never intended to be drank from. Bleach does not extend the shelf life of stored water. For water to store for years, it must be made sterile.
Myth #5 - Shut off the Gas Meter if you smell gas
The old saying if you smell gas-turn if off, is not always accurate or safe. Just because you smell gas does not mean it is your house that has the problem. What is unsafe about using the smell of gas as the measurement of safety is people then assume if no smell, no leak. With natural gas being lighter than air, it could be a considerable amount time before you discover gas leaking in your walls or attic space. The simple act of turning on a light switch could have devastating consequences. A better method is to watch for any dials turning on your gas meter. Remember, keep a wrench at the meter.