How to Make an Emergency Plan for a Family

Life is unpredictable and full of surprises. It may seem unpleasant, but bad things can happen beyond our control. Therefore, knowing how to make an emergency plan for a family is a necessity and an idea that is not ignorable.

The word emergency itself means it occurs when we are not expecting it. Nevertheless, there are steps that individuals can take to safeguard their families from unwanted troubles. 

Likewise, planning against these emergencies ensures your family has a route to adopt in case of an unwanted event, So staying proactive leads to the surety and safety of your loved ones.

However, where to start and what to plan is the real question. This article will introduce you to the measures and actions you can take to set an emergency plan for your family. 

So, let us get started!

Emergency Plan Checklist 

Firstly, you need to outline a checklist of activities that will take place in case of any emergency. It is better to write it down instead of keeping it verbally.

Generally, a family emergency plan carries the mentioned details.

• Meeting point
• Emergency contact plan
• Emergency communication
• Evacuation plan
• In-house shelter plan
• Prepare needs plan
• Practice
• Contingency plan

All of the above will help to establish and execute a successful emergency plan. Let us now go deep into details for each one of the above.

• Meeting Point

It is pivotal to decide where all family members must report in an emergency. Generally, these meeting points are easily accessible and known to every family member.

Moreover, after consultation with all family members, you must select a meeting location to choose the best point where everybody can swiftly report during emergencies.

You can select a point by keeping in the following points.

• Select one location near your existing home.
• Select a second location farther away in case you have to evacuate your current house or cannot return to the area.

Selecting two locations will ensure safe passage, and families can meet at a site depending on the nature of the emergency.

• Emergency Contact Plan

In the next phase, you need to appoint an emergency contact person. You can nominate any of your friends or relatives residing in another state. In an emergency, it is better to contact a person who is not in the affected area.

Furthermore, this person will act as the connecting point for all types of communication during an emergency. To set up such a contact point, you must consider the following.

• Provide every family member with the emergency point of contact details, including name, address, and phone numbers (landline and cellular).
• Share contact numbers, names, and other special medical conditions with the emergency contact person. 
• Add a cut for the emergency contact number as “ICE” (in case of emergency), which makes it easy for you to reach out to your emergency person in case it happens.
• It would help if you established contingency communications channels to avoid hurdles in contacting each other. You can show family members how to text, as texting is more accessible than calling during an emergency.
• You must add social media usage details to improve your reach and let your friends and family learn about your location and status.

• Communication Plan

Accurate and timely communication can help save you from more considerable losses. Therefore, having a pre-planned communication system can help you and your family avoid severe losses in case of an emergency.

You can adopt the mentioned steps to develop an effective emergency communication plan.

• You can create a sheet bearing the contact numbers of all family members and distribute it amongst all of them.
• Ensure to place a parallel communication system, as cellular may fail during an emergency.
• Plan to equip family members with a cell phone, coin, or prepaid phone card.
• Please make a copy of the emergency contact information and place it with the Command or Family Readiness Officer. You must put your signatures on it and only be allowed to open in an emergency.

• Arrange Emergency Alerts

A warning system is always sound to avoid more significant accidents. Therefore, timely emergency alerts during a disaster can significantly reduce its impact. Thus, arrange multiple emergency alerts, with at least one with an audible signal.

• Plan an Evacuation

Evacuation is a mandatory part of any emergency plan and covers how to make an emergency plan for a family. Therefore, we suggest seeking professional advice while making an evacuation plan. They will support you in designing a practical method, yielding the best solution.

However, here are a few key points to remember while making an evacuation plan.

• Identify an emergency exit from your home and highlight it.
• Establish evacuation routes, which must lead to your designated meeting locations.
• Identify suitable transportation modes.
• If you do not have personal transportation, you must engage local authorities, neighbors, or friends to make transportation routes out of your place.
• Involve your local public safety officials and inform them about your requirements while making an evacuation plan.
• Research and get advice for a safe evacuation. 
• You can add pets to your evacuation plans if you have one at your home.

• Plan Sheltering

Shelter places are another vital aspect of an emergency. These rooms or places act as an alternate house for your family during an emergency. 

You can follow the below steps to place a sheltering successfully.

• You can designate a room at your house, as a sheltered place, but it must contain as few doors, and windows as possible, and access to telephone, radio, television, and social media.
• Ensure to have a medical kit and necessary supplies.
• If you are getting special medical care, involve your practitioner to determine ways to keep your care active in case you have to stay in the house for a more extended period.
• Update your family about the shelter room.

• Practice your Plan

Practice makes a man perfect. Once you have developed your emergency plan, keep practicing it occasionally. You can surprise run it 2-3 times yearly to ensure everything is in place. Moreover, feel free to update if you find some flaws.

Frequently Asked Question

How do I write a family emergency plan?

There are pre-defined forms available with emergency services, and you can get a copy and develop your plan based on your requirements.

What should a family prepare for any emergency?

You must have the below-mentioned items prepared for any emergency.

• Nonperishable food
• Water
• Clothing
• Supplies
• Three days of medicine
• Connectivity 

What is a family emergency plan?

The plan outlines roles, responsibilities, and action items each family member will take if any emergency occurs.

Parting Thoughts

We have described in detail – how to make an emergency plan for a family. Emergency plans are supportive in preventing families from bigger losses.

Therefore, a well-documented and well-rehearsed emergency plan can help you save precious lives and money. Moreover, it is easy to make a plan. There are pre-developed templates available with emergency response teams; you can consult them to develop your project.

Likewise, an emergency plan must include:

• Emergency exits.
• An emergency point of contact.
• An effective communication system.
• Emergency alerts.
• Periodic rehearsals of these evacuation plans.

After reading this article, we hope you can quickly develop an emergency plan for your loved ones. If you still need any help contact IrooClad Family for this kind of planning Please leave feedback in the comments section and share if we missed anything important.