ICE - In Case of Emergency

No matter where you live, or the time of the year, you and your family should be prepared for emergencies. Not just big disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes or fires, but medical and personal emergencies as well.

Cover it in ICE.?ICE stands for In Case of Emergency and Emergency Service Providers (paramedics, police and firefighters) will use your phone to contact your next of kin. Most smartphones will allow you to create a list of your emergency contacts in your phone. Keep a hard copy of your emergency contacts with up-to-date phone numbers, email and addresses in your emergency binder.

Pick your emergency contacts carefully. So often we make our emergency contacts a loved one, not taking into consideration that we are often with our closest family and friends when things go awry. Pick at least one emergency contact who lives in another city or province/state. This way, your person can be a hub of contact if you and your family are separated during an environmental emergency.

Keep your documents in one, easy to grab place. Store photocopies of the ID, Passports, credit cards, health cards, SIN cards for every member of the family in the back of your home manual. Include your emergency contacts list! Keep it in a central place and make sure it’s easy to get to . This way, if a family friend has to run into your house to pick up important documents, they can find them quickly.

Know where your first aid and overnight kits are. Do you have a fully stocked first aid kit in your house? Does everyone in your family know where it is? We often forget to keep our bandages and antiseptics stocked. Check the kit when you check your fire alarm batteries. Keep your overnight kit stocked with bottled water and anything else you will need to keep your family fed (and entertained!) for at least 3 days.

Medical Emergencies. Do you know where your local trauma centre is? If a family member is in an accident, what hospital would they be taken to? If there are people in the family who have chronic conditions, do you have their medications readily accessible with backups stored away (if possible)? In your Emergency Manual list out any allergies, medications, or other notable medical information so it’s easily at your fingertips to share with a doctor.

Develop an Evacuation Plan. Working with the whole family, make a plan on how you can escape your house in case of fire, water, or wind. If your bedrooms are on the second or third floor, how do you get out of the house at night? Designate a muster point – the place you all meet up once you’ve evacuated. Include a map to this location in your emergency binder, especially if you’ve picked a place that is further away from home.

Plan for the weather. Everywhere has unique weather and natural phenomena that can cause major problems for you and your family. Hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, mudslides, heatwaves, floods, and wildfires are all elements human beings must combat. If you live in an area where these occur with frequency, create a plan with your family and your out-of-town emergency contacts. Schedule in your calendar an annual review and discuss with all those involved.

Don’t forget 4-legged family. Do you know what you’re going to do with your animals if the worst happens? Make sure you’ve got food and water for your pets, as well as an emergency kit for their needs. You can find stickers for your window that indicate to Emergency Services what, and how many, animals are inside your home.

You’ve got the power. One of the first things to go in a disaster is electricity. Invest in power banks and keep them charged. Keep a stock of extra batteries that is only for the emergency kits. Make sure you have several flashlights, you don’t want to be using up your cellphone battery using it as a light.

Other things to think about. When the electricity goes down, so does the internet. When we’re so reliant on digital access to news and information, it’s important to have backups. Invest in a hand-crank radio so you can connect with the outside world without wasting batteries. Two-way radios are helpful too for when the cell network goes down and you need to communicate. Keep printed, waterproof maps of your region handy. Make sure your emergency kit includes paper and pencils (ink will run if it gets wet).

The most important thing to remember about preparing for emergencies is not to stress out. If you are prepared with a game plan, then you’ve done all you can do. Clear communication, simple planning and an open mind will keep you safe when the unexpected happens.