Family Survival Planning
As this guide is centered on terrorism, we must begin to formulate a family survival plan for these potential terrorist acts both at home and in the event you are abroad when such an act occurs. It would behoove you to develop a family terrorist survival plan and practice it at least a couple of times per year.
Terrorists can strike quickly anywhere anytime. You may be at work while the kids are at school or in a vehicle. You may be forced to evacuate your home and / or area. How will you find your children, spouse and other family members? How can you best ensure your children’s safety? For these reasons and others, ATAC strongly urges you to consider developing a family terrorist survival plan.
You can begin to develop your family terrorism survival plan by following some simple guidelines listed here. Please add whatever is needed or required for your family.
- Educate yourself and your family on terrorism.
- Enhance your awareness skills
- Enhance your family’s personal defense by tasking individuals to study specific subject areas.
- Learn Community warning signals and evacuation routes.
- Develop a family terrorism survival plan
- Make sure each person has a method to communicate or get in touch with others.
- Choose Safe Location Designation Sites—these are meeting sites if anyone is separated from the family or simply as a meeting place. Choose 2-3 different locations in the area.Next, choose 1-2 locations that are outside your area, even in other states where friends or family reside. Use these people to help initiate or maintain family communication and whereabouts.
- Make sure each person knows the evacuation plan should you need to leave your home or area. Routes should be detailed for vehicle as well as on foot.
Fundamental Family Survival Framework
- Do a complete inspection of your home for security and safety.
- Make sure your vehicle is well maintained and keep the gas tank near full in the event you need to make a quick exit.
- Check to make sure that fire extinguishers are current and will work.
- All fire alarms and smoke detectors should have fresh batteries periodically.
- All emergency contact numbers should be in plain sight and posted somewhere near a phone.
- Each family member should maintain a copy of all emergency contact numbers with them.
- Each family member should at the least, maintain some simple survival items with them at all times.
- Each family member should take a CPR course.
- Each family member should know how to use a fire extinguisher.
- Each family member should know where the main electric panel for the house is and know how to shut down the main breaker as well as individual breakers.
- Each family member should know where the main water valve for the home is and how to turn it off.
- Post local Fire, Police and Emergency Medical Services phone numbers near phones.
- All children in the family should know how to call 911 in case of emergency.
- Stock your home with food, water and supply items to last 2 weeks minimum.
- Get a go-bag and have it quickly accessible in your home, vehicles and work. Go-bags usually come with specialized items and equipment.
Standard Practice and Drilling: Get the family together at least a couple of times per year and drill them on questions pertaining to safety and emergencies. Review evacuation plans and check all gear and food and water items.