How to Build an Emergency Family Action Plan

October 6, 2014

The Fall is a great time of new sights, smells, and family adventures. Having a safe and sound, comfortable place to call home is what lets you take a worry-free approach to enjoying this season—and every season—to the fullest.

With new schedules, time commitments, and tasks in full swing, it’s easy to fall into a familiar routine. However, you need to have an action plan in place for when an unexpected emergency in your home, neighborhood, or the Bainbridge, GA area comes about. It’s one more way to help give you peace of mind.

At Harrell King, our mission is to help make your home a true safe haven of comfort. Here, we lay out the framework for your Emergency Family Action Plan:

 

Making a Plan for Your Immediate Family.

When an emergency strikes, there’s often very little time to act. Having an agreed upon plan of who to call, where to go, and what to do is something every family should have in place—though few actually do.

The first component is contact information. Where and when will you and your loved ones be this morning, afternoon, and at night? Now that smartphones and instant messaging are common, many assume that they don’t need to give notice for when and where they are. This is a dangerous path to tread.

Make a habit of always letting each other know where you plan to be and for how long. This is a simple way to ensure response time, should any trouble arise.

Keep a copy of the following information for each person in your family:

  • Full name.
  • Mobile phone number(s).
  • School and/or workplace address, phone number, and email contact.

Now, pick a location in the neighborhood, and farther in the region at which you can all reconvene in the event of a bigger emergency. This can be a relative or family friend’s residence, a work location, place of worship, school or an otherwise safe place to meet.

Next, decide who is the best person (family or friend) that lives out of town and can be contacted in case of emergency. Choose the same person that everyone in your family should contact. For this person, keep an accurate list with their:

  • Full name.
  • Home phone number.
  • Mobile phone number.
  • Email address.
  • Home address.
  • Facebook and/or Twitter account name.

Finally, make an information sheet listing the name, birthdate, social security number, and important medical information of each family member. Include also any relevant medical contacts (doctor, pediatrician, dentist, specialist, pharmacist or veterinarian) with their phone, email address and your insurance information.

 

In An Emergency.

The most important thing is making safe decisions. In the event of a life-threatening emergency, get to a safe location and contact the proper authorities.

If you’re not in immediate danger, send a text. A text message has a better change of going through while also keeping the lines free for emergency calls that may arise.

Prepare for a power outage ahead of time:

  • Follow the directions of local authorities during the outage.
  • Have flashlights and battery-operated radios in a safe place with extra batteries ready.
  • Have an emergency kit with warm, dry clothes, a med kit, and any necessary tools.
  • Have some extra cash on hand in case ATMs do not work.

For other emergencies, please see the helpful links listed at the end of this article.

Bainbridge, Georgia’s Best Emergency Heating Service

When an emergency with your heating or cooling system arises, think before you act. Make sure that you are in a safe situation, without the threat of a fire or electric shock taking place. Do not try to amend the situation yourself.

Instead, contact the team at Harrell King and we can help navigate you through the situation. Our technicians can arrive quickly to your home and properly diagnose the best course of action. Trust us with your system’s safety. We won’t let you down!

 

Some other helpful links:

Ready.gov – Make A Plan

National Weather Service Website              

Bainbridge Public Safety

Decantur County Emergency Contacts

Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA)

Harrell King Emergency Services

 

Professional serviceman. Wore his mask, spoke kindly, asked if I had any problems and seemed concerned about he operation of my AC unit.…

"This letter is to express appreciation for the fine service you and your company have given me and my family recently. As your…

"On Saturday the A/C unit at our lake house, located in Donalsonville, quit working. I checked the outside breaker box and found that…

View More Reviews>>