Jeff Beeler writes about a recent personal experience after the Chilean earthquake, as a reminder of the importance of being prepared – both at home and at our places of business.

During a recent work trip to Honolulu, I awoke one morning to a report of a possible disaster approaching.  Due to the 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chile, there was threat of a tsunami that was estimated to hit the island at 11:30 am.  USGS models estimated it to be 9 to 12 feet, which could cause significant damage to the coast line.  I put on some rugged clothes, packed my luggage, got some essentials in my backpack (i.e. water, flashlight, snacks, etc.) and called the front desk to see what their plan was.  I was told to stay above the 3^rd floor.  Since I was on the 30^th floor, I was safe for the moment.

As I scanned the various news channels and internet sites to get more information, I was reminded of how important it is to be prepared for such emergencies.  Whether it is an earthquake, tsunami, hurricane or fire, we all need to realize that disasters strike everywhere, at any time.  But what is our role if a disaster hits?  What should we do if we are at home?  What are our responsibilities at work?  Are we personally prepared if we are on the road?  Can we help others if needed?  There are so many different ways to be prepared…which ways are you prepared?

I have found that personally being prepared is the most important consideration.  It’s hard to help anyone else if you are not secure and safe.  At our home we know how to turn off water, gas and electric service in case of disruption.  We have a supply of water and food as well as a back pack with emergency supplies, tools and other necessities if we have to get out of the house.  We even have some firefighting capabilities – and I’m not talking about just a simple fire extinguisher.  We have an “out of town contact” we can all report to if we can’t get a hold of each other locally.  I even have an emergency preparedness kit in my car in case I’m driving when something happens.

Recently, I registered for a local CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) class.  The 24 hour training program includes skills and knowledge to assist our community in case of a disaster.  We learn basic first aid, light search and rescue, disaster psychology, fire safety and extinguisher use, hazards of a disaster, etc.  After 32 years in the fire service, this is all very fundamental to me – but after being retired, it allows me to be recognized as a trained disaster volunteer and gives me quicker access to the system, to help where I can.  My first responsibility is to my neighborhood and then report to where I’m requested.  I encourage you to look into this program for yourself.

The CERT program is also open to businesses.  On-site training is available to employee groups to supplement your existing Disaster Planning.  Your plan probably calls for certain individuals to perform essential duties to mitigate hazards, protect employees and ensure business continuity when a disaster hits – but what about the rest of the employees?  Are they going to just evacuate to a shelter or evacuation point?  Why not have them trained to help with the some of the lower priority emergencies like fire extinguishment, first aid, search and rescue and evacuation?  Being self sufficient is critical to a business during disasters, since emergency workers will likely be overwhelmed.

If your company is called upon to provide essential services during a disaster, your employees may need some specific training to prepare them for these unstable and dangerous environments.  While working with a FEMA rescue team at the World Trade Center disaster, I worked alongside many different trades such as iron workers, laborers, heavy equipment operators and others.  I could tell that many of them were very unaware of the dangers of the site and very uncomfortable with the level of death and destruction.  A 16 hour Disaster Site Worker class is available to train contractor employees about the dangers of various disaster sites, working with emergency personnel under the incident command system, critical incident stress recognition, respirator use and more.  This is an outreach program from the OSHA Training Institute, and students will receive an identification card recognizing them as a Disaster Site Worker upon successful completion of the program.  Some contractors have pre-existing contracts for services needed at a disaster, and many will be called upon at a moment’s notice.  Again, being prepared will make all the difference.

We all know disasters strike everywhere, and the likelihood that we will be involved in one is pretty high, so why not be prepared?  Get some training, set up an emergency kit, review your company disaster plan and prepare your family.  Others may be counting on you.

For further information and/or to set up a CERT or Disaster Site Worker class contact us at 619.204.6414, or e-mail jeff@jbsafetyservices.com.