The Neighborhood Emergency Response Handbook

Practical, step-by-step strategies for helping your own family, first responders and vulnerable community members during any emergency situation. Eventually, everyone experiences a catastrophic emergency. Whether it’s a hurricane that sweeps across their entire state, an earthquake or flood that decimates their home city or a house fire that puts their family in danger. Knowing what to do before, during and immediately after these emergency situations can mean the difference between life and death. All across the country people of all walks of life are signing up for Community Emergency Response Team training classes where they learn how to help those in dire need and assist overwhelmed first responders in saving lives and preventing further disaster. This book teaches you what those CERT team members learn—from stabilizing a car crash victim for ambulance transport and rescuing trapped citizens from a fallen building to putting out a house fire before the fire trucks even arrive. Learn about: • Creating event-specific disaster kits for yourself and your family • Learning about basic fire safety and fire fighting • Establishing triage centers in the event that first responders can’t reach you • Stabilizing disaster victims through need-to-know first aid • Creating your own neighborhood emergency response team to keep your neighborhood safe and save lives should the worst occur

As a homeowner, you have a big investment in your house and property. You are determined to protect it - and yourself - from a disaster. Being prepared for emergencies is high on your list of priorities. But in a big emergency, how will the rest of your neighborhood fare? Will people around you know how to protect themselves and how to help their neighbors - including you? That's the situation we found ourselves in - and we weren't ready to accept it. So, we gathered up our energy, our marketing skills and our experience as trainers and began what has turned out to be a 15+ year experiment at improving emergency preparedness in our community. This book details what we have learned so far about building a neighborhood emergency response team. And our goal is to share it to help others build their own neighborhood team. The book is one of a series, each aimed at a different type of community: apartment, multi-family, mobilehome, or business.Of course, every community is different. And while we approach building a neighborhood team in three broadly defined steps, we try to include many, many ways to go about getting there.The three steps are simple: (1) Prepare yourself and your family (2) Get CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training and build a core group around you (3) Build, document and practice your neighborhood "plan" for credibility and consistency.Sounds simple, but there are many choices to be made along the way. Some of the resources we've included that we think will make your choices easier: * Using the advantages - and watching out for the disadvantages - of living in a particular size and type of community* Lists of emergency supplies for survival kits, evacuation kits, pet survival kits, etc.* Eight priorities for personal preparations* MANY suggestions for holding meetings that will recruit new members and keep them involved (We have been involved in hundreds of such meetings over the years!)* List of emergency items your neighborhood team members will want - and will appreciate* 7 things about your location to investigate before you even start building the team* Step by step to creating the "organization chart" and filling in the blanks with neighbors' names* Sample charts, communications matrix, meeting invitations* Legal alerts and warnings* "Real life" short stories of things we tried that didn't work so well!Finally, we admit to some of our frustrations with the process -- and we try to remind enthusiastic leaders about what to expect from volunteers!There are no guarantees in this book. Emergencies by their very definition are unexpected and unknown. What we do know, though, is that whatever preparations you and your neighbors make, and whatever planning you do, gives you a better chance of keeping that emergency from becoming a disaster. This book will help get you started.

Does the identification number 60 indicate a toxic substance or a flammable solid, in the molten state at an elevated temperature? Does the identification number 1035 indicate ethane or butane? What is the difference between natural gas transmission pipelines and natural gas distribution pipelines? If you came upon an overturned truck on the highway that was leaking, would you be able to identify if it was hazardous and know what steps to take? Questions like these and more are answered in the Emergency Response Guidebook. Learn how to identify symbols for and vehicles carrying toxic, flammable, explosive, radioactive, or otherwise harmful substances and how to respond once an incident involving those substances has been identified. Always be prepared in situations that are unfamiliar and dangerous and know how to rectify them. Keeping this guide around at all times will ensure that, if you were to come upon a transportation situation involving hazardous substances or dangerous goods, you will be able to help keep others and yourself out of danger. With color-coded pages for quick and easy reference, this is the official manual used by first responders in the United States and Canada for transportation incidents involving dangerous goods or hazardous materials.

You recognize your apartment community is vulnerable to a disaster. You've put in the hours to complete the CERT course (Community Emergency Response Team) or maybe another training. But in a big emergency, people around you won't know how to protect themselves, much less how to help their neighbors - including you! That's the situation we found ourselves in - and we weren't ready to accept it. So, we gathered up our energy, our marketing skills and our experience as trainers and began what has turned out to be a 15+ year experiment at improving emergency preparedness in our community. This book (and the others in the Series) details what we have learned so far about building a neighborhood emergency response team. Our goal is to share it to help others build their own neighborhood teams. Of course, every community is different. And while we approach building a neighborhood team in three broadly defined steps, we try to include many, many ways to go about getting there.The three steps are simple: (1) Prepare yourself and your family (2) Get CERT training and build a core group around you (3) Build, document and practice your neighborhood "plan" for credibility and consistency.Sounds simple, but there are many choices to be made along the way. Some of the resources we've included that we hope will make your choices easier: * Using the advantages - and watching out for the disadvantages - of your unique setting (multi-family dwelling, high-rise or low-rise, mobilehome park, single family residential neighborhood)* Lists of emergency supplies for survival kits, evacuation kits, pet survival kits, etc.* Eight priorities for personal preparations* MANY suggestions for holding meetings that will recruit new members and keep them involved (We have been involved in hundreds of such meetings over the years!)* List of emergency items your neighborhood team members will want * 7 things about your building/location to investigate before you even start building the team* Step by step to creating the "organization chart" and filling in the blanks with neighbors' names* Sample charts, communications matrix, meeting invitations* Legal alerts and warnings* "Real life" short stories of things we tried that didn't work so well!Finally, we admit to some of our frustrations with the process -- and we try to remind enthusiastic leaders about what to expect from volunteers!There are no guarantees in this book. Emergencies by their very definition are unexpected and unknown. What we do know, though, is that whatever preparations you and your neighbors make, and whatever planning you do, gives you a better chance of keeping that emergency from becoming a disaster. This book will help get you started.

From an Emergency Preparedness Planning perspective, apartment living has some advantages over detached homes in that residents are housed closely together as opposed to being scattered throughout the community. This makes it easier to communicate and, in a disaster scenario, it's likely that triage (assessing seriousness of injuries) can be conducted more expeditiously. But there are also drawbacks, particularly from the standpoint of stocking emergency supplies of food and water and ability to secure furniture and appliances by attaching them to walls, etc. Also, depending on the type of apartment building/s, there may be limited avenues of escape and additional risks of fire or other hazards due to the close proximity of neighbors. In 2018, I wrote the book, Emergency Preparedness for Apartment Communities based on my own years as a both an apartment renter and a homeowner. It covers many aspects of preparedness, from (1) personal readiness to (2) getting more neighbors involved to (3) actually putting together a written plan. Appendices in the book cover different threats, recruitment ideas, legal cautions, training options, and emergency communications. Throughout I've listed additional resources. People liked the book, but admitted to me that there was still too much for them to get their arms around! So I wrote a companion - THE WORKBOOK. It follows the same content flow, but is truly a workbook, just as you'd expect. It has simple questions, and spaces for you to write your answers. Step by step, you'll be taking action . . . Answering questions to help set personal priorities Researching what planning has already been done Making sure your owners and/or managers are on board Finding and inviting interested neighbors to learn more Getting training for yourself and your team Learning about your community infrastructure, utilities, etc. Picking which disasters to plan for Meeting the First Responders that serve your community Planning and holding meetings for neighbors to learn more about first aid, ways to strengthen your home, etc. The Q&A format of THE WORKBOOK moves you and your group forward by simple steps, one after another, on your own time frame. Many of the questions make it easy to engage others in your family or group. If you haven't been able to make the progress you'd like on your own readiness, or if you want to help your whole community get better prepared, get Emergency Preparedness for Apartment Communities and its companion -- THE WORKBOOK . Everything you're likely to need to know is in these step by step guides as well as how and where to go to find everything else.

Despite preemptive preparations, disasters can and do occur. Whether natural disasters, catastrophic accidents, or terrorist attacks, the risk cannot be completely eliminated. A carefully prepared response is your best defense. Handbook of Emergency Response: A Human Factors and Systems Engineering Approach presents practical advice and guidelines on how to plan the coordinated execution of emergency response. A useful tool to mitigate logistical problems that often follow disasters or extreme events, the core of this guide is the role of human factors in emergency response project management. The handbook provides a systematic structure for communication, cooperation, and coordination. It highlights what must be done and when, and how to identify the resources required for each effort. The book tackles cutting-edge research in topics such as evacuation planning, chemical agent sensor placement, and riverflow prediction. It offers strategies for establishing an effective training program for first responders and insightful advice in managing waste associated with disasters. Managing a project in the wake of a tragedy is complicated and involves various emotional, sentimental, reactive, and chaotic responses. This is the time that a structured communication model is most needed. Having a guiding model for emergency response can help put things in proper focus. This book provides that model. It guides you through planning for and responding to various emergencies and in overcoming the challenges in these tasks.

Your mobilehome community is vulnerable. You've put in the hours to complete the CERT course or other emergency response training, but you're afraid that in a big disaster, your neighbors won't know how to protect themselves, much less how to help you! That's the situation we found ourselves in - and we weren't ready to accept it. Instead, we gathered up our energy, our marketing skills and our experience as trainers and began what has turned out to be a 15+ year experiment at improving emergency preparedness in our community.This book details what we have learned so far about building a neighborhood emergency response team. And our goal is to present it in so others can use it to build their own neighborhood teams. Of course, every community is different. And while we approach building a neighborhood team in three broadly defined steps, we try to include many, many ways to go about getting there.The three steps are simple: (1) Prepare yourself and your family (2) Get CERT training and build a core group around you (3) Build and document your neighborhood "plan" for credibility and consistency.Sounds simple, but there are so many choices to be made along the way! Some of the resources we think will make choices easier: * Using the advantages - and watching out for the disadvantages - of living in an apartment complex* List after list of emergency supplies for survival kits, evacuation kits, pet survival kits, etc.* Eight priorities for personal preparations* MANY suggestions for holding meetings that will recruit new members and keep them involved (We have been involved in hundreds of such meetings over the years!)* List of emergency items your neighborhood team members will want - and will appreciate* 7 things about your building/location to investigate before you even start building the team* Step by step to creating the "organization chart" and filling in the blanks with neighbors' names* Sample charts, communications matrix, meeting invitations* Legal alerts and warnings* "Real life" short stories of things we tried that didn't work so well!Finally, we admit to some of our frustrations with the process - and we try to remind enthusiastic leaders about what to expect from volunteers!There are no guarantees in this book. Emergencies by their very definition are unexpected and unknown. What we do know, though, is that whatever preparations you and your neighbors make, and whatever planning you do, give you a better chance of keeping that emergency from becoming a disaster.

Dear Neighborhood Emergency Response Group Leader, How are you doing in your efforts to build a volunteer team? Struggling? In a slump? Over the past 15+ years I have been in each of those places with my own neighborhood group. But with some help from friends just when it was needed, we've kept our group alive and active. After all that effort, it just made sense to put what I've learned into a book so it could help other groups. This is the result! Emergency Preparedness Meeting Ideasoffers 21 meeting ideas on a range of topics. Pick one that fits your group's interests and skills, or the time of the year, or a looming threat. Pick a meeting activity that will be fun, serious or surprising. If you have had CERT training, feel free to add some of that material. Note that these meetings are not part of the CERT curriculum. Rather, they are for regular citizens who may or may not have had any formal training but who care about their families and their neighbors. In any case, each meeting is fully developed. You can find one you like and use it for your very next meeting. Or, perhaps even better, hand it off to someone else on your team and let THAT person use it for your next meeting! Emergency Preparedness Meeting Ideas pulls together all the skills and experience I've had in a career as writer, marketer, trainer - and CERT volunteer. Add to that what I've learned from the hundreds of meetings I've planned or helped plan with professional organizations and my own neighbors. With that as background, I've fleshed out each meeting idea with Topic, Goal, Procedure, Materials needed and Comments. Sample checklists and diagrams are augmented with links to additional resources. Plus, there's a Meeting Planner Page at the end of each activity that makes it easy to organize each meeting -- and to assign volunteer roles. Some of the meeting ideas can be repeated. Most are meant to be customized or expanded upon. Whatever your needs, you can put the workbook to work immediately to plan your very next meeting. (Add it to one of our other Neighborhood Disaster Survival Guides and you will have an entire blueprint for building a neighborhood preparedness group!) These activities are meant to train, to entertain, and to inspire citizen volunteers to simply be as prepared as possible at all times. We subscribe to the belief that "The more we all know the better off we all will be!"