Emergency Prep Modules

Pillars of Emergency Preparedness

While everyone should exercise some level of preparedness, you need to decide what is best for your family. And your preps are definitely going to vary depending on where you live. It is important for you to determine what your most likely threats are based on where you live, and prepare accordingly. Do you live in tornado country? Earthquake country? Hurricane country? Are wild fires your biggest threat? Maybe cold winters with frequent power outages are your biggest threat. Determine what your most likely threats are, and prepare for those. I like to break threats down into these 4 groups:

1. What will happen

2. What is likely or probable

3. What is possible

4. What could happen, but is not very likely (perimeter threats)

I focus most of my efforts in preparing for the threats that belong in group 1 and 2. I will give some consideration to group 3, but only after my preps are mostly in place for group 1 and 2. I may or may not get to the point that I am fully prepared for the threats that belong in group 4. For me in Salt Lake City, Utah, threats that belong to Group 1 might include short-term power outages and winter storms. Group 2 threats might include longer-term power outages. Group 3 threats might include earthquakes (I live in earthquake country) which could lead to long-term power outages, water and gas issues, being displaced outside the home (could be winter), etc. Also on this list might be employment disruptions, house fires, pandemics, etc. Group 4 threats might include a nuclear attack or world war, EMP's, Government collapse (I might want to move this up into group 3???), social disorder, martial law, and SME's, etc. Some guys out there would like to include a 5th category to include the end of the world and a zombie apocalypse, but I am not that guy. If bunkers, beans, bullets, and bandaids are your mantra, this might not be the program for you. If practical and casual are more your thing, then let's get started.

I have attempted to break down the overwhelming task of "getting prepared" into more manageable or bite-sized chunks. I have broken down these topics into what I consider the main Pillars of emergency preparedness. While this list is not conclusive, it should get you off to a descent start. These topics include:

• The Home Manual

• Light Kits

• Bed Kits

• 72-Hour kits (aka Bug-out bags)

• Power, Light, and Electricity

• Home Preparedness

• Earthquake Planning

• Fire Safety

• Drills and Rally Plans

• Car Kits

• Docs Kits

• First Aid Kits

• Shelter, Sleeping, and Heating

• Cooking

• Sanitation and Waste

• Health, Wellness, and Hygiene

• Emergency Communications

• Tools and Supplies

• Home Security and Defense

• Using your Food Storage

Final thoughts: 

• • Skills require tools and tools require skills.

  • There is no such thing as bad weather; just bad equipment (and training).

  • Preparedness turns an emergency into an inconvenience.

Knowing how to use something does you no good if you don't have that item, and likewise, what good is owning something if you don't know how to use it? The Emergency Prep part of this program suggests some supplies, but knowing how to use them is up to you. Sure, this may take some time, but this education will pay major dividends if you ever need to use it. And don't let it stop at You. Make sure every capable person in your house knows how to use all of your supplies. Remember, you may not even be home when the big one hits. It would be sad for your family to suffer unnecessarily because you were the only one who knew how everything worked, yet were not home when it was needed. So to help you and your family get familiar with your emergency prep efforts, we have come up with a documentation method, called "The Home Manual", which will serve as a reference manual for all of your equipment and supplies. This Home Manual is integral to all of your emergency prep efforts, and we will go into much deeper detail on why we use it and how to put it together. 

When trying to justify the purchase of your emergency equipment, consider that many of these items will double as camping gear. I use camping to justify many of my purchases, and even use camping as an excuse to get out and get familiar with some of our equipment.  If you can, take opportunities to test your families' tolerance to some of the situations we talk about, such as power outages or more serious situations like being displaced outside the home. For example, try going 24 hours without the lights. This sounds simple enough, but let your kids experience it first hand. They'll probably have fun with this drill. And then step it up a bit. Try camping in the backyard for an evening. This is actually a great family experience during the summer. But try it again when conditions are not exactly ideal, such as when it is a little cooler. Break out the blankets and heaters. Give your generator a try. Work up to spending a night winter (not fair if you live in Hawaii). Try surviving off of your food storage for a whole week. There are lots of ways you can start getting your family familiar with the situations that you are preparing for. The more familiar they are with some of this, the less of a shock it will be when something actually happens.

Just to reiterate, the information contained within each of these modules is designed to be suggestions. Recognize when your individual circumstances warrant changes to or deviations from this program. For example, if you live in Hawaii, you may not need portable heaters. If you live in Denver, you may not need to prep for hurricanes and tsunamis. Make changes as necessary and do what is best for you and your family.