Emergency Evacuation Supplies, Tools, and Plans

It goes without saying that it is important to have emergency evacuation supplies and plans for both your home and your office. One never knows when an emergency may strike and it is best to have a clearly planned evacuation scenario in place. After all, what if the emergency struck in the middle of the night? Would you be at your sharpest, thinking clearly, being woken from a deep slumber to chaos? No. That is why you should think through disaster scenarios during a time of normalcy. What evacuation routes will you take? What precautions need to be in place? What supplies and tools should you have on hand and incorporate into your emergency evacuation plans?

When you sit down with your family or coworkers to work on your emergency plans and supplies you should set a number of parameters. Designate a meeting place for everyone to gather once they've evacuated the premises. Identify all exits and possible evacuation point available in the structure. Develop different plans for different scenarios. Should a fire break out, certain exits may not be available for escape usage. Part of your emergency plans should involve making sure you have good quality smoke alarms and that their batteries are changed often enough to ensure they are in optimal working condition.

Another helpful alarm system to factor into your emergency evacuation supplies and plans is a carbon monoxide alarm. This silent and scentless gas can be very harmful, and even cause death. An alarm system in your home or office would alert you to the presence of an unhealthy level of carbon monoxide. Other essential emergency evacuation supplies include fire extinguishers, fire escape ladders and fire blankets. Think of it this way, if a fire is literally knocking at your bedroom door, wouldn't having a fire escape ladder to put outside your window give you a lot of peace of mind? Every home and office should contain multiple fire extinguishers to aid in putting out fires as they start and preventing them from turning into large scale emergencies.

In summary, it is prudent to prepare your emergency evacuation supplies and plans in advance. You should have a plan in place for both your home and your office. Make sure all smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are functioning. Equip your residence and office with fire extinguishers. Plan escape routes. Finally, review, revise, and update your emergency plan and supplies at least once every 6 months.