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At 10:20 a.m. on October 20, thousands of British Columbians will “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” in The Great British Columbia ShakeOut, the largest earthquake drill in BC history! Everyone is encouraged to participate in the drill wherever you are at 10:20 a.m. on 10/20!
British Columbia is located in a seismically active region where a few thousand earthquakes occur each year in and adjacent to the province. The threat of a major earthquake in the province is real and all British Columbians must know how to be prepared.
The ShakeOut is our chance to practice how to protect ourselves, and for everyone to become prepared. The goal is to prevent disasters from becoming catastrophes.
Once you register, participation can be as simple as three easy steps:
1. Drop, Cover, and Hold On: Drop to the ground, take Cover under a table or desk, and Hold On to it as if a major earthquake were happening (stay down for at least 60 seconds).Practice now so that you will immediately protect yourself during an earthquake!
2. While still under the table, or wherever you are, look around and imagine what would happen in a major earthquake. What would fall on you or others? What would be damaged? What would life be like after?
3. Finally, you can practice what you will do after the shaking stops.
Everyone can participate!.
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Plan an Escape
- Gather all family members and housemates. Sketch a floor plan of all rooms with doors, windows, and hallways. Include each floor of the home.
- Draw the escape plan with arrows showing two ways, if possible, to get out of each room. Sleeping areas are most important, since most fires happen at night. Plan to use stairs only.
- Plan where everyone will meet after leaving the building.
- Assign someone to call the fire department after leaving the burning building. Many locations use 9-1-1 for the emergency number. When you travel, take a moment to find out the local emergency number and keep it on hand.
Practice the Escape
These are guidelines for escaping from a fire:
- If there is smoke, crawl low to escape. As smoke rises, breathable air is often close to the floor.
- Make sure children can open windows, go down a ladder, or lower themselves to the ground. Practice with them. Always lower children to the ground first before you go out.
- Get out quickly and never return to a burning building.
- If you can’t get out, stay in the rooms and stuff door cracks and vents with towels, rags, or clothing. If there is a phone, call the fire department, even if rescuers are already outside, and tell the dispatcher your exact location.
Fire Precautions
It is best to try to prevent burns and fires in the first place with these guidelines:
- Install smoke detectors on every floor of your home and maintain them. Many homes have smoke detectors that do not work because of old or missing batteries. A handy way to remember the batteries is to change them twice a year when you reset your clocks for daylight savings time.
- Keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen and know how to use it.
- Turn pots on the store so that their handles do not stick out.
- Lift the far edge of lids on hot pans first to prevent burns from steam.
- Keep flammables and matches out of the reach of children.
- Always take special care when smoking.
- Don’t leave children alone while you cook.
- Keep all electrical cords clear of counter edges where toddlers may pull on them and cause appliances to fall.
- Double check before leaving the kitchen to make sure that burners are turned off.
- Keep curtains and clothing away from fireplaces and stoves.
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There may be circumstances which you and your family feel endangered and you need to leave your home, school or workplace. Learn about the hazards that may strike your community, the risks you face from these hazards, and your community’s plan for warning and evacuation.
When community evacuations become necessary, local officials provide information to the public through the media. In some circumstances, other warning methods, such as sirens or telephone calls, may also be used.
The amount of time you have to leave will depend on the hazard. If the event is a weather condition, that can be monitored, you may have a day or two to get ready. However, many disasters do not allow time for people to get ready and gather basic necessities, which is why planning ahead is essential.
Evacuations are more common than people realize.
Always:
- Keep a full tank of gas in your car
- Make transportation arrangements if you don’t own a car
- Listen to the radio and follow evacuation instructions
- Leave early
- Follow evacuation routes
- Do not take shortcuts; they may be blocked
- Do not drive into flooded areas
- Stay away from downed power lines
If time permits:
- Gather your disaster supplies kit
- Wear sturdy shoes and clothing that provides protection
- Secure your home
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1. Hazards. Employees need to know what could go wrong in their job and injure or make them ill. They need to be able to identify hazards, and they must know the steps they need to take to protect themselves against these hazards. They also need to know how to correct or report unsafe conditions that could lead to an accident.
2. Safety rules and regulations that apply to the job. Your workers should be thoroughly familiar with all your safety and health rules that apply to their job. If there are Worksafe regulations that apply to their job as well, these should be explained so that employees understand what they need to do to ensure compliance.
3. Required job skills and knowledge. Employees must know how to perform their jobs properly. This means having the skills and knowledge required to do a good, safe job.
4. Required PPE. For any task where PPE is required, employees must understand how to select, inspect, use, and maintain PPE. They should also understand the limitations of PPE and what to do with damaged or defective PPE.
5. Safety controls. If engineering controls, like ventilation or machine safeguards, are required for employees to perform their job safely, then they need to understand when and how these controls should be used. Administrative controls, like permits for confined spaces or time limits for working in areas with airborne chemical hazards, should be understood and complied with.
6. Proper ergonomics. Most industrial jobs involve some ergonomic risks. Employees should understand these risks and the safe work practices required to prevent physical stress, strain, and musculoskeletal disorders.
7. What to do if something goes wron g. Employees should know what to do in emergencies such as fires, chemical spills, and accidents involving injuries,. They should also know to whom emergencies should be reported and how to report them
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The 6.4 earthquake that struck off of Vancouver Island 2 weeks ago was one of the strongest felt in BC and the largest since 2004. Although the Port Alice quake caused no major damage and was not powerful enough to create a tsunami effect, people in Richmond and Downtown Vancouver felt the shaking and aftershocks continued for days. My neighbour recalls sitting in her chair and watching the blinds shake and holding on to her chair as it moved across the floor. Downtown Vancouver felt the shaking as it was felt more in taller buildings.
According to The Vancouver Sun, this quake was on the Nootka fault and not on the Juan de Fuca and the Explorer, the subduction of which is expected to cause “The Big One”.
This incident should be a reminder to BC residents to not be reactive. Be proactive and prepare.
