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Back to School Safety and Planning for Emergencies
Now is a good time to review back-to-school safety with your children and check school safety policies. Here are four tips for a safe return to school:
- Review your family emergency plan and check emergency kit supplies
Sit down with your children to talk about different kinds of emergencies and review your family emergency plan. Talk about what to do and where you will meet if you are not together when an emergency takes place. Involve your children in preparing an emergency kit or checking your emergency supplies to make sure you have key items on hand and check expiry dates on batteries and food.
- Be aware of school emergency procedures Make sure you read information from the school about their plan for emergencies, emergency procedures and alternate locations should an emergency take place. Also be sure to check that the school has current emergency contact information for your children, including work, mobile and home telephone numbers.
- Watch for children walking, cycling and coming off school buses
Children are small and easily distracted, and for drivers, this can create dangerous situations on the roads. Be vigilant and alert behind the wheel, especially in school zones. You never know when a small child might step out from between parked cars or off a sidewalk. And parents, take time to remind your children about crossing the street safely, wearing a helmet while cycling, and staying safe on buses.
- Obey crossing guards A crossing guard is there to keep children safe. If you come up to a set of lights while driving, and the light turns green, but the crossing guard still says stop, follow his/her direction and not the traffic light. There might be a child still crossing the street that you can’t see.
Back to School FUNDraising
Tired of the same old fundraisers? In British Columbia, all levels of government recommend that EVERY family should be self sufficient for a minimum of 72 hours in case of ANY emergency. Have your PAC committee sell 72 hour emergency preparedness kits and get YOUR community PREPARED and earn up to $14 for EVERY kit purchased. Call today 604.277.5855 x. 221
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72hr kit for car
When we think of emergency preparedness it is human nature to think on a grand scale – of an earthquake, major flood and/or fire. Although it may be unlikely to be faced with one of these major disasters, there is no doubt that you will be faced with personal emergencies in your lifetime. Major traffic jam due to accident, rain, snow or wind;, power outage, bridge closure or snow storm. Carrying an emergency and/or emergency preparedness kit in your vehicle in case of earthquake will help you in ANY emergency. If you do not want to make something on your own – go to www.sostech.ca and purchase SQ6009 or SQ6010 (images shown) – these are perfect sized kits for the car.
We have created a list of items that you should consider in your kit – we have also rated the importance of each item.
M – MUST have – must have in order to survive
R – RECOMMEND – not required for survival but useful in an emergency
N – NICE to have – not necessary for survival but will make the experience more tolerable
M Water; 2 litres per person per day
M Food Bars; while granola bars and energy bars can be used they are thirst provoking. Try our Coast Guard approved 3600 calorie meal replacement bars
M Running shoes or walking shoes; always keep an extra pair in the car. You may have to walk home or long distances
M Hat; to serve as sun block or cover in the rain
M Gloves; for warmth or to move debris out of the way
R Blanket;
R Emergency (foil) Blanket; small and compact this can be used for shelter and warmth
N Change of clothes;
M First Aid Kit;
M City Map; If you are on foot or a disaster has changed the landscape a good map will help you find your way around
M Paper & Pen;
M Flashlight;
M Toilet paper or kleenex
M Whistle; to alert for help if required
R Duct Tape
R Swiss Army Knife
R Variety of hand tools; think about carrying screw driver, folding shovel & hammer
R Money; $20 in change can come in handy
N AM/FM radio; to keep informed
N Rope; useful for securing shelter
N Garbage Bags; provides protection from rain and can be used for emergency shelter
72hr EP Kit for car
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Mother’s Day is just around the corner. While it has become one of the major holidays in the North America, giving us a chance to honor the individuals in our lives who care for us, why give her the same old gift. Some women will have the luxury of being pampered at home with entertainment and meals prepared for them by family members. Flowers, chocolates, jewelry are among the most popular gifts for Mothers. Flashy gifts are nice, but all that Mom wants is to feel appreciated, loved and safe.
Why not think about safety this time? Here are a few suggestions:
- She likes biking – get her high-visibility clothes.
- Your Mom has a green thumb – she will be thankful for a gardening kit with knee pads, a cooling hat, and protective gloves.
- If she likes to attend live sports events, she will need hearing protection. Buy her fancy ear plugs or noise cancelling ear muffs.
- Is she a DIYer? Wearing a dust mask or a respirator is a must when engaged in home improvement activities – get her one, and she will be well-protected during her favorite DIY project. A safety ladder is another good option for active home improvement enthusiasts.
- Help her take care of the ones she loves most – give her a first aid and/or a 72hr emergency preparedness kit
As you can see, the choices are limitless. Think about what she really needs, you still have time to make the right decision. Celebrate everything that your Mother represents in your life with a gift of safety.
Visit www.sostech.ca for more ideas!
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Some of my friends call me a pessimist…. I think I am a realistic, well-prepared person. Should there ever be a major disaster, or a minor one for that matter, I know my family and I might be on our own for days – maybe even weeks. I want to BE PREPARED. But then again, I am the mom who always has the extra sunscreen, water, and snacks! Most people say, ‘I’ll get my emergency kits tomorrow,’ and tomorrow never comes. But I think: What if it happens tonight? What if you put it off and you’re sitting with your family? You don’t want to sit there wishing you had listened to that inner voice do you? You can put emergency preparedness kits in your home, car, office and more. But why run around trying to collect everything? Afterall, you are busy person. For as little as $150 CAD a family of four can have a starter home kit:
- backpack (you need those hands free)
- 4 x 3600 calorie food bars (shelf life 5 years)
- 24 x sterile water packets (shelf life 5 years)
- 1 x pkg of 20 water purification tablets
- 1 x hand crank flashlight, radio & USB cell phone charger
- 4 x 12hr light sticks
- 4 x whistles
- 4 x ponchos
- 4 x rolls of toilet tissue
- 4 x dust masks
- 4 x solar blanket
- 1 x signal mirror
- 1 x pr safety glasses
- 1 x pr work gloves
- 1 x “Call Police” sign
4 person 72hr emergency preparedness grab n’ go backpack
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Our office recently received a phone call from a low-risk office client. As this call came from an office client, in the workplace they rarely deal with first aid calls. However, a few weeks ago an employee experienced a scenario, was white-faced, light-headed and fainted. Then things went sideways. The co-workers who witnessed the episode panicked, did not remember company first aid protocol and in error left the patient alone. Neither co-worker picked up the phone to call the company first aid attendant. Instead, each went looking for the attendant, and as a result, the patient was alone for up to 5 minutes. When the attendant arrived on site with the SOS oxygen unit and first aid kit, he/she directed a staff member to call 911. However, additional time was lost as the first aid room (where the oxygen unit and kit were kept) were in the opposite direction of the first aid scenario. The staff member that was asked to call 911 froze – this occurred two more times. Several more response minutes were lost. Finally, a co-worker responded and left the area to call 911. However, the caller now had “no eyes” on the scenario and was unable to answer questions that the 911 operator was asking. In addition, the employee on the phone with 911 did not know or couldn’t remember the address of the building.
After de-briefing the client, I reassured them that the response from staff was not uncommon and there were a three simple things that could be put in place in the workplace to improve the response to future first aid scenarios.
- Once a month practice first aid scenarios with staff. Ex. simply have a co-worker lie on the floor and have other staff members practicing calling the first aid attendant and 911. Walk through the steps on a regular basis so the responses become second nature
- In addition to having a SOS oxygen unit in the first aid room, it is beneficial for the first aid attendant to have one and a first aid kit as his/her desk, so that they have the required equipment to respond quickly
- Label each phone in the workplace with at minimum the address and phone number of the workplace; if there is more room list the workplace first aid protocol
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Although we originally posted this blog in 2014, we thought it was prudent to re-post in light of the earthquake near Christmas 2015.
Each year it seems we all rotate the same resolutions in order to achieve a longer life: eat healthier, exercise more or quit a bad habit. All of these changes are controllable throughout the whole year, but what about unexpected events that can threaten your life? Unfortunately many people don’t think about emergency preparedness until they hear about a disaster that has happened somewhere else.
What if the disaster hits closer to home? Are you and your family prepared? Do you have an emergency plan?
Instead of recycling those usual and tired resolutions, this year make a resolution for you and your family to be safe. To help you out we at SOS Emergency Response Technologies have come up with 3 quick and easy steps to achieve this goal, so you can sit back and boast to your friends that you accomplished your resolutions for the year.
Step one – Check the batteries in your smoke detector.
Step two – Check your first aid kits. Take a look and see if any products are expired and need to be replaced. If you don’t have a first aid kit we recommend our General Purpose First Aid Kit FK1021 $14.95.
Step three – Check your emergency preparedness kit and update your emergency plan/contacts if needed. If you use bottles of water they have to be replaced yearly. Emergency Food Ration Bars and Emergency Sterile Water Packets last longer (5 years). Double check your contact lists to make sure it is up to date with current information and remind your family about the emergency plan you put in place. If you don’t have an emergency plan there are many sources on the internet. These days we find ourselves working and running errands at all hours of the day so the chances of your family being split up when a disaster hits are larger. Make sure you set a meeting point.
If you don’t have an emergency preparedness kit SOS Emergency Response Technologies has a variety of options to choose from. We have kits for 1, 2 and 4 person families and have economical versions as well.
That’s all there is to it! Although, there are a few extra steps you could take to make sure those around you are safe as well. Ask the human resources team if your workplace has an emergency plan as well as emergency kits. If you are on the safety committee make a point to bring it up at the next meeting and set up an emergency plan for your work place. SOS Emergency Response Technologies can also provide emergency preparedness kits and products for your workplace.
