Needing to evacuate your home and family in case of emergency is a scary thought that no one wants to dwell on. You may think “it’ll never happen to me”, and we hope that it doesn’t! But that doesn’t mean that it won’t.
In case of a fire, electrical storm, cyclone or even a home invasion, you and your family need to be prepared.
Creating a simple plan with your family and doing a few practices with your kids can give you peace of mind and significantly increase your chances of keeping everyone safe in case of emergency.
We’ve put together a few helpful steps for you and your family to follow to keep safe.
Step 1: Create an Emergency Kit & Contacts List
Every home should have an emergency kit that’s easily accessible. The purpose of this kit is to gather everything you may need in any given situation. From a simple blackout to a natural disaster – you can find what you need in this kit.
Your Emergency Kit
- Batteries
- Torch
- Radio
- Matches
- Candles
- Packing Tape
- Scissors
- First Aid Kid
- Snacks (non-perishable)
- Bottled water
- Medications
- A copy of emergency numbers that includes local SES services, neighbours, family members and 000!
Top Tip: Don’t make the kit too heavy or too out of the way!
There’s a chance that you may be the one incapacitated and your kids may need to bring the kit to you. If you’re concerned it’s too large, break it down to smaller, clearly labelled kits that are easier for little ones to reach and carry.
Step 2: Identify Emergency Exit Points
Consider the layout of your home and where the best exits are. You should make sure that you have two exit points that your whole family can exit from and congregate in a safe place away from the home. Usually at a landmark across the street like a tree or pole. Best case scenario, you’ll be close with your neighbours, that way you can go to a home nearby to feel safe and secure.
Ideally, both of your emergency exits will enter on to the streets of your home and not your backyard. The advantage of having your escapes at the front of the home means you won’t be slowed down by fences and other potential hazards.
Most homes only exits via front and back doors. That’s why Crimsafe have developed the Safe-S-Cape Security Screens for windows.
Crimsafe’s Safe-S-Cape Security Screens have been designed to fit your windows and unlock from the inside with the push of a button – no key required! This means that you can get out quickly and easily while still keeping your windows locked from the outside.
While being quick and easy for you to escape from if necessary, the Safe-S-Capes still have all the state-of-the-art Crimsafe strength and security from the outside – so you’re still preventing the bad guys from getting in.
Step 3: Practise Your Plan
Practise makes perfect! Once you know what your plan is, make sure your whole family knows it – including regular visitors. Get everyone together to explain the plan and do a run through.
Remember to practise a few unplanned drills with your kids. When a real emergency happens, you won’t be sitting together talking about your plan. Your family will be scattered around the house, everyone doing their own thing. It’s these occasions when you need to practise most!
Step 4: Review the Security of Your Home
Now that you know what to do in case of an emergency, it’s time to double check that you’re doing everything that you can to prevent something bad happening in the first place.
Regularly cleaning gutters, getting electrical appliances checked and up to date and making sure outdoor furniture is secure can go a long way! By doing everything you can to prevent a fire or other accident in the home means one less day you’ll need your emergency plan.
So if something does go wrong and all you need to worry about is moving your family to safety – that’s the best outcome in a worst case scenario.
At the end of the day when you’re getting your family into bed if you follow our 4 easy steps, you can rest assured that if the worst happens, you’ll be ready.